THE SMILING FACE OF RUNNING'S FUTURE?
Whilst temporarily out of action, I thought a good old rant to myself should exhale some of the tensions that brew when I'm not getting a running fix in.
The whole running scene has changed quite a bit, even in the relatively short time I have embraced it since 2006. Fell running to an extent, thankfully remains intact. Not entirely, but generally speaking. There are still fell races on the calendar where everything is still as blissfully raw and uncomplicated as it was when I first started racing.
Some races have bitten the dust though unfortunately, including my old favourite the Winter Hill fell race. What I consider to be a very strange rationale from conservation groups such as English Nature and land owners United Utilities were behind this. In this particular case it was deemed unacceptable for generally less than 200 runners to make that once a year invasion upon some areas deemed sensitive moorland. But what about the mountain bikers with wheels far more erosive than feet and given a 24-7-365 license to go where the frig they want? What about the weather? Water from the sky does it's fair share of damage, perhaps they should ban rain as well or put the whole of the West Pennine Moors under a protective canopy? It seemed unfair and certainly a knee-jerk reaction rather than a more considered move. I, and I am sure the many, would have happily paid more for the privilege to race it and seen those extras go towards conservation work on the moor for example. But that sort of offer never reached the table I don't think, which was a pity. An opportunity to continue the race but rerouting to official paths was on the table, but I was with the organisers on this and not settling for second best. The whole distinct character of the race would be lost. Soon enough and equally as sad, even the shorter race over Winter Hill from the Belmont end was also pulled off the calendar.
And what of the Fell Runners Association? Things have changed there. For the better when initially engaging UK Athletics to become involved in the insurance side of things. When a race organiser was remortgaging their house to fight a court case against them, rational action and a proper liability framework was long overdue. For the worse though, the FRA have since let that said national governing body interfere too much, bowing down to generic UKA rules and regulations, of which some frankly don't apply to the discipline of fell running. Tick-box culture has filtered it's pretentious way in to the very nooks and crannies of this simple amateur sport. I would argue the FRA have become a lap dog organisation and have ultimately handed over the governorship of their own sport. It might be easy for me to say, sat on my backside rambling my thoughts as an outsider trying to look in. But rather like in politics, I can't help thinking that well meaning folk get involved on committees for all the right reasons but then become detached of their original values and get sucked in to the system, losing the ability to question their own actions - or indeed the lack of them.
Anyway, on to online entries for races. That was always going to snowball, but in some cases to the detriment of racing as an actual contest. Probably more so in road racing than on the fells, but with some races filling up very quickly and awash with nobody in particular's, many athletes of higher end ability may not want to commit six months in advance to some low key but highly attended race. They certainly won't be hanging around on waiting lists, and so the quality runners that surely we all want to be involved to give any race more credence and competition are being squeezed out and so the standards slip. 10K races with a thousand runners won in 36 minutes and all that sort of carry on... once upon a time 36 minutes wouldn't get you on the first results page. Not only can pre-entry detract the more serious athletes, but it's actually an advantageous system for runners who all along were planning just to plod around the course with a groin strain and fuzzy head from the best part of a bottle of wine the night before. Somehow that's not right and it certainly isn't progressive for the sport.
A massive new wave of beginner runners in recent times has seen the rise of events companies popping up left, right and centre, creating and taking over the organisation of races. These guys have spotted the boom and found a niche in the market. Charging incredulous fees of up to £25 for a 10K race around the stark streets of suburbia, chuck in a cheap looking finishing medal and a bag of tacky goodies and everybody is happy. Well, happy for now perhaps. Twenty five quid for a 10K, ten quid for a 5K... holy smoke, I thought Dick Turpin wore a mask? Prizes for actually winning some of these race are often reported as very poor indeed given the entry fee. Again, another turn off for the faster boys and girls.
Then there's Ultra runs for the sake of  'Ultra' status, 24 hour races, 'Great Run' such a place, 'Great Run' the other... these events are undoubtedly popular to the new wave, but I don't like the whole corporate attachment which intrudes on what ought to be - and I repeat - a simple amateur sport. Times will change again I am sure. The boom may go bust as folk wise up to the big rip off. These event companies threaten to price themselves out of existence just as much as they threaten to take over. For the good of the game, I hope it's the former rather than the latter. It will be interesting to see the future unfold.
Proper race organiser's do it for the love. Certainly I for one will ensure that races I enter either support the organising club, make a direct contribution to a worthwhile cause, or both.
Speaking of the current running boom, somewhere along the lines since I got involved in running, Parkrun has exploded on to the scene. The free, weekly 5K time trial, fun run, jog with your dog, whatever you want it to be. The positive effect Parkrun has had on hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide should not be underestimated, but I would like to see a couple of key amendments made so far as Parkrun UK is concerned. I think participants should be asked to consider sticking a quid in the bucket at parks which are open and managed by voluntary organisations that have to raise their own funds. This would, and I believe should, be the case at my local Cuerden Valley Parkrun for example. A few pay for parking on site which is fair enough, but we all know there's loads of places nearby to park for free that some tight arses will find. I doubt this motion would be popular though, I mean heaven forbid some participants being asked to stick their hands in their pocket for a Parkrun!
Parkrun is massive and a great success. But why are the statistics from these runs religiously updated on UK Athletics' Power of Ten website? Parkun is many things, but a proper race it is not. No entry fee, no race numbers... and besides, Parkrun have their own excellent website from which one can dig a result or statistic out from anywhere in seconds. It's like UK Athletics attaching themselves like leeches to something popular and progressive in the sport that in fact they have had absolutely no input towards. Is this the best they can do for grassroots? Pretend they are a player on the Parkrun bandwagon? I did plenty of actual races last year, but no signs of them on Power of Ten  - not that I'm particularly bothered about that - but it's this strange prioritising of Parkruns on there which makes me smell a rat. Strange processes at UK Athletics are nothing new, just look up the history past and present when it comes to selecting (or not selecting) athletes for major championships. In the corridors of power at UK Athletics, I have a vision of grey suits with a very studious eye for business, opportunism and political game playing. A lack however, of understanding and passion for athletics - from the very grass roots right through to rising talent who we know are not supported anywhere near like they ought to be. Where does all the money really go?
I'll finally put this rant to bed by controversially perhaps, expressing my disdain as I peruse various running magazines with photographs exclusively of people doing daft stuff for the camera during races. All this jumping in the air, smiley faces and thumbs up nonsense does my head in. If it's at the finishing line and they've something to celebrate, then I get it. But this habit of runners perceiving to be having the time of their life in a race when, as is often the case, they really can't wait for it to end - it really is a complete nonsense. Just be natural, let's see your pain please if there is some. And if there isn't any and you can't be arsed making an extra effort, don't devalue the occasion for the rest of us!
Killjoy? Who, me? If you like, but it's almost like pain, effort, competitiveness and even reality itself is to be censored and that we must all run for fun and purely for fun and even if we don't find it fun, let's just pretend and make it look like it's fun. And what do we class as fun? I find competing fun. Is competing allowed to be classed as fun? This brings me on to a theory that Neo-Liberal Conservatives with too much money and a desperation to find a healthy hobby are trying to take over the sport, over-socialising it, trying to ring-fence and demote running as some sort of purist inclusion activity. These people are the sort of lobbyists who endorse non-competitive sports at school, but then scratch their head in dismay when the country falls short of medallists at major competitions. I'm not denying anybody their right to inclusion, but I fear this smothering effect could indefinitely send some quarters of the running scene spiralling in to something where style and smile prevails at the expense of substance.
Racing is essentially an ugly spectacle where hours, weeks, months of hard graft and toil may or may not boil down to a brief moment of success. When the good old Athletics Weekly magazine starts filling up with pictures of jolly jumping, smiley faces and thumbs up... well that could be a whole new and very different reason for me to take up Crown Green bowling instead.