Organisers Criticised As Atrocious Weather Brings Chaotic End to Marathon Fell Race

The organizers of an extreme marathon that left hundreds of fell runners stranded overnight in the Lake District in appalling weather conditions were criticized yesterday by mountain rescuers and a senior police officer for allowing the event to go ahead despite warnings of 100mph winds and torrential rain.

Fell runners had to wade through waist-height water at times, while others spoke of having to crawl or being forced to lie on the ground due to the force of the wind and driving rain.

The two-day Original Mountain Marathon, which attracted 2,500 competitors, began at 9am on Saturday near Keswick. It was called off three hours later, but, because mobile phones were banned, it was almost impossible to inform the many hundreds of runners who were already struggling with the adverse conditions. Several hundred entrants dropped out before the start because of the weather.

Mark Hodgson, head of Keswick mountain rescue team said: "The extreme weather was forecast on Thursday and it should have been canceled in the morning ... I know these runners were supposed to be experienced and equipped but we had 70 mountain rescuers dealing with 11 casualties in absolutely horrendous conditions. I looked from 1,500ft above Seathwaite and it was like a battleground."

Superintendent Gary Slater, of Cumbria police, said they and mountain rescue teams had brought concerns to the attention of the organizers. "Common sense has got to dictate what we do in these circumstances and as I've said it's disappointing that the race did go ahead, despite concerns we and others had raised."

Tony Johnson, 32, a runner from Lincoln, said: "I don't think it should have ever gone ahead - the weather conditions were too bad." The runners "went along with it because we thought the organizers must know what they are doing".

Tony Gates, 43, from Stevenage, said "the wind was so intense and prolonged that it caught everyone out". Conditions on top of Dale Head were terrifying. "We were totally disorientated and couldn't see anything because we were in cloud." He said they were cold, tired, worried and done in.

A 52-year-old man from Nottingham slipped and broke his leg, according to Cockermouth mountain rescue team. A race marshal was also taken to hospital with hypothermia. Four mountain rescue teams were involved in the searches.

Another runner, Neil Talbott, 27, an RAF fighter pilot, said: "I have never experienced conditions like that before. The rain was incessant but the wind proved just as difficult and I was on all fours at one point just to get through it."

Mark Weir, manager of the Honister slate mine, where many runners sheltered on Saturday night, was highly critical of the organizers. He and his staff worked through the night ferrying runners and volunteers down the 1,100ft (330m) pass.

Weir later added: "We have come within inches of turning the Lake District mountains into a morgue. We need to learn from it. In extreme freak weather like this, it is hell."

The slate mine had seen 1ft (30cm) of rain fall since Thursday, according to the Environment Agency.

A helicopter from RAF Valley in Anglesey was brought in to assist mountain rescue teams and search for those still missing yesterday. By mid-afternoon, everyone had been accounted for.

Eight severe weather warnings had been issued by the Environment Agency on Saturday in Cumbria. Parts of Keswick had 65mm of rain in 24 hours up to yesterday morning - average monthly rainfall in the north-west in October is 80mm.

Injured runners were taken to a cottage hospital in Keswick suffering from hypothermia and minor injuries.

A total of 743 people sought shelter overnight at the Lakeland Sheep and Wool Center in Cockermouth, as well as at the slate mine, a nearby outdoor activity center and a school.

The weather at the weekend was the worst in the event's 40-year history. According to the race website, the end of October is chosen "to allow weather to enhance the challenge".

The organizers defended the decision to stage the event. An article on their website said: "The whole situation will no doubt be analyzed in every detail long after the event, but at the root of the media frenzy (and much of the criticism the race is getting) is a misunderstanding of what a mountain marathon is all about."