WMOC - "typical Jura Terrain"

[PG]

The final bulletin says:
Long Q1 "Typical Jura terrain with a mix of fields and forests whose boundaries are sometimes difficult to see"
Long Final "This famous terrain was used for the relay of WOC in 1981 It is one of the most interesting areas in the Jura."

Can anyone point me at any on-line O-maps of typical Jura terrain or know whether the WOC 1981 map is available on-line? (World of O has "0 maps" for WOC 1981)

[IanW]

The WMOC2010 page used to have a link to maps of the areas but they seem to have disappeared. However, a quick search revealed them.

http://www.wmoc2010.org/content/view/28/33/lang,en/

Ian

[PG]

Ian,

Thanks. I'd thought I'd seen something like that, but when I couldn't find it, I decided I must have been dreaming.

Peter

[Ravinous]

So what news of WMOC 2010 Sprint Qualification? It is 2330 and still no results on the web and at the finish, most things were packed up except the results boards which I would estimate 10-20% of people were not on.
Queues at the download peaked at 60 mins. The computers seemed to be taking an age to take the SI Card and then print the splits - which would come after quite a big wait.
There were a number of good GBR results - as you would expect from the Sprint - Boyt 3rd on M70, Clegg, Crawford, Barrable also up there and various others but I didnt have much time to look as I needed to catch a bus.
With 4,200 runners the organisers seem to be struggling. It can only get better.
The worst of all was 92 year old Elizabeth Brown SO was told to walk to the start - despite various pleas. Not only was this updhill, it contained numerous steps (picture, including a bridge - picture temporary scaffolding over a railway type bridge with steep steps). Needless to say, a 92 year old doesnt do steps, she fell at the first one and ambulances called. She is ok. Last I heard they were X-raying things (lots of money in Switzerland!) but she didnt think anything was broken in her body. Let us hope she is chaffeured to the starts of the other races - if she can compete!
Weather is storming. Courses ok - fairly straightforward apart from a bridge they decided to deviate from the ISSOM norm on and use thinner lines. Needless to say I, and many others messed it up Personally I thought it would have been fine as it was and didnt need special permission to change it. At least it was just qualification.
Tomorrow promises lots of steps and more up and down I think in Neuchatel - complete with old town. Today had a simpler grid pattern of streets. Weather still hot.

[Tatty]

Some good results for GBR athletes in today's Sprint Finals
H35 1 Nick Barrable H45 7 Clive Hallett BOK H50 1 Tim Tett SYO H55 3 Gavin Clegg WSX H65 10 Dave Coustick FVO H75 7 Mike Crockett QO H80 2 Richard Arman WSX
D40 9 Sarah Dunn MAR D50 2 Alice Bedwell BOK D55 5 Christine Kiddier GO D60 3 Liz Godfree DVO
to one and all

[Spookster]

Needless to say I, and many others messed it up

Looks like you got it right in the final! Well done, 2 in a row.

[Ravinous]

8 British Medals - same as last year and similar I think to Portugal in 2008.
Better courses than Qual I thought. I personally still threw half a minute on the tricky control at the top of the castle (lots of walls and bridges and many were having issues on other courses too. One course had a wrong description - a gate instead of an underpass).
The weather was hot and the proper heavy rain started well after the prize-giving so that was excellent. Lots of people swimming in the Lake after their runs - real nice atmosphere. However, the finish was in town and there was a 2.2km walk back to assembly. The towns people wanted the finish in town to draw people into the centre - fine for the locals but not for WMOC participants.
No queues at download. The organisers were using some locally brewed software yesterday. Today they were using Stephen Kramers SI Software (which they had from the last SOW) which worked a treat.
Commentary was sluggish and they were using a feed from download and not the last control. So they were nt getting results for a while. Bearing in mind people finished and dived for the drinks and the farmers museli bars and generally collapse in the heat before getting to download.
Also, Ironically, Jackie Hallett BOK is in the same hospital as Elisabeth Brown. If either of them could walk they could visit each other! Jackie twisted a ankle on a step yesterday going to download (early start so before the queues). She may have snapped an achilles tendon however... they are still thinking about it. E Brown broke her hip and has it pinned now. All being well, she'll be out Tuesday.
Model/rest tomorrow b4 Long Qual 1 on 3rd Aug.

