Day two of kmf22

Friday 18th November

There was guided runs you could pay for organized by adidas Terrex (more on the adidas thing later) we met the run organizers at the adidas Terex stall at basecamp at 09:45, I had not a clue what this was all about? the write up about the event pre booking was a bit vague; I was thinking I was going the sort of guided runs I have done previously - either a town tour pointing out the sites or running coaches helping you with techniques or equipment, this was much more the latter but also a bit of a sales pitch for adidas, there was a range of training shoes you could try on and use for the run there was also stuff for sale and discount cards and scratch and win stuff, the running group of around eight of us had two guides, these two athletes turned out to be great runners. They were very knowledgeable in trail running as a sport, even more impressive was that they were ultra-runners of a decent standard, I had great conversations with them as we ran, I didn’t know before this event how my brain was going to turn, But; as the weekend progressed I was to become increasingly skeptical and angry at adidas and its almost complete takeover of the running scene at KMF, due to my own issues with over consumption I already had a dislike and distrust of adidas, it didn’t help this year when they never paid their factory workers either! But this terrex thing is a whole new massive marketing attack by adidas at the growing trail running industry, hence the reason they were sponsoring the next day’s main event trail run, they also sponsored a whole running film set around a film they had made for one of their many sponsored athletes, (Sunday) I found this disturbing product placement corporate marketing of the worst kind, I felt like I had actually paid to watch a set of adverts at that film set, (more on that on Sunday) as I didn’t know what I was getting myself into this day, I hadn’t given myself time to think about what I should do about getting freebies and trail shoe trials, I haven’t bought any new shoes of any kind for over two years with no intention of buying any ever again! But a free trial of a shiny pair of concept shoes? I couldn’t resist, to be fair on the brand they were really good I loved them, one of the team working at the stand recognized me as a green runner and said he was also one; we had a photo and a quick chat before my group set of on the trail run

Kendal is in a valley; the runs are either along the river valley floor or up the sides of hills, we were heading to the hills to trial these shoes and talk trail runs on hill trails, it was really good I thoroughly enjoyed the run and the chat, the guides were sponsored by adidas athletes, they weren’t sales people, I never got pushed to write a review or make a purchase, I was only informed that was an option for me should I desire? What I should have done on reflection is ask all the questions - on how durable are the shoes? is there a repair or end of product life returns service? does the company have a carbon footprint traceability for the product and all its components? What about packaging? how are the workers who make the shoes treated? I was unprepared for it and asked none of these things, also the run finished back in a shop in town where I could get freebies, a headband a cool flask a drybag with a first aid kit inside, my days of consumerism are over I campaign against buying shit you don’t need, I was thinking that - I should tell them to ram it and give a lecture about the unsustainability of freebies! plant some trees you consumerist polluters! NO: I took the flask and dry bag to my shame, justifying it on the grounds that I will use them, I never took the head band, I also should have left the first aid kit as I have got stacks of that stuff at home, why did I take freebies and say nothing? it was a really fun event which I enjoyed, I don’t enjoy being an eco-fascist, you become disliked when you descend into that lecturing pious judgmental chat, I practiced the psychological safety of silence (as I used to do all the time) as I was among good fun happy people, which couldn’t be said for the woman who lived above the shop next door, she shooed (pun intended) us away from the front of her shop as we were doing our post run stretches calling us all sorts! I did react to begin with, but decided she must have some sort of mental issue and may possibly put some curse on me later over her cauldron

Unfortunately, the run had went much longer than anticipated and I missed wilderness tracks with Raynor Wim (I like the annual wilderness tracks session) I read her first book the salt path which was a wonderful read; a great insight into personal struggles and homelessness, told through the experiences of a lovely couple who lost their home, then went for a long walk with their new home (a tent) on their backs and very light pockets! By the time I had ran back to get washed and changed, I was only just in time for the start of the main event of the day for me Finite; the climate of change by Rich Felgate This was the film of the weekend for me I loved it, it could be said I am biased as I had become friends with the director, Rich who is a really nice person doing a very difficult job, I have witnessed some of the harassment threats even arrests that he has had. he faces consistent harassment as a documentary maker, capturing stories of injustice and struggles faced by activists, this film he made is about concerned citizens in Germany putting their bodies on the line to save an ancient forest from destruction, these activists strangely formed an alliance with a group of frustrated community members in rural England who were campaigning to halt an open cast coal mine in their area, the film was an actual roller coaster of emotions for me, with moments of great sadness followed by temporary joy then proper anger followed by heartache, as I watched I tried to think of what roles the people I knew in my community would be in this film, I live in a right wing community I am the only activist with climate concerns in my town, my community would be the heavy hand of the law working for the coal companies, nobody I know campaigns against the fossil fuel industries deliberate destruction and pollution in my area, I stayed for the Q&A at the end raising the question of could I hire it for a local screening, then I had a chat with Rich saying we need to get a catch up later if he is around which he was and we did

The secret session? I love the secret sessions they sell out real fast for a reason! I was lucky to get this one, you meet for these sessions at a sign outside the brewery arts house (sign says secret sessions lol) then at the allotted time a person with a flag shows up and you march through town, following the flag to your secret destination, only then do you discover who is giving the secret session talks, this one was given by Aldo Kane he was really good, an ex-marine from a small Scottish town much like my brother, except Aldo didn’t join the police after leaving the marines, he worked in rope access in the oil industry a group of people I’ve worked alongside with a lot, he yearned to be free while in that job just like I did, to break free of being a caged mortgage hostage, he started a new life working with rope access for film making in dangerous places, an amazing story I may try and track down his book to read before he writes another!

The plan was to go to mappy hour which O/S were holding in a tipi, it was free to attend and you got a free beer, all the beer was finished when I arrived a little late for the start, SO; I didn’t stay long, I’m sort of in a wee huff with O/S anyway as I reached out to them for help in making a presentation about my Shetland trig point adventure, they asked me to email them some details which I did, but; they never got back in touch, which I could be wrong but I think it was because I mentioned being a climate activist

Next it was a film called - not a hero’s journey What a feelgood film this was it’s about a wee lassie who has climate concerns, her community call her climate jess, what a wee character she is, wise way beyond her years and with attitude! She decided she wanted to attend COP26 and it would only be right to cycle there! she would cycle the 570miles from her home to Glasgow, A journey she ended up not doing alone and gathering support along the way, there was a chat with the cast at the end, then it opened to the audience for a Q&A, I had my hand up as I was curious to find out if she had done any stages of the running out of time climate relay this year as I had done, and if not? Had she heard of it the answer was no and no! which is a real shame as it’s such a similar journey, it would have been great to capture and add to these tales of climate concerned peoples journeys to COP`s, I have now heard about so many different journeys by so many diverse groups, if they all joined together it would be massive, this was a professionally done film, I noticed my eco home insurance nature save sponsored her, I got chatting to one of the cyclists on the stage at the end we swapped Instagram’s just in case something like this was being done again, that I could help with vice versa

I was booked to see the film an accidental life after that, but Rich had messaged me to meet up/ catch up. I had a lot to talk to him about so prioritized a catch up with him over this film – you cannot see everything for example; in previous years I would have been at the snow session of speakers and films which was happening at this time, but; snow is making me sad these days I gave all snow and ice related stuff a miss this year! A first for me, I usually love the snow and ice sessions, the loss of winter snow and ice and the glaciers with climate change saddens me, it was a great catch up with Rich I need to enquire as to how I can make a screening of his film at my local independent cinema the hippodrome Bo`ness, I would be interested to see what my community thought of it