Q: What year/location was your first OMM, and what made you want to sign up?

My first KIMM was in 1972 at Tibbie Shields (east of Moffat) with Val Pacey (who became Val Finch). We were both members of Birmingham University orienteering club (BUOC).  Val suggested it, pointing out that no women had ever finished one and that we could be the first.  The previous year, two women started but DNFd. In 1972 Mike Parsons was doing his first, I think, and Debbie Gale did it with her husband.

Q:Of all the locations and courses you’ve experienced, is there one OMM that still stands out above the others? Why?

Possibly Arran in 1980 when doing it with Carol McNeill, a lovely setting and the one time that I was in a chasing start on D2 (by only a matter of seconds – before we were being chased by a lot of men!).

Q: What’s the worst weather you’ve experienced at an OMM?

Galloway 1986.

Q: And what’s the hardest day you’ve ever had at one?  

Possibly 1973 in Snowdonia in a mixed team with Chris Pattison, another BUOC member. When I was less fit than Chris and on the final leg on D1, I insisted on doing a longer route to avoid yet another big climb. I fell asleep while eating the evening meal

Q: What have you learnt about choosing a partner?

The most important thing is being able to get on with them through thick and thin, more than being matched physically. That can always be balanced by altering who carries more if necessary.

Q: What does a successful OMM weekend mean to you now compared with when you first started?  

Trying to avoid any bad nav errors and trying to be in the top half of the results.

Q: Why do you think the OMM has kept you coming back when so many other races are something people do once and move on from?  

It was my first experience of ‘mountain/hill racing’ and I love the challenge with each being a little different.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give somebody standing on an OMM start line for the first time this October?  

Start eating before you need to and eat little and often all day. Keep in touch with the map at all times and be ready to put on more clothes at the first sign of starting to get cold.

Q: After 50 OMM years, what does the event mean to you?

I am just pleased to be healthy enough to get on the start line and run with a friend who is prepared to ‘carry me’ when my ageing body starts to let me down.

My most embarrassing moment? That was in 2014.

Wendy has a habit of falling over quite a bit, always shouting out ‘I am ok’ as she bounces back onto her feet (other than the time she did damage her knee, but of course, being Wendy, we still finished with a sprint). That year I had been diagnosed with a heart problem, so had been making sure I kept my heart rate sensible. On day two we were in one of the many areas of endless tussocks, when I tripped and fell, and having done so quite enjoyed just lying there, not fighting the tussocks for a moment. Until I heard Wendy shouting ‘Sarah, are you ok?’ with a degree of concern, given my recent heart diagnosis… Hastily, I apologised and got up, making sure whenever I fell again I would shout the magic words ‘I am ok’.

Wendy is and remains the ultimate competitor who prepares and has a professional approach (including carrying a spare compass which I have had to avail myself of once when losing mine) but also great fun, chatting away when not in full focus mode – when she is focused, I dare anyone to try and chat to her.

She is the ultimate partner, and I have been privileged to have been able to be hers in so many events.

We want to maintain a love of this very specific endeavour in our younger generations. Stories like Wendy’s reflect a long-standing commitment to mountain running. It’s this sensibility, shared between competitors, which has made the OMM what it is today. With awards like The Chapman Trophy, we hope to encourage more young people to continue this tradition.

Nobody can predict how the shape of this sport is going to change in the years to come, but we only hope to see many more people take that first step of entering an event. Whether it’s your first OMM, or your fiftieth, there’s always plenty of adventure to be found off the beaten track.

Congratulations to Wendy on her 50th event – here’s to many to come!

Fifty years is no milestone to be scoffed at. Whilst the OMM made a return to Galloway this weekend, Wendy Dodds completed her 50th event, celebrating 5 decades of commitment to the OMM / KIMM event.

Wendy began her journey to being the inaugural member of the OMM 50 Year club at Tibbie Shiels in 1972, making history as part of the first women’s team to complete the race.

Wendy’s commitment to the event is born from a love of mountain racing, the connection that has always held this event and community together. We caught up with Wendy and her long-term OMM partner Sarah Rowell before this year’s event to reflect on previous years, how their approach to racing this event has changed, and the memories that stand out over the years.

Q: What year/location was your first OMM, and what made you want to sign up?

My first KIMM was in 1972 at Tibbie Shields (east of Moffat) with Val Pacey (who became Val Finch). We were both members of Birmingham University orienteering club (BUOC).  Val suggested it, pointing out that no women had ever finished one and that we could be the first.  The previous year, two women started but DNFd. In 1972 Mike Parsons was doing his first, I think, and Debbie Gale did it with her husband.

Q:Of all the locations and courses you’ve experienced, is there one OMM that still stands out above the others? Why?

Possibly Arran in 1980 when doing it with Carol McNeill, a lovely setting and the one time that I was in a chasing start on D2 (by only a matter of seconds – before we were being chased by a lot of men!).

Q: What’s the worst weather you’ve experienced at an OMM?

Galloway 1986.

Q: And what’s the hardest day you’ve ever had at one?  

Possibly 1973 in Snowdonia in a mixed team with Chris Pattison, another BUOC member. When I was less fit than Chris and on the final leg on D1, I insisted on doing a longer route to avoid yet another big climb. I fell asleep while eating the evening meal

Q: What have you learnt about choosing a partner?

