SROC New Year Cracker 2004
3RD NEW YEAR CRACKER - DALTON CRAGS
Thursday 1st January
ORGANISERS’ COMMENTS
Thank you all for coming! Please see the Results
and the Splits.
Alex Finch has done a great job in producing a new map of an area last used nearly 18 years ago. It was a pity that the forestry thinning started 3 weeks
or so before the event, but Steve Mclean did a great job in planning around the workings. We thought the area had really improved, due to thinning over the last few years, and look forward to running on it again soon.
We did not really intend the penalties for being late to be quite so draconian. We had used the same system last year but not many people were late, given the small area. This year it was different! And we cannot change the penalties after the event, as this would disadvantage those who took them fully into account in planning and executing their run.
However, from the results you should be able to work out how you would have fared with different penalties. Certainly, our
prize winners truly deserve their victories.
Thanks also to our helpers, particularly the Niemis from Finland, for whom this is likely to be their last event before returning to Finland. We will miss you!
See you at the 4th New Year Cracker!
Martyn and Sue Roome
PLANNERS COMMENTS
Congratulations to the various prize winners and to Kevin and Quentin
Harding for completing all 18 controls on the Short course and to Ed Nash
for getting all 30 controls in only just over the Long time limit.
Dalton Crags is an area of many contrasts ranging from the exposed open
land in the north east and the highly runnable central band to the much more
rugged and rocky terrain in the west, all interspersed with various sections
of limestone pavement. The very recent forestry work added to the challenges
and I hope this, and the muddy conditions created by the forestry vehicles
on some sections of track, didn't spoil anyone's enjoyment of the event too
much.
My intention was for part 1 of the Long course to be fairly challenging,
taking either a clockwise or anti-clockwise loop and working out how best to
pick up the northern controls. I envisaged this being completed in approx 30
minutes. Ed managed this despite losing some time and several others came
close. Charlotte took my preferred route (with a nice long downhill finish
from 108 picking up a couple of controls on the way), but you can judge for
yourselves which of the different permutations was best (looking at the
splits there were more than a dozen different selections between the
northern controls!!).
The part 2 challenge was different. For those with the energy and time
left there was to be the temptation of trying to collect all controls.
Otherwise it was a question of trying to decide which of the many easier
controls, with no immediately obvious best route, to visit whilst coping
with the distraction of avoiding a late return. Short course participants
shared this challenge without the mental and physical effort of part 1.
I hope you enjoyed the area and the challenges of your course. If you
have any comments about the event, whether good or bad, please email me at
srocevents@hotmail.com.
Finally, many thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the
event, especially Martyn and Sue Roome and Chris Roberts for their
considerable help on the day and beforehand, Alex Finch for a map which I
marvelled at each time I visited the area, Malcolm Campbell for printing and
the landowners for allowing us to use this sensitive area.
Happy New Year, Steve McLean
Last Updated : 08.01.04 |