[Mrs H]

Well done Nick and all the other medalists - really sorry to hear about Jackie and Elizabeth - Jackie was doing so well after her hip replacement

[madmike]

Well done all - great results
Might be the same number of medals but against more numerous competitors so better than last year methnks. Good luck in the classic races - wish I was there

[andy]

aye, well done all
sounds like total carnage though from Ravinous' descriptions

[deebee]

It must be almost twelve years to the week since Elizabeth Brown fell down a crag during the Lakes 5 and ended up in hospital. Deja vu all over again.

[EddieH]

Having spent many hours in hospital with Margaret Dearman who slipped a disc, I'd note that Elizbeth did not actually fall on the steps - she fell before she got there rushing beause the organisers would not give her any extra time to get to the start. Jackie also ruptured her achilles whilst waiting for download, so none of the British hospitalisations actualy got injured orienteering - I hope that insurers don't get the idea that it is a dangerous sport

Incidentally Margaret qualified for the sprint A final despite what she though was just back pain - 3 days later se couldn't walk

[awk]

Just got back from WMOC today, having taken a couple of days at the end to go walking (brilliant!). A few thoughts from somewhat further down the lists than medallists (!):

Sprint races were fun, but nothing especially technical to write home about. Each of my courses had one or two interesting legs, but otherwise it was all pretty straightforward. For some reason known only to the Swiss organisers, the finishes were very remote from the assemblies, which led to zilch atmosphere particularly at the final. Looking at the final map, certainly didn't use the best areas of the map, but then may not have had permissions. All in all enjoyable, and it was really good being in a competitive M50 race, but otherwise fairly average compared to urban racing in the UK.

Qualifier 1 was comfortably my favourite day - beautiful runnable forest, what the Swiss described as 'fast Jura' (a bit like deciduous New Forest but with pine trees) - which encouraged fast straight running, but needing oodles of care on the final approach - get your clearing interpretation wrong, forget your contours, and you could be all over the place; there were loads of stories of multiple 5min+ mistakes. Had a very clean run (but very slow physically!), which I suppose inevitably left me a bit biased.

Qualifier 2 was another great day - rough, tough, and very technical. Lots of brown lines and lots of limestone under the forest canopy. 30% shorter than yesterday, but same sorts of times. The Swiss reputation for efficiency took another knock when start times had to be put back one hour after a backlog started to build up with the bus transfers from parking/station to assembly, but otherwise it worked fine. Not sure whether this forest was what I would have selected for a World Masters - not sure how the 80+s were planned or how they managed - but as an M50 it was great.

The Final was probably the most disappointing race of the week - two good days, two great days, and then a course comprising fairly easy continental style orienteering (largely on paths for the second half), with none of the real route choice that needs to make it interesting. I know it was only a C final, but it wasn't a course that exactly lived up to World Championship billing. A pleasant enough run round, but a bit of a letdown after the previous two days.

So, overall a thoroughly enjoyable week. A few organisational hiccups, but the orienteering was generally excellent: lots of variety and plenty of challenge, well paced with cannily positioned rest days helping maximise enjoyment. Personally well pleased as generally pretty clean technically in spite of only half a dozen terrain races in the past year (worst mistake was c. 2 mins early in the qualifier 2), but that was partly due to being horribly slow physically. Loved the Jura, and certainly intend to return. Sadly, can't say the same about returning to WMOC, as it reverts to its usual dates in the English school terms, but was glad to get a chance of experiencing it at least once before retiring!

[EddieH]

Well AWK please don't think this was a typically good WMOC. You mention some of the drawbacks which made the whole experience far below par (even discounting my personal circumstances). The E final was a massive disappointment - mostly paths, very grotty forest, when not and not technical. The 2 A final courses that I managed to get a look at though looked massively more interesting - I can't quite understand why lower finals should be technically easier, although I can see why any necessary compromises would be given as much as possible to lower finals.

The habitual sad thing is that the long qualifier 1, being on vague terrain where it was difficult to relocate, meant that those that ask where they are as soon as they got lost leapfrog those that do it honestly. I wonder how many medallists asked where they were at some point during the week

[Gnitworp]

I wonder how many medallists asked where they were at some point during the week

Maybe none?