The Saunders Mountain Marathon (SLMM) took place on 4th/5th July based in St John’s in the Vale, with courses covering the fells around Helvellyn and The Dodds. Despite heatwaves the week before and after, the weekend itself was cool and drizzly with the tops clag-covered most of the time.
The event is always popular with orienteers and this year at least a quarter of the prize winners were O-regulars. LOC and WCOC were well represented but (as far as I know) no BL members were competing. However Border Liners Karen and Dan were Race Directors (responsible for the all the aspects of the event from the start line to the finish line) while former BL members Julie and John were the planners. There are 6 linear courses, and a score course. The linear courses vary from 30km to 60km over the two days and the score course is 7 hours on the first day and 5 on the second.
There is a great YouTube video, made by a competitor, available here which gives an excellent idea of what it’s like to take part. It’s hard to watch it without thinking “maybe I could give it a go next year”. If you are inspired, entries open early in 2027 and normally the event fills up by around the end of April. Don’t feel you have to be super-fit to take part; plenty of people walk the whole way, and orienteers have the built-in benefit of being accustomed to rough terrain. There are many tales of fast road runners being brought to a standstill by tussocks, rocky ground and marshes.
Next years’s event is on 10th/11th July “somewhere in the Lake District”. The SLMM website tells you everything you might need to know.
Border Liners Orienteering Club 