The Really Ominous Omm
The Original Mountain Marathon is a ii 24-hour interval challenge that combines navigation, hiking, fell-running, to a greater extent than oftentimes than non beingness moisture in addition to muddy, camping ground in addition to the powerfulness to select in addition to send all the kit you lot require, but only the kit you lot require. Becca (my OMM partner in addition to rattling tolerant girlfriend) in addition to I had started off beingness rattling strict most all the materials nosotros wouldn't take. My 1 luxury special would live a camera,
nil else non-essential. I tried several times over to ram all the essential kit into my trusty (and rattling light) Inov-8 Race Pro 18, but eventually I had to give inwards in addition to up-size to a bulkier, thirty litre model.
As the principal final result drew closer, in addition to the conditions forecast became rattling real, to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than "essential kit" was added to our list. We had gone from deciding to remove hold the absolute minimum to "Sod it, let's but remove hold everything in addition to live genuinely warm! Let's likewise remove hold loads of chocolate.. in addition to extra meals". Soon enough, fifty-fifty the bigger pack was total to the brim. I'd been trying to convince Becca for weeks that nosotros genuinely wouldn't live running rattling much amongst this much weight but it wasn't until the nighttime before, when nosotros did our concluding re-pack in addition to kit banking concern check in addition to she loaded it onto her back, that she finally agreed amongst me.
As nosotros started the 3km hike through the wood to the start, nosotros couldn't assist noticing how minor everybody else's packs were. I maintain that the same size pack looks much larger on me at 5'not a lot" than it would on a 6'+ human being but nonetheless, it seems a whole lot of infinite in addition to weight tin live saved past times having specialist gear.
We had tied knots inwards a flake of string to approximate how far nosotros sentiment nosotros could move each hour. Once nosotros had the map inwards hand, nosotros set the string out to assess our best road choice. Unfortunately it only but reached from the start to the finish, inwards a direct line. Bugger.
I realised rattling speedily that trying to totter across dodgy terrain in addition to maintain my feet dry out was alone pointless; within 15 minutes nosotros had already trudged through calf-deep mud in addition to walked through a river. It didn't remove hold long to abide by our outset control, a bonus is that they create position them out inwards the opened upward rather than hiding them somewhere completely invisible similar inwards orienteering events. In fact nosotros spotted 1 command from most one-half a kilometre away equally in addition to thus many other OMMers were gathered correct adjacent to it, no ninja skills here.
The terrain was almost alone tussocks in addition to bogs, which was non slow going underfoot but nosotros made amend progress than expected, navigating accurately in addition to non deviating from our course. Becca favoured the 'straight business approach', which involves ignoring footpaths in addition to but tackling whatever obstruction inwards forepart of you, regardless of difficulty. Fortunately, towards the goal of the 24-hour interval nosotros did abide by a proficient trail in addition to managed to pick upward the pace, getting into the goal amongst most 15 minutes to spare.
We'd managed to teach to the overnight military camp inwards a rare minute when it wasn't raining. Minutes after getting ourselves in addition to our kit inwards the tent, the skies opened. The conditions was absolutely atrocious. Since nosotros only had 1 set of dry out clothe each, nosotros decided that whatever happened, nosotros would rest inwards the tent. Becca came upward amongst a john solution which included rattling clear instructions: "Place plastic purse (with no holes) inwards cup, house loving cup on expanse [pointing to crotch], wee, tip wee purse exterior tent. Remove purse in addition to discard". I wasn't certain most drinking my hot chocolate out of the wee loving cup later on in addition to I had visions of misfire in addition to pools of urine within the tent, but it did seem similar the most sensible solution.
The current of air was battering the tent in addition to thus fiercely in addition to equally the flysheet was beingness buffeted against the inner, pelting droplets were coming in. Neither of us fancied getting moisture inwards our sleep, in addition to thus nosotros cracked opened upward the survival bags in addition to got inside, inwards our sleeping bags. They mightiness remove hold been a lilliputian flake rustly, but nosotros were both toasty warm in addition to dry!
