23 September 2025: A Weekend of TrailO on Humberside
The Humber Bridge TrailO Weekend has provided TrailO enthusiasts with two days of competitions. On a rather wet Saturday, competitors tackled a 12 control PreO Sprint and a 3 station TempO in Baysgarth Park, Barton-upon-Humber - to the south of the Humber Bridge. On a much brighter Sunday, there was a 22 control PreO in the Humber Bridge Country Park - this time to the north of the bridge.
The weekend was the idea of Peter Roberts (EBOR) who identified the potential for the weekend and then developed the concept which included providing the maps of the two areas.
Results for the two days can be found on the TOP site - see: TOP - Humber Bridge Results. Congratulations to Tom Dobra (TVOC) who won both the Saturday events and to Helena Crutchley (HALO) for winning the Sunday PreO.
Some additional files are also available:
Competitors enjoyed the sun at Sunday's PreO event.
1 September 2025: WTOC concludes with a GBR best TempO result
Having started on Tuesday in Hungary, the 2025 World TrailO Championships (WTOC) were completed yesterday with the TempO Championships staged in Slovakia. And we are delighted to report that Ben Kyd achieved the highest ever placing for a GBR competitor in a WTOC TempO Final. A great way to finish the week!
The day began with heavy rain and a cold wind which briefly delayed the schedule for the morning’s qualification event. This consisted of two heats, A and B. Ben Kyd (MDOC) and Charles Bromley Gardner (BAOC) were in the A. With 5 challenges at each of 6 stations, there were 30 problems to be solved. In TempO, both speed and accuracy are critical – but each error adds 30 seconds to the time taken. Ben answered all 30 in just 238 seconds – not the fastest and, with 3 errors, not the most accurate, but the combination put him in 4th position in the heat. This equalled the previous highest GBR TempO qualifying position. With 18 competitors to qualify for the afternoon Final, this was a very strong start. Charles was in 25th position, missing the cut by just 26 seconds.
Tom Dobra (TVOC), John Kewley (MDOC) and James Curtis (SO) were in the B heat. Unfortunately they all missed the cut, Tom being closest in 23rd place, just 21 seconds from qualifying. John finished in 29th place – slightly faster than Tom overall but with 2 more errors. James, at his first international TempO event, improved over the 6 stations with all correct at the last one and finished in 52nd place.
The afternoon final consisted of another 10 stations making 50 additional problems to solve – a major test of mental stamina and concentration. In addition, the final 3 stations could be viewed by the public giving added pressure. At the end, the top competitor and World Champion was Marcello Lambertini (ITA) who completed the course in 354 seconds with only 3 errors. Second was Anders Hoije (SWE) with Anders Haugskott (NOR) in third. Ben’s total time (356 seconds) was almost as fast as Marcello but his 7 errors pushed him down into 11th place.
As mentioned already, this was our best TempO placing improving on the previous best result – which was Ben's own result at WTOC 2023 when he finished in 16th place.
Ben Kyd concentrating hard in the WTOC TempO Final
29 August 2025: TrailO opportunites in the UK
With the World Championships currently taking place in Hungary and Slovakia this week, please don't forget that, in the next 3 weeks, there are two opportunities to have a go at TrailO here in the UK.
- Sunday 31 August - This weekend there is Sprint PreO course being provided alongside the British Sprint Championships (BSC). For those already entered in the BSC, there will be a free entry available to the TrailO (subject to constraints on numbers and maps). Otheres can enter on the day. The event will be using Earlham Park, adjacent to the UAE campus being used for the BSC. For full details, see the TrailO page on the BSC website.
- Saturday / Sunday 20 / 21 September - The Humber Bridge TrailO Weekend provides two events with one at each end of the Humber Bridge. Saturday wll use Baysgarth Park to the south where there will be a PreO Sprint course as well as a 3 control TempO course. On the Sunday, the action moves to the Humber Bridge Country Park where there will be a 22 control PreO course with 3 Time Controls providing the tie-break. To enter, see the event page on Racesignup: Humber Bridge TrailO Weekend. Also available is a pdf file with more information - Humber Weekend Information Sheet
28 August 2025: Day 2 of the WTOC PreO
Today, at the World TrailO Championships (WTOC) in Hungary, it was the second day of the 2-day PreO Competition. Yesterday’s event had competitors mainly on top of cliffs looking down into a former quarry. Today by contrast, for the first set of controls, competitors were looking up at cliffs which formed the hill on which Sumeg Castle is built. The second half was back to closer controls in similar grassy areas to Day 1 but with significantly more vegetation.
At today’s event, there were 13 Open Class competitors with all 33 controls correct with Charles Bromley Gardner (BAOC) and Ben Kyd in the chasing group with 32 correct. With a better performance at the Time Controls, Charles finished in 22nd position with Ben in 24th.
Over the two days there were 6 competitors gaining the maximum score of 69. The top performer and World Champion, based on the total times at the four Time Controls, was Anders Höije from Sweden who beat Tommi Hakuli of Finland by just 12 seconds. Top performer for GBR was Ben Kyd in 16th with 68 correct. 3 other GBR team members all finished with 64 correct with Charles Bromley Gardner (51st) just beating Tom Dobra (TVOC) (53rd) by 11 seconds. John Kewley (MDOC) finished in 61st position.
With teams being invited to include up to two extra Junior team members, James Curtis (SO) had been selected for the GBR team this year. James has been performing well in the UK but this was his first international event. Being faced with some very technical terrain at a World Championship was a challenge but James, who finished in 93rd position overall, successfully identified 58 controls correctly. A very encouraging result showing significant future potential.
The GBR Team had a single competitor in the P Class – Colin Duckworth (HALO). Although faced with the same controls, the more limited mobility of P Class competitors made the events harder and, on Day 1, no competitor got all the controls correct. Colin finished Day 1 in 20th position but improved to 12th position today. Overall he finished in 16th position.
Tomorrow brings a rapid change of scenery for competitors, as the teams head off on the 2.5 hours’ drive into Slovakia, for the TempO Model event, followed directly by the Relay on Saturday and TempO on Sunday.
Colin Dickson (l) and Charles Bromley Gardner (r) on the WTOC PreO Day 2 course
27 August 2025: Day 1 of the WTOC PreO
At the World TrailO Championships today, competitors tackled the first part of the two-day PreO competition. The area chosen was a former basalt quarry on the top of a small hill. The central core of the hill had been removed leaving a semicircle of cliffs with a complex of boulders and ravines.
The course was split into three sections. From the first start, competitors used a marked viewing area to look out across the quarry to the far side. The second part had competitors looking back towards the cliffs below that first viewing point. The final third section was down in the main quarry floor with some different challenges.
There were 36 controls to be solved and, with 20 competitors achieving the maximum in the Open Class, the two time controls used for the tie-break proved decisive in determining the order. Included in these 20 was Ben Kyd (MDOC) but, with one mistake at the time controls, he finished the day in 17th position. Next for GB was Tom Dobra (TVOC) in 25th with one error and then John Kewley (MDOC) in 55th with two errors. James Curtis (SO) has impressed in his first international competition with a very creditable score of 30.
Using the same course, P Class competitors found the challenge harder with no competitor achieving a maximum score – two competitors correctly identified 35 controls. For GBR, Colin Duckworth (HALO) was in 20th position with a score of 28.
Commenting on the Day, Charles Bromley Gardner (BAOC) said: ‘Unsung heroes were the mappers, who produced a very clear representation of the complicated rocky terrain. Gabor and Miklos Forrai are notably not Trail orienteers. Clear, and broad, Zero Tolerances minimised the "is it or isn't it close enough" decisions (when we remembered to take it into account). So, for example, flags did not have to be tight against a rocky crag foot. Some possible lapses in concentration led to errors. Those who held it together were successful. The first Timed Control was the real decider.’
Detailed results can be seen at:
WTOC - PreO Day 1 Results. Today’s results will be combined with tomorrow’s PreO Part 2 to determine the overall World PreO Champion. The Bulletin suggests more restricted visibility due to areas of denser vegetation giving different challenges.
James Curtis at the first section viewing area.
26 August 2025: GBR Team tackles the PreO Model course
Having assembled yesterday in Sumeg in NW Hungary, the GBR team at the 2025 World TrailO Chamionships (WTOC) today had a Model PreO event – an opportunity to experience a course on the local terrain. The day’s activities were completed by the WTOC Opening Ceremony in Sumeg.
Graham Urquhart, one of the team’s supporters, has provided this summary of the day: ‘Today's model provided an introduction for all the team and accompanying persons. While the terrain was typical of Hungary, based on information in the Bulletin, we expect the PreO to be much rockier and have many more features. Nearly 120 competitors took part today with 33 of them getting all 19 correct, the best GBR was Ben Kyd (MDOC) with 18 correct. It provided an introduction to international TrailO for James Curtis (SO) who had 15 correct. A great result for a first event at this level. Everyone is now looking forward to the real competition with PreO 1 tomorrow.’
A warm and sunny day is forecast for tomorrow's first PreO event. James Curtis, selected as a GBR Junior, will be one of the early competitors with a start at 10:16. Colin Duckworth (HALO), our GBR P Class team member will also have an early start at 10:37. Ben Kyd will be last of the team to start 3 hours later at 13:36. Results from the two days are combined to determine the World PreO Champion.
The GBR Team at the PreO Model Event
24 August 2025: WTOC 2025 taking place this week
The 2025 World TrailO Championships (WTOC) take place this coming week. The events are being shared by two countries, Hungary and Slovakia. The action will start in Hungary on Tuesday with the Model event for the PreO which is followed by the two parts of the PreO event on Wednesday and Thursday. Competitors will then transfer to Slovakia for the TempO and Relay Model event (Friday), the Relay event (Saturday) and the TempO (on Sunday).
- To follow the event, see the main website at: https://wtoc2025.org/. For all the event details, download Bulletin 4.
Watch out here and on the Facebook page for updates during the week. Good luck to the GBR team who are mostly flying out to Hungary tomorrow. In addition to the team, there are several other GBR TrailO enthusiasts who will be in Hungary and Slovakia to take part in 'public' events using the Championship courses. We hope you enjoy the challenge!
21 July 2025: The July 2025 Newsletter is now available
Today sees the publication of the July 2025 issue of the British TrailO Newsletter - the second issue of the year. Its been a busy Spring with plenty of World Ranking Events so this issue is packed with event reports in addition to the usual update on the various leagues, world ranking and items of news. If you have not signed up to get an issue by email, you can download your own pdf copy from the website page: Newsletters
3 June 2025: GBR Team for World Championships announced
British Orienteering have announced
[see news item] the names of those selected to represent Great Britain in the
2025 World TrailO Championships (WTOC) in August. The following have been selected:
For PreO Open and TempO:
- Charles Bromley Gardner (BAOC)
- Tom Dobra (TVOC)
- John Kewley (MDOC)
- Ben Kyd (MDOC)
- James Curtis (SO) (selected as a Junior)
Congratulations and good luck to them all. The Championships are being held jointly in Hungary and Slovakia at the end of August. For more details, see:
https://wtoc2025.org/
20 April 2025: Two days of challenging competition at the JK in Yorkshire
As part of the Jan Kjellstrom (JK) weekend festival of orienteering held in Yorkshire over Easter, two TrailO competitions have been held.
On Good Friday (18th April), Day 1 was held in urban parkland as well as part of a university campus near the centre of Sheffield. The day saw competitors tackle a ‘Combined TrailO’ consisting of a 4 station TempO section followed by an AZ PreO section. Based on time penalties for incorrect controls allocated to the PreO section, a combined overall result was determined. Congratulations to the Day 1 Elite winners: Open – Ben Kyd (MDOC), P Class – Colin Duckworth (HALO), Junior – James Curtis (SO). Overall winner in the Standard Class was Matthias Mahr.
Yesterday, for the Day 2 competition, competitors tackled a PreO course on very different terrain. Complex contours from former mining activity in woodland gave the opportunity to provide challenging controls. Congratulations to the Day 2 Elite winners: Open – Anne Straube (OD), P Class – Colin Duckworth (HALO), Junior – James Curtis (SO). Winner in the Standard Class was Erik Biernacki-Jablonski (WAOC).
For more details and to download results, map files and to see links for photos, see the main JK page on this site: JK TrailO Page
View of the second Timed Control station on Day 2 of JK2025
15 April 2025: Plans to hold a weekend of TrailO in September
Some early details are now available about plans to hold a weekend of TrailO on the 20th and 21st of September. Organiser Peter Roberts has confirmed that there will be two events using two very different areas and terrain.
On the Saturday, the venue will be Humber Bridge Country Park on the north side of the River Humber. This park is based in an old chalk quarry and is bordered with high cliffs with complex vegetation. On the Sunday, the action will move to Baysgarth Park on the south side of the Humber. This is a more typical parkland with distinctive trees and many manmade features. Both areas and courses are wheelchair accessible.
The current plan is for there to be a Pre-O course at each area of about 80 minutes plus a timed A-Z section. Both days, on the way to the starts, there will be sample kites to practice techniques, and to coach beginners. New maps are being prepared of each area, probably 1:3000.
Some additional details are available. - see: Humber Weekend - Provisional Details.
7 April 2025: Hungary has staged the first 2025 World Ranking Events
The 2025 TrailO World Ranking Event (WRE) season has started with the Hungarian TrailO Weekend. Based in the town of Kecskemet there were 3 events: a WRE TempO and a PreO Sprint on Saturday and a WRE PreO on Sunday.
In contrast to the rugged and rocky terrain often found in TrailO, these events used largely flat areas: the Saturday events used a landscaped golf course and the Sunday was in an arboretum with complex vegetation. Despite this unusual terrain, the courses were challenging and the planning made full use of each areas’ potential. Five former members of the GBR team competed in the events. An opportunity to get some early experience prior to the selection of the team members to represent GBR at this year’s World TrailO Championships being held in Hungary and Slovakia in August.
Top performer in the TempO was Ben Kyd (MDOC) who finished in 9th place. Perhaps due to it being the first time competitors had seen the map, the first station was particularly challenging with the 2nd and 3rd tasks getting only 26% and 28% correct responses. The second GBR member was John Kewley (MDOC).
With 19 correct answers out of the 20 controls, Ben also led the GBR competitors in the PreO Sprint. Although he had the fastest time in the Sprint (using less than 9 minutes of the 29 minutes permitted), unfortunately that one error left him in 8th place. Our second GBR member was Tom Dobra in 25th place – he also had 19 correct but took 24 minutes to complete the course.
In much colder conditions, Sunday’s WRE PreO had 36 controls to consider in 135 minutes followed by three time controls, each with 3 tasks. Following the voiding of two controls, 9 competitors achieved the full score of 34. Both Tom Dobra (TVOC) and Ben Kyd achieved scores of 33 but it was Tom with no errors at the time controls who finished in 17th place to Ben’s 21st. John Kewley (with 32 correct) was just behind in 25th place.
The next opportunity to experience TrailO and enhance competition skills is when the JK Orienteering Festival takes place over the Easter weekend. TrailO features on both Good Friday and Easter Saturday.
Tom Dobra at the Hungarian PreO event [Image from Trailo.cz Facebook]
29 March 2025: Ben Kyd (MDOC) appointed to IOF Trail Orienteering Commission
Two items of interest to Trail Orienteers can be found in the minutes of the IOF Council meeting which took place recently on the 21st March.
Of particular interest to British TrailO people was the announcement that Ben Kyd has been appointed as a member of the IOF Trail Orienteering Commission (TOC) for 2025-2026. As stated on the IOF website, the Commission ‘is the interface between the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) Council and the Trail Orienteering community regarding the development and implementation of the Trail Orienteering sport (TrailO) worldwide.’ The current Chairperson of TOC is Anne Straube (GER) who is well known to many GBR competitors as she is based here in the UK. Congratulations to Ben on his appointment.
The second item was the appointment of USA as the organiser of the World Trail Orienteering Championships (WTOC) 2027 with the preliminary dates 9-14 November 2027.
All the minutes of the IOF Council can be found on the IOF website at: IOF Council.
Ben Kyd at the World Championships (WTOC) in 2023.
31 December 2024: Ben Kyd gains top place in two international on-line TempO competitions
As we have reached the end of 2024, it is time to report on the GB performance in the two on-line TempO series which have been running on the TORUS website:
http://torus.yq.cz/
Running all year has been the Hungarian TORUS Trophy 2024 with a competition each month - a competitor's best 9 results were included to give the overall final result. The table below shows the top 10 British (GB) competitors. Over 800 competitors participated on at least one occasion. The overall winner was our Ben Kyd (MDOC), improving on his 3rd place in the 2023 Trophy event. Both Samuel Drinkwater (MDOC) and Robert Finch (NGOC) also recorded some excellent scores finishing in 14th and 25th positions.
The top 10 British competitors in the Hungarian TORUS Trophy 2024.
More recently there has been the TORUS Christmas Cup 2024 with 24 daily events from the 1st to the 24th December. A competitor's best 18 results were used to determine the overall Cup winner. Again,the table below shows the top 10 British competitors. Here Ben Kyd has demonstrated his outstanding ability in these on-line TempO events by again coming out as the overall winner. Also it can be noted that the second and third British positions were again taken by Samuel Drinkwater (28th) and Robert Finch (55th) out of a total of over 900 competitors.
The top 10 British competitors in the TORUS Christmas Cup 2024.
Based on the individual results, there is also a club ranking list generated in both competitions. With both Ben and Samuel being members of Manchester and District OC (MDOC) and joined by a consistently good performance from another club member, John Kewley, MDOC led the field in both club competitions.
Many congratulations to Ben and to MDOC for their achievements.
