Karrimor International Mountain Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Original Mountain Marathon (OMM), formerly known as the Karrimor
International Mountain Marathon
(or KIMM), is a 2-day Mountain event, held in a different region across the UK every year. It was first held in 1968 and continues today. Gerry Charnley, a skilled mountaineer
and orienteer
, designed the KIMM to test orienteering
skills in extreme circumstances; the full-length KIMM course is a double-marathon length race. Each team must carry all their gear, including equipment for an overnight camp. Moreover, the course is not disclosed until the race begins, so each team must have good navigation skills. Some have called the KIMM the forerunner of modern adventure racing
.
In January 2010 the ownership of OMM, the event and the products was bought by Ark Consultants UK Ltd. (www.arkconsultants.co.uk).
Team members. In fact only one competitor needed to be rescued after being swept away in a torrent, slightly injured and stranded on an island, though there were other unconnected rescues in the Lake District at the time which were widely assumed to be connected to the OMM. Flooding did cause considerable disruption and damage at the base camps and the high winds resulted in the abandonment of some of the manned radio checkpoints; this and the genuine risk at river crossings were the principal reasons for cancelling the second day's competition.
The Kamleika
(from the Aleutian
word for a long robe) range of jackets, smocks and trousers have become famous amongst mountain marathon runners and hikers alike. They are unique in that they are specially developed to be stretchy and produce minimal noise when running. OMM are currently planning a larger range of clothing and equipment, also specially created for mountain marathons.
.
After some structural and personal changes at Karrimor ltd. in England and Salewa Sport ltd. in Switzerland a new partner had to be found for the event in 1997 so as to achieve a balanced account. Arova-Mammut, a Swiss firm manufacturing mountain sport equipment, stepped in spontaneously, so that the event had to be changed only little; under a new name its organization would be secure for the next few years. The long cooperation with Arova-Mammut ltd. came to an end in 2002. R’adys Outdoor & Snowwear in Lachen became a new sponsor in 2004.
In 2006, the event changed its name to The Original Mountain Marathon following the end of Karrimor
's sponsorship.
The earlier Karrimor 2-day Mountain Marathon, then the MIMM for several years, and today’s Mountain Marathon are unique in Switzerland. Apart from several very successful similar events in England and France there have also been some attempts at organizing such an event in Norway, Australia and New Zealand.
Karrimor
Karrimor is a brand of outdoor and sports equipment and clothing. It was founded in 1946 by Charles and Mary Parsons with Grace Davies who hand-sewed cotton-duck cycle pannier bags from the upstairs of their Lancashire cycle shop....
International Mountain Marathon
Mountain Marathon
Mountain Marathon is an extended form of fell running, usually over two days and often with a strong orienteering element. Competitors usually participate in teams of two, and have to carry their own food and tent...
(or KIMM), is a 2-day Mountain event, held in a different region across the UK every year. It was first held in 1968 and continues today. Gerry Charnley, a skilled mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
and orienteer
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
, designed the KIMM to test orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
skills in extreme circumstances; the full-length KIMM course is a double-marathon length race. Each team must carry all their gear, including equipment for an overnight camp. Moreover, the course is not disclosed until the race begins, so each team must have good navigation skills. Some have called the KIMM the forerunner of modern adventure racing
Adventure racing
Adventure racing is a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including orienteering and/or navigation , cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills...
.
In January 2010 the ownership of OMM, the event and the products was bought by Ark Consultants UK Ltd. (www.arkconsultants.co.uk).
History
The 2008 OMM was abandoned, for the first time in the race's history, due to ill-informed media coverage which suggested that the very challenging weather conditions (100 mph winds and extremely heavy rain) placed competitors and potential rescuers in danger. Reference was made to '1,700 people unaccounted for in the hills' though in fact all of these were still competing and unaware that anyone was concerned for them; as usual a significant number of competitors were current or former Mountain RescueMountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
Team members. In fact only one competitor needed to be rescued after being swept away in a torrent, slightly injured and stranded on an island, though there were other unconnected rescues in the Lake District at the time which were widely assumed to be connected to the OMM. Flooding did cause considerable disruption and damage at the base camps and the high winds resulted in the abandonment of some of the manned radio checkpoints; this and the genuine risk at river crossings were the principal reasons for cancelling the second day's competition.
