Variety of Formats

[SeanC]

Not quite, if the extension was a separate course. More like

Do the middle distance race, take that one seriously, finish. Take a breather for 10 minutes and go off and do a bit more running to get your full endorphine kick/enjoy the view/avoid the housework for as long as possible.

i guess the idea is that a good middle distance race will make people sufficiently mentally/physically exhausted that they wont need an extension, except to temp them to the event?

[SeanC]

My reply disappeared, but if you click this you can see it

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10301&start=16

but maybe you cant see this either.

[seabird]

Not quite, if the extension was a separate course. More like

Do the middle distance race, take that one seriously, finish. Take a breather for 10 minutes and go off and do a bit more running to get your full endorphine kick/enjoy the view/avoid the housework for as long as possible.

The area, and adjoining areas with great views, are still available for anyone to go for a post race extra run, if that is their want. Can't see the need or point of planning a course for this.

[DJM]

Middle Distance and Colours: we debated long and hard how to label the courses for last year's Clydach Terrace Middle race and eventually decided to use the same colours as for Long races. The idea is that if you run, say, Blue at a Long race, you run Blue at the Middle race so that you are (a) competing against the same people, and (b) running the right length course for you.

What is "the right length course"? Well, one of the defining characteristics of a Middle Distance race is that the winning time should be 30-35 minutes. Thus if a course of length 6 km is appropriatre for elites, it might be that under 4 km is right for M60s. Hence different length courses are provided for different ability orienteers in order that the winning times are right for those running them.

The verdict at Clydach? Well, people seem on the whole to have entered the "right" courses and there were no adverse comments (as controller I would have picked some of these up), so I guess using colours to label the courses was appropriate.

[graeme]

I hope this doesn't catch on. The main value colours should have is that they represent the same thing at every race. Without that it is just another layer of complexity.

So-called "middle" distance races seem to fall into two catagories: If the planner tries to make the best orienteering courses for the area, and the longest is like a green, there seems no merit in calling it a brown. It's just confusing.

If the planning is genuinely a "different thing" from standard orienteering, then I don't see the merit in using colours. Just like nobody uses colours for street races.

There may be some short-term advantage for the event in directing people to what they "should" run (although nobody seems to have any trouble at urban races), but in the long term it is likely just to confuse, especially as many "middle" races (including, WOC in DJMs opinion) are simply standard courses of shortened length.

[Adrian]

When we ran a Middle event at Baggeridge, we used the normal colour-coding, so for example the long course for M21 (6 km) was called Long Blue, and competitors could enter by colour if they preferred. I used this document: http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... line_t.pdf but we combined some of the courses

6 k: M18-40, M45-50 (long blue)
5 k: W18-40, M16, M55-60 (short blue)
4 k: W16, W45-50, M65-70 (green)
3.3 k: W14, W55+, M14, M75+ (light green)
2.5 k: W12, M12 (orange)
2 k: W10, M10 (yellow)
white

[andypat]

Tend to agree with Graeme on this one. Is there a definition for a middle distance event that would make it anything other than a shorter version of a normal event? ie - higher control density or something.

I'd actually be tempted by a middle distance race if it offered something different, but not sure I'm getting the point of it.

[Gross]

Is there a definition for a middle distance event that would make it anything other than a shorter version of a normal event?

Of course there is.... go to the IOF website & dig about a bit & you'll see the definition of all types of orienteering.... whether anyone actually uses these definitions properly is another matter

[NeilC]

Previously posters have referred to the concept of middle distance events as nothing more than a glorified control pick exercise. Actually I've never really understood why the term control pick is used in such a disparaging way. All the sqauds use it as a training exercise - why can't it be used as the basis of an event type? Ok there may not be major route choice options but there are certainly options and even for us punters a 10sec error on a 1-200m leg feels like an awful lot.

[seabird]

Digging about in the IOF website as Gross suggests, produces this,

2 MIDDLE DISTANCE
2.1 The profile
The Middle distance profile is technical. It takes place in a non-urban (mostly forested) environment with an emphasis on detailed navigation and where finding the controls constitute a challenge. It requires constant concentration on map reading with occasional shifts in running direction out from controls. The element of route choice is essential but should not be at the expense of technically demanding orienteering. The route in itself shall involve demanding navigation. The course shall require speed-shifts e.g. with legs through different types of vegetation.

The winning time, for both women and men, shall be 30 – 35 minutes.

Within IOF Foot Orienteering Competition Rules 2009.pdf, Appendix 6 gives a very good table comparing the requirements of the various disciplines. I don't have the skill to replicate it here.

[Mrs H]

You really must try (a good) one Andypat - they are so exciting the championship in Leicestershire last May was one of the two best events I've been to this year (the other one being the London City Race). Sadly it took me a lot longer that 35 mins to complete - but loved every second of it.

[andypat]

Thanks Mrs H and Seabird - I'll look out for one within a reasonable distance. I've read the info above and on the IOF site - ta for the info.

Now that I understand it better, I'm even more confused about the use of colours to define courses. In fact I'd go so far as to say thats the last thing that should be used as clearly brown on a normal colour coded bears no relation to any middle distance option either in terms of distance or ethos. If the EWT is around 35 min (ie around 40% of the elite time for long distance) then there wouldnt appear to be a need for so many short courses. It would be perfectly possible for most people who normally run blue, brown or black to compete on the same course, you'd probably need a shorter TD5 and one for TD 4. Not sure if the concept as described on the IOF site really translates to TD1-3 anyway.

Personally my favourite event of the year is the Glasgow Parks (3 parks in 1 day - Dec 6th if anyone is interested ) which is really fast and exciting. Middle distance sounds like a different sort of "o" and maybe just needs to get its branding right to take off.

[seabird]

If the EWT is around 35 min (ie around 40% of the elite time for long distance) then there wouldnt appear to be a need for so many short courses. It would be perfectly possible for most people who normally run blue, brown or black to compete on the same course, you'd probably need a shorter TD5 and one for TD 4

The number of courses really depends on demand, which cannot always be accurately predicted.

The format using colours from Light Green to Black was about right for the number of runners who turned up at Clydach. We shall see whether we needed so many courses at Harden.

Won't go in for the justification for colours again, only to say that, if used for non-Classic courses, they need to be amplified in all event literature, including flyers with course distances, technicality, suggested age classes etc. That way non-one should get confused.

[seabird]

The use of the colour course names at the Middle Distance Event this weekend seemed to help competitors choose their courses, and helped mimimise the common tendency of competitors to want to run something approximating to the distance they normally run.

Nobody seemed confused by it. The event drew enthusiatic responses from many competitors previously unfamilar with Middle Distance racing.

Curiously the one person who has commented about being confused by course names was in relation to the Night Event where we used Long, Medium, Short, & Introductory course names (Standard for Night events in YHOA) supplemented by information on distance, climb and TD.

It would seem use of standard colours helped competitors decide which course was right for them. They did not relate the colour to a particular range of distances.

[andypat]

This is a really interesting topic. Get the sense that there isnt a consensus on middle distance yet. FVO are advertising an event early in 2010 which I'll definitely be going to. I normally run blue but probably would be tempted to run "up" against the big boys just to see how bad I really am!