Competitors face "Classic OMM" conditions on 53rd event Gear News

© OMM

60mph winds, heavy rain, a boggy campsite & a bagpiper outside your tent at 6am. This weekend saw the return of the Original Mountain Marathon.

Now in its 53rd year The OMM initially was planned to go ahead in Langdale last year but, unfortunately, the event centre was destroyed 24 hours before the competitors arrived by 70mph winds and flash floods.

Despite tough conditions, the race went ahead this weekend with the 1500 competitors gathered at Stool End farm in Great Langdale to begin an epic two days in the hills with everything they need strapped to their backs. 

Runners on Day 1  © OMM
Runners on Day 1
© OMM

The teams set out from the start line, where they were handed a map of the 323 square kilometres competition area, covering everywhere from Borrowdale in the North to Coniston in the South and everything in between. Competitors then had to navigate their way across the unmarked hills, trying to find the best route between the 90 checkpoints hidden amongst the fells. Having covered up to 30 miles of unforgiving terrain, they then found their way to a remote overnight camp to pitch up and try to recover ready for day 2.

Final Checkpoint on Saturday  © OMM
Final Checkpoint on Saturday
© OMM

Awoken at 6am by the resident piper patrolling between the hundreds of tiny tents; runners then had to pack up and head back into the hills once again for another day's racing before reaching the finish line and a hot cup of tea.

Of the 728 teams that started, 614 managed to complete their courses; a testament to the severity of the conditions and the fortitude of the competitors.

"It was my first OMM and the organisation was superb." – Rickie Cotter, Competitor

There were many stand out performances across the 6 possible courses, with a particularly close fight at the front end of the Overall Category in the Elite course. OMM podium regulars Ali Masson & Dan Ashwood of Carnethy Hill Runners set a blistering pace on Day 1, completing the course in under 6 hours.  Day 2 saw Philip Rutter and Sam Dixon of Helm Hill Runners hot on their heels, with an incredibly close battle across the last few controls. It was the boys from Helm Hill that took the victory, putting almost 10 minutes between themselves and the Carnethy pair.

Helm Hill was well represented on the podium with Victoria Thompson & Janie Oates taking the Women's Prize in the Elite whilst Megan Fitzpatrick & Bodil Oudshoorn took first in the Long Score.

In the demanding Long Score (considered by some to be even harder than the Elite) Mixed team Jasmin Paris & Konrad Rawlik (Carnethy Hill Runners), no strangers to the event, took the category win and finished 2nd overall. Out on the course, after a steady start on Saturday they decided to "do something slightly riskier" and push on to gain some crucial extra points. A strategy that clearly paid off.

This year was the first that the OMM has used live GPS tracking in the event, an addition that allowed a unique perspective on the teams' decision making and route choice, not to mention great entertainment when they got lost. Most importantly, the tracking allowed a whole new layer of competitor safety to an event already regarded by many as the benchmark for competitor welfare.

"It is fantastic to be back in Langdale and able to bring this amazing community together again. Seeing competitors face such challenging conditions and come back smiling is what makes this event special" – Stuart Hamilton, Event Director

The organisers would like to give special thanks to the competitors for supporting the event over 2 difficult years of cancellations and changes. And as ever, these events are only possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of the 156 volunteers, some of whom have been with the event for over 30 years and some as much as 50 years. The organisers would also like to reserve special thanks to the landowners and stakeholders for their kind permissions and support, in particular the event centre hosts at Stool End Farm and the overnight camp at Cockley Beck.

"The weather took it out of us" – Marcus Scotney

Following the successful return of the event, the organisers are pleased to announce that the entries are open for the 54th edition, to be held 28th – 29th October 2023. Click here to find out where.

Enter 54th OMM HERE

Check out the results HERE

For further insight into the routes taken check out the following videos:


For more information OMM



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