Southampton City Urban Race
4 November 2017

Southampton Orienteering Club greeted competitors with a warm welcome arriving at the Southampton City Urban Race. This was the first event of the November Classic Weekend, a National Level Urban event and counted towards the UK Orienteering League, the UK Urban League and the Southern England Urban Orienteering League.

Solent University's 'The Spark' conference and exhibition centre proved to be a fantastic space for the competitors and volunteers. The 10m x 8m video wall made for an amazing backdrop, displaying event information and guidance. All the maps from previous November Classics were exhibited and generated a lot of interest as they showed how mapping has evolved over the last 50 years.

The event itself attracted 450 runners competing on 7 courses. The competition was very tight with just a few seconds separating the top runners.
 

Photo credits: Steve Rush

Many congratulations to the class winners:

• Open Women - Sarah Rollins SN
• Open Men - Adam Potter BOK
• Veteran Women - Alison Howe SAX
• Veteran Men - John Owens BAOC
• Supervet Women - Janet Rosen HH
• Supervet Men - Quentin Harding SROC
• Ultravet Women - Christine Kiddier GO
• Ultravet Men - David Jukes BKO
• Hypervet Women - Ruth Rhodes SO
• Hypervet Men - Frank Ince SWOC
• Junior Women - Rachel Duckworth DVO
• Junior Men - Adam Conway GO
• Young Junior Women - Ella May Rush BOK
• Young Junior Men - Vadim Presenti DFOK

Peter Davis the Event Organiser, said: "We are very grateful to all our helpers, partners and sponsors for helping make the event such a success. Southampton Orienteering Club members and also friends from other clubs worked very hard all day to ensure that the competitors enjoyed their day."

Full results can be found here.

The 50th November Classic

Sunday 5 November 2017

Mary Nixon Event Organiser, said: “The New Forest was at its autumnal best for the 50th November Classic. Beautiful bramble free forest, open heathland and the chance to see the wild ponies, cattle and donkeys make for a great day in the woods. After the recent heavy rain, the car park field proved very challenging, but everyone got in and was able to enjoy the village atmosphere of a large marquee where the Southern Championship prize giving took place. There was an opportunity to purchase equipment from our two orienteering traders. The food vendors set up on a lovely grassy open area where people were able to sit at tables in the sunshine, discussing their runs and looking at the large results display.

The event attracted almost 1,000 runners from 70 different clubs, including one competitor from Sweden and one from Australia. The pull of this beautiful natural area still continues to attract people from all over the country - Scotland to Cornwall, Newcastle to Suffolk.

The well-planned courses by Nick Bosbury and Simon Bevan were well received, physically and mentally challenging. The mud wasn't too deep apart from the actual Highland Water crossing points.”

Southern Champions were:

• M10 Ben Perry DEVON
• M12 Ben Gostick HH
• M14 Jim Bailey BOK
• M16 Thomas Howell SN
• M18 Harry Fox DEVON
• M20 Sam Fielding HH
• M21 Patrick Jaffe SO
• M35 Ed Catmur SLOW
• M40 Geoff Ellis RAFO
• M45 Laurence Townley SN
• M50 Clive Hallett BOK
• M55 Roger Thetford TVOC
• M60 Rob Parkinson DEVON
• M65 Martin Wilson BKO
• M70 Ian Cooper BKO
• M75 Andy MacGregor BADO
• M80 Bill Vigar QO
• M85 Michael Gammon SO
• W10 Lyra Medlock WSX
• W12 Sarah Darley GO
• W14 Scarlet Heap SO
• W16 Sarah Horsler WIM
• W18 Bethany Kippin TVOC
• W20 Abigail Bateman UBOC
• W21 Fiona Bunn TVOC
• W35 Jane Baldock BOK
• W40 Anna Chapman SO
• W45 Julia Jarvis SO
• W50 Dorte Torpe Hansen SLOW
• W55 Alice Bedwell BOK
• W60 Alison Simmons BOK
• W65 Sarah Brown SLOW
• W70 Carol Pearce DEVON
• W75 Clare Fletcher BOK
• W80 Mary Fogo SO

Congratulations to all the winners.

Full results can be found here.

Mary Nixon, continued: “Southampton Orienteering Club are very grateful to all the people who made this event happen. It was wonderful to welcome Mike Johnson to present the prizes. Mike had organised the Forest Classic back in 1968. He enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones.

The volunteers from Southampton Orienteering Club, former members of Southampton Orienteering Club and other clubs make this kind of event happen. Many of them went beyond the call of duty for which the competitors gave grateful thanks.”

Kevin Bracher Southampton Orienteering Club Chair, said:  "You always have a certain feeling of relief and some pride when an event is over and it has been a success. For one club to put on a weekend of orienteering with a total of 1500 + competitors over two days is a great achievement. The main officials and their teams of helpers did a superb job. I would like to say thank you to everyone who took part or helped over the weekend and helped us celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the November Classic."

British Orienteering would like to take this opportunity to thank Southampton Orienteering Club, the Organisers; Mary Nixon and Pete Davis, Planners; Nick Bosbury and Colin Hicks and all the volunteers from the clubs who gave up their time to help put on this weekend of orienteering. Thank you to all the orienteers who entered and travelled to this event to compete. Many congratulations to all the winners in their classes.