Karrimor International Mountain Marathon

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The Karrimor International Mountain Marathon (or KIMM) is a 2-day Mountain event, held in a different region across the UK every year. It was first held in 1968 and continues today. Gerry Charnley, a skilled mountaineer and orienteer, designed the KIMM to test orienteering skills in extreme circumstances; the full-length KIMM course is a double-marathon length race. Each team must carry all their gear, including equipment for an overnight camp. Moreover, the course is not disclosed until the race begins, so each team must have good navigation skills. Some have called the KIMM the forerunner of modern adventure racing.

[edit] Event History

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Please improve this article if you can. (October 2006)

In 2006, this event changed its name to The Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) following the end of Karrimor's sponsorship.

Dieter Wolf brought the Karrimor idea from England to Switzerland: 47 teams were at the start of the first Swiss Karrimor 2-day Mountain Marathon in Muothatal in 1976. Over the years several thousand lovers of the mountains, nature and sport from about twenty countries have been able to smell the «Karrimor and MIMM air» in 24 different regions of the Swiss Alps. After some structural and personal changes at Karrimor ltd. in England and Salewa Sport ltd. in Switzerland a new partner had to be found for the event in 1997 so as to achieve a balanced account. Arova-Mammut, a Swiss firm manufacturing mountain sport equipment stepped in spontaneously, so that the event had to be changed only little; under a new name its organization could be secured for the next few years.

The long cooperation with Arova-Mammut ltd. came to an end in 2002. With «R’adys Outdoor & Snowwear» in Lachen a new sponsor could be found in 2004.

The earlier Karrimor 2-day Mountain Marathon, then the MIMM for several years, and today’s Mountain Marathon are unique in Switzerland. Apart from several very successful similar events in England and France there have also been some attempts at organizing such an event in Norway, Australia and New Zealand.