Nopesport Urban League

[graeme]

Maybe I don't ask the right people, but I've never found any enthusiasm among "older" people for sprint races DEFINED BY 12-15 minutes.

After the Scottish Sprints at Stirling last year, I spent an hour asking all the older-than-me people whether they were happy with the format (one course) - not one person said it was too far. Most said they really liked urban races, but not "sprints"

There does seem to be a tremendous enthusiasm for the urban style of mapping and planning, and once we get to 8km some people find it a bit long. But it seems to me
that Mharky is slipping into rules-group-officialdom (plus generating more work for planners) in insisting that old people should "sprint" for 12 mins.

I feel a poll coming on.

[mharky]

on one of the earlier drafts of that post i had written something along the lines of:

12-15 mins... except for the oldies coz they can't sprint, they are closer to 20, infact sprint racing doesn't really make a difference because they can't run fast enough to get the real benefits...

but i deleted that

[Mrs H]

but that's closer to the truth anyway isn't it. It doesn't really matter what you call the event or how long you take as long as people turn up and enjoy it and if people recognise the term "sprint" to mean a 3.5k elite sprint/urban race then that's okay isn't it?

[graeme]

12-15 mins... except for the oldies coz they can't sprint, they are closer to 20, infact sprint racing doesn't really make a difference because they can't run fast enough to get the real benefits...

A lot of "oldies" would once have agreed. But I think you are being proved wrong for reasons nobody expected..

What are the benefits of urban races over forest races? You can run faster. Things come up faster, you have to navigate faster, and think faster.

So the people who would benefit most are those like mapreading but who struggle with running fast in terrain. And this turns out to be older people.

OK, you aren't that wrong - I know I'm sneakily changing sprint to urban to emphasize the point and 12 mins in Greythwaite would be an old-folks horror.

[mharky]

i don't see how running at slower than 5 mins per KM round streets could possibly be challenging

[graeme]

One day you will..

[mharky]

does the brain get slower with the legs???

[distracted]

Looking at the list, the vast majority (if not all) of those races are urban 'middle distance' types and the sprint champs (JK, British etc) haven't been included this year. If you have an A3 map of the city, then make the most of the terrain that you have!

[greywolf]

Maybe I don't ask the right people, but I've never found any enthusiasm among "older" people for sprint races DEFINED BY 12-15 minutes.

I'm old and I'd like to register a preference for 2.5 - 3k sprint races, urban or forest (but it has to be very runnable forest) - the WMOC final and the Roseisle sprint were probably my favourite events of the year, and i do think i can run 15mins in a higher gear than the usual 40-50 mins race (of course i may be deluding myself)

If there's a widespread preference for longer races, is that because the sport has favoured them, and it's the long race afficianados who've stayed, whilst the others have quit? Maybe beginners might not have the same preference?

[awk]

I don't know what you count as "older", but I'm older than you Graeme! Plenty of enthusiasm for sprint races here. Also for urban middles too.

I do marginally prefer the latter, but that's only because I'm usually having so much fun in these races, that I don't want it to stop so soon! I was gutted when I found I was on the last control in London. Same for Venice, Skipton, Leeds, York, Lincoln, Oxford.......

[LostOldTimer]

I'd prefer Full length courses for Urban races.. these aren't really 'sprint' races, but 'proper' orienteering events, just held in an urban environment. Venice, York, London, Edinburgh have been perfect events.

Have we confirmation of which Urban / City races are in the league this year?
and what is the official site (Link) please?
Is Chester confirmed? How about Bristol (city) and Durham for future areas?

[Angry Haggis]

I'd prefer Full length courses for Urban races.. these aren't really 'sprint' races, but 'proper' orienteering events, just held in an urban environment. Venice, York, London, Edinburgh have been perfect events.

Yes, a sprint feels quite different - controls coming up before you've had time to think, whereas with a city race IMHO it's about spotting and executing the best route - and the "scenic" element of running up and down castle walls and past monuments and tourists.

Men's Open today at Lincoln was 8km straight-line with a winning time of 54 min. Distance felt just right.

[Jess]

and Durham for future areas?

A wee bit of inside knowledge...I believe Durham is in the pipelines. Having visited my sister at uni there, it would make an awesome venue for a city race!

[Kitch]

12 mins in Greythwaite would be an old-folks horror.

.

I'd rather spend 12 in Graythwaite than any amount of time running around the streets.


So
sorry to spoil the party, but a dissenting voice.

sprint (short fast, intricate) racing can be highly challenging.
It can be challenging even in a urban environment,

however,
Urban racing is dull.
It is dull because a building is a building, a wall is a wall, a steet is a street.
It is all laid out there plain as day.

There is no need for interpretation, there is no space, everything is something and it is always on the map.
There are no brashings, no marshes, no clearings, no boulder fields, no streams, no smell of pine, leaf, heather, myrtle.
There is no beauty,
There is no art in navigation,
simply mechanics.

[andy]

Urban racing is dull.

disagree!

There wasn't a single moment in the edinburgh race on Saturday where I thought 'damn this is boring'.
I've had some legs in classic races where I've thought it was pretty boring (brown clee last year...)

I guess each to their own, but then I'm a crap runner/reasonable navigator so that goes with what Graeme was saying about urban races