2021 Race Director’s report

Yeah! What a wonderful return to Lakeland mountain running! 

I spent a lot of time chatting with participants over the weekend and it was obvious to me that there were many first timers at the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day™ this year. I’d like to extend a very special welcome to you all. I sincerely hope that you all experienced the fun, friendly and relaxed atmosphere that the GL3D™ has become justifiably famous for. 

We consider the GL3D™ to be both an entry level and stepping stone event. The transportation of participants overnight kit, the provision of water and washing up facilities, the catering concessions and of course the bar and communal marquee all make the event very accessible and – dare I say – easy for the runners. Likewise, the Café Course is designed to be an entry level standard course for those with limited experience of the mountains, or for those more experienced folk, who want to focus on the social aspects of the weekend. The two Wainwright courses provide increasing levels of challenge, and our Expert course is very tough indeed (only 10 people completed it this weekend).

The longer courses can be seen as a stepping stone to our two expedition races (Montane Dragon’s Back Race® and Cape Wrath Ultra®) and it was clear that a significant number of participants were starting their preparation for the 2022 editions of these events, by completing the GL3D™ first. As a minimum, I suggest that a you’d need to be able to complete all three days of the Wainwright (Long) course to be able to come to the Montane Dragon’s Back Race® and Cape Wrath Ultra® with a reasonable expectation of success.  

Some of you might have had a chance to speak with Tim from SILVA over the weekend. It is always fantastic when the sponsoring brand sends a senior member of their team to take part and we are proud to work together with SILVA. It was SILVA who provided the complimentary beer, so if you meet Tim in the pub one day… you all owe him a pint! 

All participants and event team will have received my message alerting them to a case of COVID-19 linked to the event on Monday evening. Unfortunately, there has now been a second confirmed case. The second case is someone who was a close contact of the initial person who was informed of this risk on Monday evening. Clearly, we wish everyone who has contracted COVID-19 a speedy recovery, and we hope that no more cases will be reported.  

There was one significant incident on the course involving a participant during the event. Fortunately, this occurred close to the Overnight Camp at Rosthwaite and our Response Team and Medical Team were able to swiftly respond and avert a mountain rescue callout. When we plan events like the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day™, it is a given that we are aiming for excellence and great value for money for our participants. However, one of our considerations is having appropriate contingency plans and emergency resources and it is very satisfying to see these teams swing into action and provide a high-quality response to an emergency. 

Earlier this year we published our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. The aim of this new policy is to clearly share our commitments towards growing and sustaining numbers of participants from underrepresented groups. Full details of the Policy HERE. Anecdotally, it seemed as if there were more female participants at the event and we will check the actual data carefully in the autumn and report at the end of the year. 

As many of you are aware, we are also organising the Montane Dragon’s Back Race® next week, and Salomon Skyline Scotland® the week after that. It is an extremely busy period for us and I’d greatly appreciate a little extra patience if you are waiting for a response from us to a customer services enquiry.

On a final note, there was one disqualification over the weekend. An outright disqualification is a rare occurrence, and I’d like to explain broadly why I took this action. My role as the Race Director is multifaceted but safety, fluid logistics, and fairness are primary considerations. Ensuring that the structure, ethos and parity of the event is maintained follow closely behind. The structure of the event is created from many aspects of the event set up; the rules, the start/finish times, cut-offs, the blue fencing etc. all of which combine to give the event its identity. Without this structure, there would be no coherent event. To ensure parity across the event and between all participants, I will not change the rules ad hoc. Whether this relates to a missing mandatory kit item, or missed cut-off, my role is occasionally to apply strict fairness and parity. If everyone follows the rules of the event, then fairness is ensured, the fun and friendly atmosphere is maintained for the long-term and our high standard of safety are maintained. 

STAKEHOLDER THANKS

Of course, the event would not have been possible without the consent and support of the major landowners and various stakeholders. I would like to extend a special thanks to the National Trust, Lowther Estate, Yew Tree Farm, Mill Brow Farm, Lakes Parish Council, Borrowdale Parish Council and Natural England. I would also like thank the Fell Bar, Heathen Vegan and Famers Wife who provided our bar and catering concessions. 

Thanks to the event team

• Steve Ashworth

• Zakius Benaton

• Seb Boulton-Oliver

• Fiona Brannan

• Mike Brogden

• Katie 'Kitkat' Cole

• Jack Cooper

• Ian Cowie

• Tim Cox

• Dave Cumins

• Neil Davies

• Sharon Dickson

• Sue Dowker

• Tim Glasby

• Louise Greenwood

• Graham Gristwood

• Colin Harding

• Dougie Harvey

• Charlotte Hattersley

• Tom Hecht

• Paul Horabin

• Dave Howarth

• Peter Huzan

• Paul Imrie

• Lawrie Jones

• Duncan Kendrick

• Natalya Kennedy

• Lisa Knipe

• Richard Lawrence

• Hilary Malyon

• Dan Murdoch

• Paul O'Reilly

• Janie Oates

• Shane Ohly

• Ann Perry

• Rachel Platt

• Tom Rouse

• Julia Savory

• Lucy Scrase

• Liane Shaw

• Stuart Smith

• Phil Sturgeon

• Becky Tate

• Debs White

• Bill Whitfield

• Philip Wilkinson

• Charlie Williamson

RESULTS 

View the 2021 results here:

Particpants Feedback

Feedback is very important to us. Whatever you have to say, positive or negative, we are keen to hear your thoughts. Whilst we don’t promise to incorporate every piece of feedback received, we do promise to read and consider it carefully. Participant feedback has helped refine and improve the event from one edition to the next and it has been instrumental in polishing the details and the event is better for it. So, please don’t be shy and send any comments you have via the contact form below:

Entries for may 2022 event - now open!

We are excited to say entries are now open for May 2022! The event dates are: Saturday 30th April to Monday 2nd May 2022 (early May bank holiday weekend). We look forward to seeing you there! And remember, we will be in a different Lake District location in 2022!

Please note, we already have 412 entries due to deferrals so we do expect the event to sell out. Why not, secure your spot now and enjoy the early bird entry fee:

Montane Dragon’s Back Race® - starts Monday 6th September!

We are very excited to say that the Montane Dragon’s Back Race® will start on Monday 6th September at 07:00. There will be live GPS Tracking and live event coverage (including daily highlight films) all week as participants enjoy 6 days of mountain running from Conwy castle to Cardiff castle - covering the full length of the Welsh mountains!

FILMS & PHOTO

Take a look on Facebook and Instagram for a selection of photos from the 2021 event - more will be posted in the coming weeks! We will also be updating the event website with lots of great new photos from the 2021 event. 

Do you have photos you would like to share? Why not post them in the participant Facebook group? 

Enjoy the summary films from each day below - and again, more videos will be posted on the website and on social media in the coming weeks! 

Day one:

Day two:

day three:

We look forward to seeing you in May 2022!

Yours in mountain running,

Shane Ohly, GL3D™ Race Director