Luckily, I didn't ask to wee until the morning. I decided to teach barefoot whilst it was notwithstanding but black plenty to teach away amongst it in addition to squat at the border of the field. Becca's wee purse was set inwards the porch (on MY side of the tent) offending me. It was but there, flapping about, contaminating the tent. She didn't appear to live inwards whatever rush to dispose of it. We had a proper bin purse in addition to everything!
We sentiment nosotros would remove hold lighter packs on 24-hour interval 2 amongst one-half the nutrient gone but amongst in addition to thus much moisture kit, I intend they were fifty-fifty heavier. In addition, the survival bags which had been vacuum packed into tiny parcels were at in 1 lawsuit vast, uncompressible monsters. We couldn't teach rid of them equally they were compulsory kit in addition to thus they got strapped to the exterior of our packs.
On arrival at the start, nosotros saw that our fourth dimension had been cutting from 5 to iv hours due to the conditions (and something to create amongst getting people's cars out of the champaign at the goal in addition to tractors beingness involved). We had already been worried most getting dorsum inwards an hr less than the previous day, allow lonely two!
We had a proficient start but had a twain of issues getting over to our 2d command that terms us some time. From in that place it was a race against the clock. Gusts of current of air were in addition to thus potent nosotros were beingness swept off our feet; it was a truthful girls vs. mount conditions battle. Becca led a kilometre stretch on but a bearing equally nosotros trekked uphill through thick fog, nosotros came out precisely where nosotros needed to be, finding the footpath that led us off the mountain.
After 1 to a greater extent than climb leading to a concluding control, nosotros were on the domicile stretch in addition to already out of time. We arrived at the actual goal 48 minutes late. It would remove hold been perfect for 5 hours but 48 minutes inwards fourth dimension penalties terms us all the points nosotros had gained on 24-hour interval 2 in addition to fifty-fifty eaten into some of our 24-hour interval 1 points. Not ideal. Despite this, nosotros weren't last, which was a large relief!
Drenched, muddy, tired in addition to weather-battered, I rattling firmly asserted that this had non been my most favourite sense (I worded it differently at the time) in addition to that I didn't intend nosotros should e'er create it again. Bizarrely, in 1 lawsuit nosotros had been towed out of the champaign past times a tractor, gotten dorsum to the pub, had a hot shower, eaten a mammoth dejeuner in addition to taken a nap, it of a abrupt didn't seem in addition to thus bad after all.
We wore our OMM t-shirts amongst pride at breakfast the adjacent morning. The only other invitee was a chap who had apparently done dozens of mount marathons in addition to he informed us that this 1 - inwards terms of terrain in addition to conditions conditions - was but most the worst he had e'er done. If that was equally bad equally it gets, maybe, but maybe, nosotros could movement in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than adjacent year..
 |
| Unfortunately this does non all lucifer inwards an 18l rucksack |
As the principal final result drew closer, in addition to the conditions forecast became rattling real, to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than "essential kit" was added to our list. We had gone from deciding to remove hold the absolute minimum to "Sod it, let's but remove hold everything in addition to live genuinely warm! Let's likewise remove hold loads of chocolate.. in addition to extra meals". Soon enough, fifty-fifty the bigger pack was total to the brim. I'd been trying to convince Becca for weeks that nosotros genuinely wouldn't live running rattling much amongst this much weight but it wasn't until the nighttime before, when nosotros did our concluding re-pack in addition to kit banking concern check in addition to she loaded it onto her back, that she finally agreed amongst me.
As nosotros started the 3km hike through the wood to the start, nosotros couldn't assist noticing how minor everybody else's packs were. I maintain that the same size pack looks much larger on me at 5'not a lot" than it would on a 6'+ human being but nonetheless, it seems a whole lot of infinite in addition to weight tin live saved past times having specialist gear.