List of event locations
| Year | Location | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dartmoor | South West England |
| 2009 | Elan Valley | Wales |
| 2008 | Borrowdale | Cumbria |
| 2007 | Lowther Hills | Scotland |
| 2006 | Galloway Forest Park | Scotland |
| 2005 | Ullswater | Cumbria |
| 2004 | Brecon Beacons | South Wales |
| 2003 | Langholme | Scottish Borders |
| 2002 | Cheviot | Northumberland |
| 2001 | Clydes MuirSheil Regional Park | Scotland |
| 2000 | Lake District | Cumbria |
| 1999 | Cowal Peninsula Argyll | Scotland |
| 1998 | Howgill Fells | North Pennines |
| 1997 | Kielder Forest | North East England |
| 1996 | Galloway Forest Park and Hills | Scotland |
| 1995 | Brecon Beacons | South Wales |
| 1994 | St Mary's Loch and Manor | Scotland |
| 1993 | Upper Nithsdale & Queensberry Hills | Scotland |
| 1992 | Northern Lake District | Cumbria |
| 1991 | Arrochar Alps | Scotland |
| 1990 | Glen Lyon | Scotland |
| 1989 | Howgill Fells | North Pennines |
| 1988 | Cheviots | Northumberland |
| 1987 | Ffestiniog Snowdonia | North Wales |
| 1986 | Galloway Hills | Scotland |
| 1985 | Langdale (Lake District) | Cumbria |
| 1984 | Peak District | Pennines |
| 1983 | Strathyre | Scotland |
| 1982 | Dartmoor | South West England |
| 1981 | Langdale | Cumbria |
| 1980 | Isle of Arran | Scotland |
| 1979 | Rhinogs | North Wales |
| 1978 | Peebles | Scotland |
| 1977 | Howgill Fells | North Pennines |
| 1976 | Galloway Highlands | Scotland |
| 1975 | Ennerdale | Cumbria |
| 1974 | College Valley, Cheviot | Northumberland |
| 1973 | Plas Gwynant | North Wales |
| 1972 | Tibbie Shiels (Selkirk) | Scottish Borders |
| 1971 | Plas-y-Brenin | North Wales |
| 1970 | Eskdale | West Cumbria |
| 1969 | Troutbeck (Windermere) | Cumbria |
| 1968 | Muker | North Pennines |
Classes of competition
OMM currently comprises seven competition classes (four line events and three score courses) which vary in length and severity, approximately as follows:- Elite 80 km 12 hrs
- A class 65 km 11 hrs
- B class 50 km 10 hrs
- C class 45 km 9 hrs
- D class 40 km 8 hrs
- Long Score 7+6 hrs (day 1/2)
- Medium Score 6+5hrs
- Short Score 5+4hrs
Compulsory kit list
- Warm Trousers or Leggings
- Shirt or Thermal Top
- Sweater or Fleece Top
- Waterproof Over Trousers (taped seams)
- Waterproof Jacket (taped seams)
- Socks, gloves & hat
- Head Torch
- Whistle
- Food For 36 Hours
- Additional Emergency Rations
- Compass (GPS Not Allowed)
- Sleeping Bag
- Footwear With Adequate Grip For Fell Conditions
- Space Blanket or large heavy gauge polythene bag
- Rucksack
- First-Aid, a minimum of a crepe bandage and small wound dressings.
- Pen Or Pencil
- Tent With Sewn-In Groundsheet
- Cooking Stove with enough fuel at the end of day 2 to make a hot drink
Clothing Brand
OMM have also started producing their own branded outdoor clothing and equipment. Items required on the event, such as waterproof jackets and trousers, backpacks and sleeping bags, have been produced, specially adapted for the event.The Kamleika
Kamleika
A kamleika is an Aleut robe made from sea mammal skin, which was light and waterproof. They also sometimes had robes to protect against threats such as heavy wind and rain. They were sewn with grass, and each took around a month to make....
(from the Aleutian
Aleutian
Aleutian may refer to:*The Aleut people, the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, the Pribilof Islands, the Shumagin Islands, and the far western part of the Alaska Peninsula in Alaska and of Kamchatka Krai, Russia....
word for a long robe) range of jackets, smocks and trousers have become famous amongst mountain marathon runners and hikers alike. They are unique in that they are specially developed to be stretchy and produce minimal noise when running. OMM are currently planning a larger range of clothing and equipment, also specially created for mountain marathons.
Swiss version
Dieter Wolf brought the Karrimor idea from England to Switzerland: 47 teams were at the start of the first Swiss Karrimor 2-day Mountain Marathon in Muothatal in 1976. Over the years several thousand lovers of the mountains, nature and sport from about twenty countries have been able to participate in 24 different regions of the Swiss AlpsSwiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
.
After some structural and personal changes at Karrimor ltd. in England and Salewa Sport ltd. in Switzerland a new partner had to be found for the event in 1997 so as to achieve a balanced account. Arova-Mammut, a Swiss firm manufacturing mountain sport equipment, stepped in spontaneously, so that the event had to be changed only little; under a new name its organization would be secure for the next few years. The long cooperation with Arova-Mammut ltd. came to an end in 2002. R’adys Outdoor & Snowwear in Lachen became a new sponsor in 2004.
In 2006, the event changed its name to The Original Mountain Marathon following the end of Karrimor
Karrimor
Karrimor is a brand of outdoor and sports equipment and clothing. It was founded in 1946 by Charles and Mary Parsons with Grace Davies who hand-sewed cotton-duck cycle pannier bags from the upstairs of their Lancashire cycle shop....
's sponsorship.
The earlier Karrimor 2-day Mountain Marathon, then the MIMM for several years, and today’s Mountain Marathon are unique in Switzerland. Apart from several very successful similar events in England and France there have also been some attempts at organizing such an event in Norway, Australia and New Zealand.