The Original Mountain Marathon - OMM
After 28yrs the OMM is back on Dartmoor
Rob Howard / 26.10.2010
The last (and only) time the OMM was held on Dartmoor was in 1982, after the National Park Committee had originally turned down a request to go the area say the moor “should be kept as an area where the lone walker can find tranquillity and solitude.� Fortunately, attitudes changed and the race went ahead. After Jack Maitland and John Baston won the Elite (in just under 11 hours) the prizes were then presented by the Chairman of the National Park Committee, who said, “You'll be more than welcome to return.� Well, it's taken 28 years but now the OMM is on its way back to Devon (the only English venue used south of the Peak District).<b>New Class and Trophy</b>
Other news from the OMM is that there is a new class being introduced to help contain environmental impact. So there are now 8 classes in all, with an additional class added between the B & C classes, but with the total number of entrants unchanged. The original C class will now be called D, with the same distance and climb as the old C Class, while the new C Class is intended to be a transition between the traditional linear course and the score courses and is a hybrid of the two. At certain stages on the course competitors will need to select which controls they want to visit and the result will still be based on time.
There is also a new trophy being introduced called the Hutton Trophy, which is for the best military team and this year the award will focus on the Long Score. The award has been presented to OMM by the family of Marine Jamie Hutton who was tragically killed in a training accident. Jamie and his father, Jim, also a serving Royal Marine, were the highest placed family team in their category in the Brecon Beacons 2006.
<b>Birkinshaw Goes for 8th Title</b>
Last years winners Steve Birkinshaw and Jethro Lennox are back again to defend their title and, as is traditional, will be the last to start in the elite class on Saturday morning. Birkinshaw will be going for his 8th elite title as he closes in on Mark Seddon's record of 10, and the main challenge may once again come from Jon Morgan and Al Powell, who were leading on day one last year. Other expected contenders are Andy and Joe Symonds who were 2nd in 2007, and possibly even the mixed pair of Brendan Bolland and Angela Mudge. Bolland is a previous winner and Mudge is a world class endurance racer, so they will aim for a podium place.
Two other mixed pairs in the Elite bring an international flavour to the to competition. Wendy and Jo Inge Fjellstad from Norway have been regular class winners over many years and have now made their way up to the Elite class, while Stuart Lynch and Fiona McBryde are kiwis currently living in Bristol. Stuart is a former Adventure Racing World Champion (with Team Orion Health) and Fiona has recently returned from the AR World Championship in Spain. They will race against some other top UK adventure racers as Andy Wilson and Fi Spotswood (For Goodness Shakes) and David Spence and Caroline Bullard (Team Accelerate) are also in the Elite class.
[SleepMonsters are not undertaking the official race reporting this year, but we'll have our photographers on site taking pictures of the competitors and will try to bring you some news from each day. If you are taking part please send us in your own race reports – to editor@sleepmonsters.co.uk after the event.)See All Event Posts
