The O.M.M. (Original Mountain Marathon) 28th 29th October 2006

This is an International event involving up to 3000 competitors it was formerly known as the Karrimore Challenge. The safety radio is organised by Central Lancashire RAYNET and Manchester Scouts RAYNET using a mixture of PMR and Amateur radio. Dumfries and Galloway RAYNET were approached by Central Lancashire RAYNET to see if we could provide additional operators to assist with the event.

We were only too happy to oblige, our posts were all accessible by tarmac or forestry roads although some of the forestry roads were a bit dodgy. We were asked to cover six radio points, which included a cross band repeater on Benniguinea. Radio points were open from 08.30 Hrs through to approximately 17.30 Hrs on both days.

The event control was based at Talnotry Camp Site on the Queens Way between New Galloway and Newton Stewart. The control was extremely well organised with large marquees for food, results and of course equipment sales by OMM. There were hundreds of tents on the site and hundreds of vehicles parked in every orifice and lay by along the Queens Way, the area has not seen as much traffic and activity since the last time the event was held here ten years ago.

We sited our mobile control close to the main organisers marquee along side our friends from the Galloway Mountain Rescue Team, fortunately there were no major injuries and as far as I am aware only one team got hopelessly lost but again no major problem for the Galloway MRT. The event and the effort that went in to it is a credit to the organisers, all communications worked extremely well with only minor problems at Benniguinea which seem to have been down to local interference from equipment operating on the local council radio mast and possibly some problems at control.

On the Saturday I was positioned at the junction of The Southern Upland Way and National Cycle Route 7, this appeared to be a fairly key cross over point and at one stage it was a bit like Blackpool promenade on a Bank Holiday Monday with bodies coming from all directions. A Bit later in the day a couple of chaps who were just out for a days walking came past and we were having a chat, one guy was a local and he had brought his friend who was from London out for a nice quiet walk, he told his friend “it's so peaceful and you hardly see a soul up in the hills” THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!!