Andy and Joe Symonds steal the OMM in final miles...
Andy (right) and Joe Symonds
After a great season of multi-day race wins both Andy Symonds and Angela Mudge capped off the year with wins at The OMM this weekend. Partnered with brother Joe, the Symonds’ stole the win from under the noses from 2009 winners Jethro Lennox and Steve Birkinshaw…
Whilst Mudge and partner Brendan Bolland took an impressive win in the mixed class, their effort being good enough for 4th overall.
Natalie White – teamed with Tim Austin – also made another step towards full fitness, as the duo tasted success with a strong run for second place behind Angela and Brendon in the mixed class.
First all-women team to finish was Heather Dawe and Andrea Priestley in 40th place.
Founded 1968 the OMM is the originator of the 2-day mountain marathon event. The race is for teams of 2 (male, female or mixed), carrying all clothing, equipment, tent, sleeping bag and food for 36 hours, and the pairs are to navigate their own route, which must including an overnight camp.
Runners are totally self supporting, no GPS or outside support is allowed and teams NOT arriving at the overnight camp are assumed to have camped safely. Thus map-reading and survival skills can play a huge part in this event.
Mudge and Bolland pretty much had things their own way from day one, winning their class (Mixed) by a huge 1hr and 47 mins, ahead of White and Austin.
Angela Mudge at the recent British fell relays
However, the men’s elite event proved to be an absolute cliff-hanger. With the last climb looming it looked like Andy Symonds’ 2009 LAMM and BAMM partner, Jethro Lennox, was going to take the 2010 win alongside MM specialist Steve Birkinshaw. Indeed, the Symond’s pairing had ended day one a full 12 minutes down on the Inov8 runners and it would need a mammoth effort from the Symonds’ on the Sunday to over-turn the leaders and add their The OMM to their 2010 successes, which include the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon.
Overturn it they did, and after catching them on the final climb Andy and Joe went on to win by a slender 4 mins. The margin is put into context in light of the fact that the third-placed team were almost 1 hour behind to two lead teams.
Elite results can be found here, and expect more reaction and images later in the week…
