Discussion: There's always next year...

Tough call Oli. My money was on you guys! The mountain marathons really need a huge number of two poeples games to come right at the same time, to get an optimum performance. You have had a lot of bad luck over the years but don't give up.

Getting both partners at a level where you can do it physically is incredibly hard. There is only so much you can do balancing the weight to match both parties up. Then on the rare occasions when you are closely enough matched and both on top form you have to be spot on with the Nav as well. Even then there is the possibility that someone else is just better than you on the day.

With Al and me we were rarely well enough matched on the weekend. One year one of us would be flying and the other just off form the next year the other way around. Even when we finally won after 15 years trying things were not perfect I had a niggling muscle pull that gave real trouble on good terrain but fortunately there was little of that in Galloway....

You just have to keep on trying year in and year out and try not to be the one letting the partnership down..

What is really remarkable is what MarkS managed to do year after year.

Really sorry that OMM didn't go your (or Ben's) way; but - and this is no consolation - the fact that it is so difficult to win adds to the event's reputation and prestige. At least you will have the fire in your belly nicely stoked for next year and this will keep you warm and motivated over winter.