Just in case anyone was planning to enter on the day at Formby this Sunday.
Pre-entries have reached the limit imposed by the access agreement so there will be no EOD.
Formby Full - NO EOD
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
No criticism whatsoever of the organisers, but what does one have to do these days to get a quorate Black course ?
500 entries in total, and yet only 8 on Black (3 from one family).
500 entries in total, and yet only 8 on Black (3 from one family).
curro ergo sum
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King Penguin - addict
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
The other Deeside event, SOL7 Balmoral also has about 500 entrants. 71 of us on Black.
WOC2024 Edinburgh
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
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graeme - god
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
Is there an orienteering event goming up in Scotland soon? I'd never have known.
- pete.owens
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
Well, there is, but its not actually much bigger than Formby. The point for this thread is that the demographics are very different. Doesn't seem to have appealed to you for example
WOC2024 Edinburgh
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
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graeme - god
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
Graeme, your's in a daft answer. Formby is a standard BOF event, your's is part of something designed for WOC & attracting potential WOC athletes.
Like for like you wouldn't get 500 in Deeside (Scottish version).
Like for like you wouldn't get 500 in Deeside (Scottish version).
Go orienteering in Lithuania......... best in the world:)
Real Name - Gross
http://www.scottishotours.info
Real Name - Gross
http://www.scottishotours.info
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Gross - god
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
King Penguin wrote:No criticism whatsoever of the organisers, but what does one have to do these days to get a quorate Black course ?
500 entries in total, and yet only 8 on Black (3 from one family).
As a sport we've got to re-find all the M21s that there used to be! (or we've got to convince the large numbers of us in the M/W45-M/W65 categories to run up). Until we do that, I think Black courses will only ever attract small numbers.
(Unless you hold an event like Graeme's, and market it very well )
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I'm a 1%er. Are you?
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Spookster - god
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
King Penguin wrote:500 entries in total, and yet only 8 on Black (3 from one family).
And it's only 10km, so what's put everyone off?
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Dave - brown
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
Here’s the headline from the event flier
DEESIDE ORIENTEERING CLUB
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5th 2014
FORMBY DUNES
LEVEL B EVENT
Interland 2015 Junior Team Selection Race
I would say that last line is a form of marketing. The target market is English teenagers, and by extension their parents. It seems to have been reasonably successful. I make it 133 M/W18s and under out of a total entry of 500 – more than a quarter of the total. At SOL7 there are only 80 M/W18-.
It doesn’t really account for the small numbers on Black but I would think the organising club are happy enough with the outcome.
I would like to run Black again one day, just not fit enough at the moment. Even if it is “only” 10k.
DEESIDE ORIENTEERING CLUB
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5th 2014
FORMBY DUNES
LEVEL B EVENT
Interland 2015 Junior Team Selection Race
I would say that last line is a form of marketing. The target market is English teenagers, and by extension their parents. It seems to have been reasonably successful. I make it 133 M/W18s and under out of a total entry of 500 – more than a quarter of the total. At SOL7 there are only 80 M/W18-.
It doesn’t really account for the small numbers on Black but I would think the organising club are happy enough with the outcome.
I would like to run Black again one day, just not fit enough at the moment. Even if it is “only” 10k.
- frostbite
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
I'll switch to Black if a couple of others are willing?
Assuming there are enough maps....
Assuming there are enough maps....
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Homer - diehard
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
I'd happily run black at Formby if Mrs Buzz would let me
To oblivion and beyond....
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buzz - addict
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
The easiest way to get more runners on black in the short term is to encourage more average runners of all ages to complete it.
I suspect buzz and homer are what we might call "elite in their age class" and not quite what I'm thinking when I say average.
The world is full of people who've run a marathon in 4, 5, 6 hours, but when it comes to orienteering, average standard orienteers think black is too far. Why? Even if you take 3 hours it's less time than a marathon, and much less than the OMM. Take a bum bag, some energy bars and some water. Take it slowly and enjoy it.
The problem is that people aren't encouraged to do black as a challenge like they are a marathon. You won't have people cheering you on all the way round like a marathon. At the end the first person you speak to is likely to say "download here" and just hand you a piece of paper. That's if you haven't finished after courses have closed. And then you're quite likely to not get any ranking points.
I also suspect many average runners feel out of place entering black if it's only fast runners.
So what can be done? Organising clubs could actively promote black courses as a challenge. Medals to all finishers on black? Some kind of unique prize, eg a mug, T-shirt etc with some nice slogan. Put pictures of those that "defeated the black course" in the results.
Maybe club captains could do something to promote completing a black course as an achievement. It might help persuade some to go to regionals who wouldn't otherwise.
I suspect buzz and homer are what we might call "elite in their age class" and not quite what I'm thinking when I say average.
The world is full of people who've run a marathon in 4, 5, 6 hours, but when it comes to orienteering, average standard orienteers think black is too far. Why? Even if you take 3 hours it's less time than a marathon, and much less than the OMM. Take a bum bag, some energy bars and some water. Take it slowly and enjoy it.
The problem is that people aren't encouraged to do black as a challenge like they are a marathon. You won't have people cheering you on all the way round like a marathon. At the end the first person you speak to is likely to say "download here" and just hand you a piece of paper. That's if you haven't finished after courses have closed. And then you're quite likely to not get any ranking points.
I also suspect many average runners feel out of place entering black if it's only fast runners.
So what can be done? Organising clubs could actively promote black courses as a challenge. Medals to all finishers on black? Some kind of unique prize, eg a mug, T-shirt etc with some nice slogan. Put pictures of those that "defeated the black course" in the results.
Maybe club captains could do something to promote completing a black course as an achievement. It might help persuade some to go to regionals who wouldn't otherwise.
- SeanC
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
Don't agree with Sean C idea as it will encourage those without the technical ability to compete on Black / elite whatever.
Running is running & while an elite marathon runner might have a completely different running technique to Joe Punter..... sending Joe Punter out on a proper technical black course is something else....
OK... do it on urban where the technical part isn't so great....
Running is running & while an elite marathon runner might have a completely different running technique to Joe Punter..... sending Joe Punter out on a proper technical black course is something else....
OK... do it on urban where the technical part isn't so great....
Go orienteering in Lithuania......... best in the world:)
Real Name - Gross
http://www.scottishotours.info
Real Name - Gross
http://www.scottishotours.info
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Gross - god
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
I make a habit of running Black 'Middle' courses, because I like Blues.
- Gnitworp
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Re: Formby Full - NO EOD
Gross wrote:OK... do it ... where the technical part isn't so great....
Like any of the areas around where SeanC lives
WOC2024 Edinburgh
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
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graeme - god
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