The Long Distance event was held in a superb forest 20km from Borlange.
There were very few tracks and plenty of heather and bilberry which made it physically very hard. The visibility was generally good but there were a few tricky controls in small features on large slopes. It was generally best to follow the straight line, using marshes where possible as they were good for navigation and (since it has been very dry) relatively fast running.
Photo: Alasdair McLeod, Duncan Coombs and Doug Tullie.
Credit: David Rosen
Duncan Coombs ran early for the men but his time of 80.56 for the 11.9 km course stayed near the top for a long time and Doug Tullie, our last starter only pipped him by 15 seconds. They ended up in 14th and 15th places and, with Oleg Chepelin 21st and Alasdair Mcleod 33rd, represented the most consistent results we've achieved in the Men's student championships over the years. All four of our men in the long distance train at British Orienteering's Centre of Excellence at the University of Edinburgh under National Coach Toni Louhisola. The support of the Centre of Excellence from British Orienteering the University of Edinburgh and Winning Students has played a major role in their preparation for the Championships.
Hollie Orr had a good run on the 7.6 km women's course finishing in 71.15 and 22nd place. Tessa Hill was only 6 seconds and two positions behind.
Men
1. Mattias Merz SUI 71.16
2. Erik Rost SWE 75.52
3. Johan Runesson SWE 76.30
14. Douglas Tullie GBR 80.41
15. Duncan Coombs GBR 80.56
21. Oleg Chepelin GBR 82.16
33. Alasdair McLeod GBR 85.19
Women
1. Sara Lüscher SUI 60.09
2. Saila Kinni FIN 60.47
3. Silje Ekroll Jahren NOR 62.11
22. Hollie Orr GBR 71.15
24. Tessa Hill GBR 71.21
50. Rebecca Harding GBR 80.59
55. Jess Halliday GBR 85.27
Today is the sprint race is in the suburbs of Borlange combining small parks, housing areas and forested valleys by the river. Scott Fraser was the bronze medallist in the Sprint race two years ago and along with Graham Gristwood will be one of the favourites for todays race.
More information and live results can be found here
Report: David Rosen, Team Manager
Item posted Hilary Bloor |
