KIMM Rerun
Saturday 30th October saw Derek Buckle and me heading off to the Cowal Peninsula to take part (compete would be too strong) in the 33rd Karrimor International Mountain Marathon (KIMM). Regular readers will perhaps remember our exploits last year when we just missed out on a certificate (issued to those teams who complete the course and score sufficient points), losing the map in a pond in a gale (the map is rather useful in a giant orienteering event), almost being swept away by swollen rivers and then camping in a spot that became a lake. Irregular readers need only know that the Karrimor is a very tough event requiring teams of two to be self sufficient whilst completing a giant orienteering course with an overnight camp.
Besides the certificate there is a secondary reason to compete, the KIMM competitor car park sticker. Real Men transfer their old stickers when they change car, the most I have ever seen on a car was 10 (on a P reg) - but did they finish?!
We chose to enter the Short Score category, perhaps the easiest category. Teams start at different times and the only compulsory controls are the first and last (also the overnight camp). A list of controls, their grid references, character and points value is supplied and it is up to each team to optimise their points total.
Cowal is just north of the Clyde and west of Glasgow. For somewhere so close to Glasgow it is very remote, without a several hour car journey round and down the peninsula the only way to get to Cowal is by car ferry. The hills are over 2000' and there are few signs of civilisation once you venture a couple of hundred yards from the few roads.
The event was very well organised and we were soon at the start studying our map and the list of controls. Our initial conclusion was that the shortest route to the overnight campsite was over 25km. Given the time limit of 5hrs 30mins and the nature of the terrain this suggested a reasonably direct route would be a good idea. However we had options to detour for extra controls if we were making good progress. Many other teams reached the same conclusion and the directish route seemed popular, although with the lack of paths and rugged terrain we were never in a procession, and couldn't just follow everyone else. We made OK progress but the sheer size of the course and weather (raining with low cloud on the tops) was gradually telling. At each decision point we had planned we chose to take the most direct route. We made the overnight camp with about 1 minute to spare before we would have incurred penalty points.
As usual Derek's culinary skills rapidly revived us and we gradually found enough energy to check the results for the first day. We had scored 125 points out of the 250 necessary for a certificate. Not too good when the first day's course was 5.5 hours and we would only have 4.5 hours on the second day. We couldn't really find much fault with what we had done. I could have perhaps trained a bit more but Derek was fresh from his latest high altitude training camp and we had given it our all.
The next morning saw an improvement in the weather and a drive in the team. A rapid review of the map and control list suggested a direct route yet again for the first half of the journey to the finish. We could then review and try to maximise our points in the second half. Initially all went to plan and in the better weather we were scoring points at the required rate for the first 2 hours. The second half of the course was more problematical. There did not appear to be an easy route by which we could collect enough points! A decision was made and we headed for a remote but high value checkpoint and then review. This proved to be a mistake as the journey was very slow and we used up a lot of time. So we took a direct route to the finish which meant we wouldn't gain a certificate. As always things turned out slightly differently and we now made very good progress and finished 30 mins early but the layout of the controls was such that we couldn't use the time profitably.
Overall we got 225 of the 250 points necessary for a certificate. Not a disaster but we had hoped to do better. Of the 299 teams that started, 98 gained a certificate and 258 did finish. The feel of the event is very friendly and, since most teams are competing against the course for a certificate rather than against the other teams, competitive spirit is generally kept well in check. Finally, to cap our misfortune we got stuck in the car park (aka muddy field)
So is it worth our while entering next year? With hindsight there were one or two pivotal points in our route choice and we could have done better, possibly incurring a few penalty points but still increasing our total overall. Me, I've joined an orienteering club and have bought a 4x4 (for the car park). Who says people don't take the KIMM seriously.
Sandy
14th March 2000