The most important thing is being able to get on with them through thick and thin, more than being matched physically. That can always be balanced by altering who carries more if necessary.

Q: What did your first OMM kit look like compared with what you’d carry today?  

I had to buy suitable shoes and I bought 2 different pairs, carrying the second as a spare!  I took a towel and toothbrush.  We carried sandwiches, stopping for a packed lunch each day.  I wore corduroy trousers and a woolen jumper, carried in the smallest Karrimor pack that I could buy.

Q: What piece of modern kit would you most like to have taken back to your first OMM?

Fortunately, it did not rain, otherwise it would have been a decent set of waterproofs.  Not cold that year but 2 years later with o/n frost a better sleeping bag would have been useful.

So, I guess it would have to be a reliable and tested pair of fell shoes and then I would not have needed a spare pair.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake you think inexperienced OMM competitors make?  

Carrying too much + or – not pacing themselves.

Q: Has your own approach to the event changed as you’ve got older?  

Primarily changes are based on being more experienced, rather than age related, though I do take more warm gear these days, and always spare socks

Q: What does a successful OMM weekend mean to you now compared with when you first started?  

Trying to avoid any bad nav errors and trying to be in the top half of the results.

Q: Why do you think the OMM has kept you coming back when so many other races are something people do once and move on from?  

It was my first experience of ‘mountain/hill racing’ and I love the challenge with each being a little different.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give somebody standing on an OMM start line for the first time this October?  

Start eating before you need to and eat little and often all day. Keep in touch with the map at all times and be ready to put on more clothes at the first sign of starting to get cold.

Q: After 50 OMM years, what does the event mean to you?

I am just pleased to be healthy enough to get on the start line and run with a friend who is prepared to ‘carry me’ when my ageing body starts to let me down.

My first mountain marathon – and KIMM/OMM with Wendy – was 2004 in the Brecon Beacons. We won the A class, me just running where I was told to, with Wendy doing all the nav…

The next 2 years we did the event with different partners, and then from 2007 – other than when I have been injured – we have done the OMM, plus other mountain marathons together; a total of 22 and counting.

My nav has definitely got better and we do now work more as a team – although in poor vis I would always defer to Wendy. Having said that, even Wendy has the occasional ‘senior moment’, as do I – luckily, so far just not at the same time.

As we have gotten older and slower, our rucksacks have become slightly heavier with more kit being taken to offset the loss of speed and warmth generation. I will forever be grateful that when we arrive at the overnight camp she is happy that I dash straight to the Portaloos to change while she starts putting the tent up.

One thing which has not changed, however, is Wendy’s competitiveness. While we may not sprint into the finish in the way we used to, making sure opposition are passed, her desire to do the best possible remains the same.  Indeed, in 2000 I was the ‘victim’ of Wendy’s stealth approach to passing opponents. When stopping to put more clothes on, she and her partner snuck past us on day 2, making sure they were not seen in doing so.

My most embarrassing moment? That was in 2014.

Wendy has a habit of falling over quite a bit, always shouting out ‘I am ok’ as she bounces back onto her feet (other than the time she did damage her knee, but of course, being Wendy, we still finished with a sprint). That year I had been diagnosed with a heart problem, so had been making sure I kept my heart rate sensible. On day two we were in one of the many areas of endless tussocks, when I tripped and fell, and having done so quite enjoyed just lying there, not fighting the tussocks for a moment. Until I heard Wendy shouting ‘Sarah, are you ok?’ with a degree of concern, given my recent heart diagnosis… Hastily, I apologised and got up, making sure whenever I fell again I would shout the magic words ‘I am ok’.

Wendy is and remains the ultimate competitor who prepares and has a professional approach (including carrying a spare compass which I have had to avail myself of once when losing mine) but also great fun, chatting away when not in full focus mode – when she is focused, I dare anyone to try and chat to her.

She is the ultimate partner, and I have been privileged to have been able to be hers in so many events.

In 2015, I was subbed in to replace Sarah Rowell (ACL surgery) and had unfortunately not managed to do adequate training due to an ankle & foot injury. Wendy sorted out food and equipment and was unimpressed with my duck tape rucksack repairs & selection of orthotics to swap en route to allow me a slow jog. Wendy packed & carried all of the heavy food and cooking equipment, and I was given 1/2 a micro tent. Within 4 hours on day 1, Wendy was carrying that as well, navigating AND continuing a monologue at volume on how we needed to be quiet in the mist so we could sneak past our opposition. I think I may have been huffing and puffing too loudly.

To my horror we made the chasing start the next morning, but despite that small time advantage still had to “sprint” (and I really never have been able to find a second gear) to make the cut off at the finish.

I’ve never been asked again and thankfully Sarah has not been unavailable either!!

We want to maintain a love of this very specific endeavour in our younger generations. Stories like Wendy’s reflect a long-standing commitment to mountain running. It’s this sensibility, shared between competitors, which has made the OMM what it is today. With awards like The Chapman Trophy, we hope to encourage more young people to continue this tradition.

Nobody can predict how the shape of this sport is going to change in the years to come, but we only hope to see many more people take that first step of entering an event. Whether it’s your first OMM, or your fiftieth, there’s always plenty of adventure to be found off the beaten track.

Congratulations to Wendy on her 50th event – here’s to many to come!