Karrimor International Mountain Marathon
Father and Son Success
Rob Howard / 30.10.2005
Paul and Brendan Mackrill were delighted to have won the competitive Long Score class on their 5th attempt. “I thought I might be getting too old to win it,� Paul said, “but the Score is not all about speed and endurance, it’s much more about planning. It’s a mental challenge and very satisfying when you do well, but it’s mentally draining when you’re competing!�
“You have to keep reassessing, hold your nerve and stay alert all the time. Yesterday we collected some high points and had a long run into the camp. It was 13km over some tough ground and we had to stick to our plan and judge how long it would take us. We got in with 5 minutes to spare when lots of other teams were late and lost points. And today I pushed the decision to visit one last checkpoint, knowing we’d be late, but the points we’d win would be greater than the penalty.�
“We both navigate, each thinking of routes and then comparing ideas, and sometimes we change the plan as we move around the course. Being father and son there are some ‘lively discussions’, it’s no holds barred sometimes! This year was a tough course, with lots of ascent, and it’s great to win after so many attempts.�
The winners of the Medium Score were the Swiss runners, Remy Steinegger and Stefan Schlater. Remy was for many years the organiser of the Swiss KIMM, and Stefan took over running the race after it changed sponsors. The pair have won the medium score class once before and Remy enjoyed this years course. “There was a good variety of terrain,� he said, “and though it was wet I’ve run KIMM’s which were wetter underfoot.�
The Short Score winners were Darren Parker and Chris Pearson, who held a big lead from the first day, which was enough to keep them ahead, despite 40 penalty points on day two.See All Event Posts
