The Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon (SLMM) is a two-day
mountain marathon held in the English
Lake District ('or its environs', such as the adjoining
Howgill Fells
The Howgill Fells are uplands in Northern England between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, lying roughly within a triangle formed by the towns of Sedbergh and Kirkby Stephen and the village of Tebay. ) in early July. It was founded by David Meek, and sponsored by a long-time UK manufacturer of light-weight tents.
The SLMM has been held annually since 1978, apart from 2001, when the Lakeland fells were closed because of the
Foot and Mouth crisis. 2018 will therefore be the 40th event.
It is usually considered to be less 'hair-shirt' than the slightly older OMM formerly Karrimor (
OMM), since the weather is often mild, the courses slightly shorter, and the overnight camp is often found to be within walking distance of a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
. However, there have been notable exceptions to this - in 2004 (the 26th event, out of Coniston) consistently poor weather over two days forced many teams to retire. In 1997 (the 20th annual event, starting from Grasmere) courses were set which meant many teams were still out on the Sunday evening, long after the prize-giving was due to take place.
The event comprises 8 courses of which 6 are solely for pairs of runners, one is exclusively for solo competitors and one course is open for both pairs and solo entrants. The organisers encourage young competitors, with lower entry fees for Under 25s and there is a specific, handicapped class for parent and child (age 14+), Bedafell. In 2018 the event will include a Score class for the first time, called Fairfield.
Th
Backpackers Clubhas traditionally provided marshals for the event. They assist at the registration and mid-way campsites and man the many checkpoints spread around the various routes.
Because of the popularity of the Lakes, courses are usually set to run 'across the grain' of the country, away from popular paths, so as to minimise erosion due to the race.
External links
SLMM website
Fell running competitions in Cumbria
Orienteering in the United Kingdom