Last updated at 15:55, Monday, 27 October 2008

Rescuers battled gale force winds and driving rain to search for the hundreds of runners believed to be lost on the fells.

Competitors Trevor Smith, left, and David Prentice

Around 2,500 competitors took part in the marathon near Keswick before it was called off following the worst weather in its 41-year history.

Flash flooding and gale force winds prompted the organisers to abandon the race at midday on Saturday because the various routes the runners were taking from Seathwaite to Gatesgarth, near Borrowdale, became deluged.

Hundreds were forced to take shelter wherever they could find it, with 1,700 camping out in barns, outbuildings and tents. Three hundred took refuge in Honister Slate Mine and another 443 in emergency shelters set up in Cockermouth School, Glaramara outdoor pursuit centre and Gatesgarth Farm.

The event sparked the biggest search operation in Cumbria for years, with dozens of police officers police and 70 mountain rescue volunteers combing the fells in horrendous conditions. Runner Rob Darrington said at times the high winds and rain had felt as though it was “blowing needles into your face”.

“For anybody lacking experience in what they were doing, it was certainly a dangerous place to be,” he said.

Honister manager Mark Weir said the emergency services had been “overwhelmed”. He alerted the police at 6pm as runners began to take refuge in the mine which had seen one foot of rainfall since Thursday. “This is the worst day for 42 years,” he said.

“The organisers need shot for allowing it to go ahead.”

Thirteen people were taken to Keswick hospital with hypothermia and minor injuries before being transferred to the Cumberland Infirmary and the West Cumberland Hospital.

They included a race marshal who had become hypothermic and a 52-year-old Nottingham runner who broke his leg.

Another marathon runner was taken to safety by Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team after he was reported to be in a “poor condition” in a tent high on Hindscarth.

Mr Weir used the mine’s tour bus to ferry some runners down the mountain while his staff used 4x4 vehicles to take others to safety.

They were driven from the mine to the Sheep and Wool Centre, on the edge of Cockermouth, where they were fed before being transferred to the school on Castlegate Drive.

Dozens of volunteers from the WRVS, Salvation Army, Red Cross and St John's Ambulance turned up at the school to serve hot drinks and set up a sleeping area in the hall and eco centre.

Sainsbury’s staff opened up the Cockermouth store and delivered food to the school for the runners.

Runners Tony Gaytes, 43, and Ian Loving, 30, said they were unprepared for the relentlessness of the weather.

Mr Gaytes said: “It was 110mph over Great Gable – Ian took off in the air and I thought he’d gone for good.

“We did complete the run but we weren’t prepared for the prolonged bad weather – it just did not stop.

“It hasn’t put me off taking part in these races – there’s a great camaraderie out there on the fells and it’s something to tell the children, it makes you feel like Ranulph Fiennes.”

Mr Loving said he didn’t think he’d take part in races at this time of year again.

“If I do, I’ll really check the weather,” he added.

Extreme conditions on the mountains and severe flooding made it difficult to get the message to competitors scattered across the hills.

Police said they were hampered in the search operation by the fact that they didn’t have a definitive list of who was taking part as some runners didn’t turn up or withdrew early on.

Sergeant Mark Wear said: “That proved to be a bit of a logistical nightmare as at one stage we didn’t know how many people we were looking for.”

Will Creek and his partner pulled out of the race due to the weather conditions on Saturday morning.

Speaking on Saturday night, he said: “We just weren’t up for these conditions.

“The gusts of wind were blowing us off our feet. It was driving rain and we were completely drenched and extremely cold.

“We couldn’t make contact with our friends because they have no phone so we just hope that they’re holed up in a tent and safe.”

Lewis Peattie said he and his teammate were lucky to get out when they did.

“We had difficulty getting down due to streams becoming fast torrents of water and ‘waterfalls’ springing out of nowhere,” he said.

Other runners defended the organisers, saying the competitors were all experienced mountaineers who were well-equipped to deal with the weather.

Emergency planner Chris Biggs said: “What we've got here are some very, very experienced fell-runners who are very, very well-equipped, which is gratifying.

“If they've gone up equiped as they should have been then they should be okay.”

Shane Ohly, who completed the run, said: “The weather was very bad; gale force winds and torrential rain. However, the event is for experienced fell runners and everyone should have been able to cope.

“We heard that the road through Borrowdale was under 7ft of water and that the road at the end of the Honiston pass was about to be submerged at the only passable ford.

“As for the competitors, many were stuck in a huge farmer’s barn at the planned overnight campsite.”

Roads were closed as the tiny country lanes flooded and on the B5289, just outside Lorton, cars ground to a halt in deep patches of flood water.

Race participants Andrew Pearce and Mark Walsh, from Kendal, had to wait about four hours inside their car to be towed to safety.

They had taken part in the endurance race earlier on Saturday, setting off at 9.20am.

Andrew said: “When we set off it was okay.

“A bit blustery for the first hour or so and things got worse with the heavy rain and wind. We were being blown off our feet but we persevered and managed to finish at about 2pm. We did about 10k on Saturday.”

Mark said: “We were trying to drive home to Kendal when we got stuck.

“There was a lot of discussion as to whether the race should go ahead or not but the decision was made that it would.”

The majority of the 13 casualties taken to hospital had been discharged by yesterday afternoon. The numbers of those who remained in hospital overnight last night was unknown.

Police confirmed at 2.25pm yesterday that all the runners had been accounted for.

First published at 11:25, Monday, 27 October 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk