Popularity of fellruning

[stillwaddler]

Looks like the recent revival in the popularity of the sport might be its undoing -
http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=1061

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

It's similar to (what we call) bushwalking over here - the more popular it becomes, the more damage is done to the otherwise pristine environment that everyone is so desperate to see (or run through).

One solution is a sensible management plan that limits the activity to those that qualify, or are willing to pay a fee. Although in the latter case, the fee has to be large enough to limit the numbers, which then of course discriminates against those who can't afford it.

Sadly the core problem is simply "too many people". The only real solution therefore is to kill off a large slab of the population...

...which is not a popular solution,

...except among a few of the elite runners :mad:

[Sweder]

Excellent article SW, thanks for the link.
As one pondering the decision to add his considerable bulk to the fellrunning community this year its a timely reminder that the beauty of these races is enhanced by the lack of mediocrity in numbers. Happily for them the only thing running around here just at the moment is my snoz.

There are local runs around me that attract limited numbers. They're not fell runs in the classical sense but they are challenging, involving some mighty hills. The Firle 20k is one; only around 150 participants last year. The Jog Shop Jog is another at around 200 or so. It'll be interesting to see if they grow in 2008.