Viper Strategic

More with Less on a Mountain Marathon

Author: Jim Hardcastle

Jim has helped organisations and groups communicate more effectively for nearly 20 years. His background in the countryside and rural sectors provide him with a wealth of experience. Fueled by coffee with Post-Its at the ready, he’s here to help .

Following on from my last blog about doing more with less in work I thought I’d carry on the theme with a report in the same vein from my mountain marathon last weekend. First let me introduce Wigley, a long time friend who I’ve shared many silly adventures with. He eats a lot and blames it on his diabetes. Prone to childish enthusiasm that ends up with both of us doing mountain marathons. Second, let me introduce the concept of a mountain marathon. 36 hours of legging it across mountainous moorland, ‘bagging’ checkpoints along the way to get as many point as possible. Forced rest during the night in a field with all the others. Carry everything you need to survive for the 36 hours.

1 Spend more time planning the route (a lesson in project management here?). When you go through the start gate you get given your map, that’s the first moment you have any idea where you’re going. Spending 5 minutes planning your route then is a lesson in self control, your body just wants to run! Wigley’s comment at this stage, ‘you navigate, I’ll nod sagely’.

2 The straightest line may take more time. More navigation skills results in less calories expended. The dogleg that took us on to the road, where we could run easily rather than stumbling across tussocks burnt much fewer calories and got us there quicker than the apparent direct route.

3 Spend more time reading instructions on food bags. A low point in domestic relations was achieved due to me having a blind spot for reading instructions. Planning food for the Saturday night meal is more than important. A morale booster and serious calorie refill, it’s a defining moment of the weekend. I moved away from the usual recipe of pasta and pasta sauce - I found a risotto-in-a-bag: lighter, smaller and more calories, perfect. Somehow I ignored step 3 of the cooking instructions. ‘You packed the microwave then?’ asked Wigley. Perfect every time, according to Mr Ben. Not in my hands.

4 Get Wigley to pack your food. Somehow he produced more and more food over the race than was feasible from such a small pack. Flapjack came out mid morning Sunday. Wigley wouldn’t reveal his packing secret.

5 Tent Rule No 1. Take up less space and you will develop more respect for each other. Two blokes and one small tent is a recipe for arguments. Wigley was asked to step outside after repeatedly dropping Ready Brek on my sleeping bag. 

6 More humorous names for the terrain results in less stress. I cannot explain how frustrating it is to travel across deep, tussocky grass with sinking bog in-between. Your balance goes repeatedly, you twist your ankles and then you sink to your knees. Venting frustration is essential. ‘Oh look, more S**t Grass!’ ‘Great, W**k Gorse!’ Wigley came over all ecological and 'wildlife-trust'

7 Take more Wigley’s with you. The more you do the less you want to. Morale is crucial. I’ve found the Wigley attitude of optimism and perseverance perfect. Even a Wigley moan is a source of inspiration, ‘my ankles are really swollen. Not as bad as yours though.’ 

8 The less space you have, the more creative you become. You want to minimise the weight of the pack so reducing everything becomes an obsession. Strip down all un-necessary packaging. Only take kit that gives added value. Be creative: tinfoil instead of a pan lid. I learnt that from watching the competition.

Sounds like some business lessons in there.

- Posted on Thursday 29 Jul 2010 at 21:39 by Jim Hardcastle

Tags: adventure (21), business (6), business development (6), dartmoor (7), jim hardcastle (33), planning (31), project management (8)