western isles challenge
faq

 

 

 

 

Here are some of the questions that have cropped up most frequently over the years that the Challenge has been run. Let us know if you have others here

Does every member of the team have to cover all parts of the course?
No. The Challenge is a relay event, with one member handing over the "baton" to another as the team proceeds up the course. You are free to be accompanied an any part of the route by another team member or a member of your backup team, and in some instances where a section of the route is felt to warrant it the Event Organiser may insist on two people covering that section. If you are accompanied, both people have to carry the regulation off-road kit
Does every team have to have a woman member?
No, but if you don't then the team will not be eligible to win any of the major prizes in the event
Does the event run overnight?
No, because the route has very few tracks and some spectacular bogs, which you would not appreciate not being able to spot in advance! Instead, we stop at darkness each day, but the night is rarely terribly restful as there is usually a good deal of planning to do for the following day
What are "Northings"?
Around half of the race distance in the team event has to be covered on foot. We could measure this by setting a fixed course, but that would be rather dull. Instead, to allow flexibility in your strategy for the race, we use the system of "northings", or distance travelled due north on the map

Look at the example below:

OSNorthings.jpg (53090 bytes)

You have to reach the checkpoint at map northing 007. Two possible ways of doing this are shown on the map. You could cycle to the end of the track at northing 998 and then run (the blue route) or you could set off on your run from the road at northing 981(the pink route).

On the blue route you would cover 007 minus 998 northings, i.e.0.9 km (each square on the map represents 1 km, and is subdivided by eye into 10 grid subdivisions). On the pink route, you would cover 007 minus 981 northings, i.e.2.6 km

It is up to you to decide the balance between the blue route possibly being quicker, or using your team resources at that time better, versus the pink route bagging you more northings towards the overall total you have to achieve

You will find this kind of decision-making cropping up maybe hundreds of times as you plan your route!

A further point to note is that northings cannot be "double-counted". Thus if when setting off from 998 you decided an easier route might be to run south a few hundred metres before heading off into the hills, you could not count the northings from say 996, as you have already gone further north than that on your bike
Who takes care of equipment, travel and overnight arrangements?
You do! If you want ferry information, you can go to Calmac's site here. If you want accommodation information, to can visit the Tourist Board site here. If you are travelling from abroad, we can help with e.g. canoe and bike hire locally, to save bringing them on planes.   Contact Stephanie Sargent for details
If I give my team a really silly name, does it mean I am not serious about the event?
Quite the opposite: past winners of the Challenge have all been teams with incomprehensible names - Syniad Dda (apparently Welsh for "good idea"), The Spog, Team Zanzibar (from Aberdeen) and Sula Sgeir. The real Challenge may be to enter a team with a sensible name and win the event!