We had tied knots inwards a flake of string to approximate how far nosotros sentiment nosotros could move each hour. Once nosotros had the map inwards hand, nosotros set the string out to assess our best road choice. Unfortunately it only but reached from the start to the finish, inwards a direct line. Bugger.
 |
| Becca made herself squad leader (for navigation). But she was genuinely quite good, in addition to thus I allowed it to continue.. |
 |
| At the overstep of an actual mountain, in addition to it's STILL a bog |
The terrain was almost alone tussocks in addition to bogs, which was non slow going underfoot but nosotros made amend progress than expected, navigating accurately in addition to non deviating from our course. Becca favoured the 'straight business approach', which involves ignoring footpaths in addition to but tackling whatever obstruction inwards forepart of you, regardless of difficulty. Fortunately, towards the goal of the 24-hour interval nosotros did abide by a proficient trail in addition to managed to pick upward the pace, getting into the goal amongst most 15 minutes to spare.
We'd managed to teach to the overnight military camp inwards a rare minute when it wasn't raining. Minutes after getting ourselves in addition to our kit inwards the tent, the skies opened. The conditions was absolutely atrocious. Since nosotros only had 1 set of dry out clothe each, nosotros decided that whatever happened, nosotros would rest inwards the tent. Becca came upward amongst a john solution which included rattling clear instructions: "Place plastic purse (with no holes) inwards cup, house loving cup on expanse [pointing to crotch], wee, tip wee purse exterior tent. Remove purse in addition to discard". I wasn't certain most drinking my hot chocolate out of the wee loving cup later on in addition to I had visions of misfire in addition to pools of urine within the tent, but it did seem similar the most sensible solution.
 |
| Someone apparently didn't remove hold a bully night's sleep.. |
Luckily, I didn't ask to wee until the morning. I decided to teach barefoot whilst it was notwithstanding but black plenty to teach away amongst it in addition to squat at the border of the field. Becca's wee purse was set inwards the porch (on MY side of the tent) offending me. It was but there, flapping about, contaminating the tent. She didn't appear to live inwards whatever rush to dispose of it. We had a proper bin purse in addition to everything!
We sentiment nosotros would remove hold lighter packs on 24-hour interval 2 amongst one-half the nutrient gone but amongst in addition to thus much moisture kit, I intend they were fifty-fifty heavier. In addition, the survival bags which had been vacuum packed into tiny parcels were at in 1 lawsuit vast, uncompressible monsters. We couldn't teach rid of them equally they were compulsory kit in addition to thus they got strapped to the exterior of our packs.
On arrival at the start, nosotros saw that our fourth dimension had been cutting from 5 to iv hours due to the conditions (and something to create amongst getting people's cars out of the champaign at the goal in addition to tractors beingness involved). We had already been worried most getting dorsum inwards an hr less than the previous day, allow lonely two!
We had a proficient start but had a twain of issues getting over to our 2d command that terms us some time. From in that place it was a race against the clock. Gusts of current of air were in addition to thus potent nosotros were beingness swept off our feet; it was a truthful girls vs. mount conditions battle. Becca led a kilometre stretch on but a bearing equally nosotros trekked uphill through thick fog, nosotros came out precisely where nosotros needed to be, finding the footpath that led us off the mountain.
After 1 to a greater extent than climb leading to a concluding control, nosotros were on the domicile stretch in addition to already out of time. We arrived at the actual goal 48 minutes late. It would remove hold been perfect for 5 hours but 48 minutes inwards fourth dimension penalties terms us all the points nosotros had gained on 24-hour interval 2 in addition to fifty-fifty eaten into some of our 24-hour interval 1 points. Not ideal. Despite this, nosotros weren't last, which was a large relief!
Drenched, muddy, tired in addition to weather-battered, I rattling firmly asserted that this had non been my most favourite sense (I worded it differently at the time) in addition to that I didn't intend nosotros should e'er create it again. Bizarrely, in 1 lawsuit nosotros had been towed out of the champaign past times a tractor, gotten dorsum to the pub, had a hot shower, eaten a mammoth dejeuner in addition to taken a nap, it of a abrupt didn't seem in addition to thus bad after all.
We wore our OMM t-shirts amongst pride at breakfast the adjacent morning. The only other invitee was a chap who had apparently done dozens of mount marathons in addition to he informed us that this 1 - inwards terms of terrain in addition to conditions conditions - was but most the worst he had e'er done. If that was equally bad equally it gets, maybe, but maybe, nosotros could movement in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than adjacent year..
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