|
Feb 2020
6:56pm, 21 Feb 2020
1,504 posts
|
flyingfinn
lost a bit of text
"It's noticeable by how much less they are impacted by conditions" was meant to be
"It's very noticeable by how much less they are impacted by conditions than us mere mortals"
|
|
Feb 2020
7:10pm, 21 Feb 2020
38,169 posts
|
Derby.Tup
Bad weather kills many a mortal’s BG as I know from personal experience. There is a threshold where a round is basically achievable for all but the very strong / talented
|
|
Feb 2020
8:24pm, 21 Feb 2020
2,020 posts
|
Canute
FF, I agree that there are crucial difference between Dom Ainsley and Jim Walmsley. Jim had not only demonstrated that he was an impressive track athlete in college, he has also won the JFK 50 miler twice before he attempted the Western States 100 for the first time. Therefore his bravado was more justifiable.
I shared most of the scepticism about Dom that was implied in your posts during Dom’s winter Wainrights attempt and in the end, scepticism was well justified. Nonetheless, I have a grudging respect for a young pup who was prepared to aim high and to declare his aims in public. He over-estimated his ability to deal with the conditions but he nonetheless exhibited some commendable grit and even some competence.
Certainly a young pup should not under-estimate the prodigious achievements of the giants who preceded him. He would be well advised to try to learn some lessons from them, but I do not think he should be over-awed.
In a recent interview with Runners World, Jim Walmsley said “At the end of the day, it’s all mental. You have to believe that at some point you’re doing something different that might give you an advantage” “Whether you’re faster or slower or more or less talented, if you think you can do it, you’re already one step ahead in the game.”
|
|
Feb 2020
8:52pm, 21 Feb 2020
1,505 posts
|
flyingfinn
The last statement I would agree with whole heartedly but that is about what is going on between your ears. Self belief is essential in achieving anything. I'm perhaps old fashioned but largely i don't think he's gone about things in the "right" way. That's partly me and partly the way of the hills. In general the folk that do awesome stuff in the hills do it with the minimum of publicity and hype (i.e. Killian's BG), often the first you know about is when it's done or at the very least well underway. I've been involved in several bits and pieces where a total social media blackout applied until it was done, if it wasn't we had a beer, talked about lessons learnt and went home. Even though Steve and Paul had pre-publicity they played things down, talked about the other reasons they were doing it (in both cases very worthy causes close to their hearts) and paid respect to the current records. To be honest I find the current trend of needing to create a social media presence that is largely divorced from reality rather distasteful and this year we seem to have rather a spate of them around hill endurance stuff. But as I've said before I'm just a grumpy old man who's time has past.
|
|
Feb 2020
9:35pm, 21 Feb 2020
6,430 posts
|
jda
Self-belief may be part of it but self-awareness and ability (I don't mean theoretical potential but actual ability to perform on the day) is also a huge factor and clearly he didn't have that, not by a long chalk.
|
|
Feb 2020
9:40pm, 21 Feb 2020
9,573 posts
|
rf_fozzy
ff - I think there are clear parallels in elite athletics - you look at the best in the world at their disciplines and they are usually aware of what has preceded them and show the correct respect to what it is they are trying to achieve.
E.g. Farah. e.g. 2 Kipchoge
Respect to the distance and to what's gone before.
Yet they did have the confidence/arrogance needed to achieve what they need to do to win.
|
|
Feb 2020
9:50pm, 21 Feb 2020
3,083 posts
|
FenlandRunner
jda, what I was thinking is what you have eloquently stated. All the belief in the world won't get you around a challenge, like the Lakeland 100, unless you have self-awareness and sufficient ability in line with the challenge.
And I'd go further to suggest 'ability' isn't restricted to athletic capability, it is knowledge and experience of what you are attempting.
|
|
Feb 2020
9:51pm, 21 Feb 2020
3,084 posts
|
FenlandRunner
...looking at a load of contours on a map isn't the same as immersing yourself in the 'real' environment.
|
|
Feb 2020
10:14pm, 21 Feb 2020
2,021 posts
|
Canute
FF, One of the reason I am more at home on the hills than on the track (or even the road) is that achievement on the hills is not measured by a stop-watch. No two journeys are the same; the challenges are the challenges you encounter on the day; the delights are the delights that you encounter that day. Keeping safe depends on wise evaluation of the situation that day. I do not take note of whether or not the peaks I climb are Wainrights and I have no idea of how many Wainrights I might have ‘bagged’ (though I do enjoy Wainright’s prose and drawings.) I have no personal inclination to take part in ultra races nor challenges such as the BGR. I did once, many decades ago, take part in a competitive 24 hour orienteering event in mountain terrain and cherish that memory, but I have many more fondly cherished memories of non-competitive times in the mountains.
I do nonetheless enjoy reading about and marvelling at the challenges undertaken by others. There is added interest in following an event as it unfolds. There is a little extra spice when a bold upstart sets out in pursuit of an ambitious goal. However, it will become dangerous voyeurism if social media attention encourages foolhardiness. Therefore I was a little concerned about the fanfare that accompanied Dom’s attempt, and am pleased that in the end he appears to have exercised good judgement. As far as I can judge, he also exhbited a good measure of competence, but it is difficult to judge that. We might get a clearer idea of his competence in his subsequent attempts.
|
|
Feb 2020
1:17pm, 24 Feb 2020
18,969 posts
|
flanker
Been offline for a while, so it's been really interesting reading that last 400-odd(!) posts straight off, seeing how views have changed/melded etc. Thanks all for the great commentary 
Having consumed it straight-off, my gut reaction was summed up by NE: less arrogance, more humility and respect (for the people, the mountains and the challenge). It seems the kid has some real potential - it will be interesting to see how much he learns from this outing.
|
