2011 Long O Events

[frog]

The FRA is mainly England, the SHR website is more appropriate up here, but is ran on a shoestring and mainly interested in hill races.
Runners world is interesting. I always presumed you had to pay to advertise in running magazines.

[SeanC]

If you submit your event details early enough, it gets in the magazine and online event listings, but if it isn't then it's just online. Some running clubs generate their events lists from the Runners World lists - so your event details may spread further.

I think you might have to pay extra for a "premium listing" with photos etc. Not sure. An advert might be worth considering if they have a local only edition?

I guess you are adding to the value of their magazine by giving the reader something different to read, so following that logic it might be worth submitting an article along the lines of "try something different / challenging but it's not traditional orienteering so you wont get too lost honest..."

[frog]

Suspect that with the mist last Sunday "you won't get too lost honest" might have been a bit misleading...
I think if we're going to attract more non navigators we'll have to do an easier course, but then it's back to the "who am I organising this event for and why?" question, although our short course was fairly straightforward this year.

[The Cumbrian]

Since WCOC reintroduced The Copeland Chase in 2007 it's been a BOF registered event but advertised in the FRA calendar too. We get a few entrys (out of around 80-90 or so that we now get) from what I'd call fellrunners...i.e. they enter under a FRA affiliate club rather than a BOF one although a large proportion of the entrys are people who are members of clubs affiliated with both (perhaps thats more common in Cumbria?). I think realistically Long-Os would be best targeted to Adventure Racers and advertised as such, I had an interesting comment from an orienteering club competitor last year, after a suitably wintry run on Aira Skyline (bear in mind we charge £6 for BOF members) "advertise that and call it an Adventure Race and you could charge 3 times as much and they'd be queuing down the road"...but the organisation of that scale of event isn't in the frame at the moment.

This years is on Sunday November 13th and returns to the Loweswater Fells on a specially produced O map. More details will be on the WCOC website closer to the time.

[frog]

I thought adventure races had to involve lots of sctivities, although googling the term I found the "hellrunner" series where the event I clicked on was just an 11 mile run that you pay £30 for because you get a t shirt and goodie bag.
It didn't look to have much in common with our long o, everyone following a marked route at once, largely along trails with a chest high wade through water to make you feel you'd got something a bit different for your money.
I suspect if we went down the high entry fee everyone gets a load of stuff route it would put off many orienteers and hill runners who tend to prefer cheaper entries and no frills.
Perhaps finding a suitable website to put the event on may attract some "adventurers" who are getting bored with just following everyone else in a line.

[The Cumbrian]

Good point Frog, we've discussed this previously as a committee...put up fees to appear attractive to 'adventure racers' (like your 'Hellrunner' competitors) and alienate all your regulars who expect to pay less than a tenner...a brave organiser to with option one!

[frog]

Splits are now up for the Ochils long o, delayed by computer glitch then holiday.

[IanD]

Good point Frog, we've discussed this previously as a committee...put up fees to appear attractive to 'adventure racers' (like your 'Hellrunner' competitors) and alienate all your regulars who expect to pay less than a tenner...a brave organiser to with option one!

£30 entry fee and £20 BOF members discount?

[gaw]

[/quote]It's also worth considering the Mountain Trial in September, which is registered as a fell race but usually involves a lot of mountain-marathon style navigation and routechoice.[/quote]

This event often proves that Fell Runners can navigate (although was won by an orienteer last year), and in general can run further and faster. It's always tough with winning time for 16 miles around 5 hours (compare that to the Ennerdale fell race record of under 3hrs 20mins for 23 miles). It's a great event and entries are now open with 3 different length courses.

[King Penguin]

Maybe I am missing the obvious but the one piece of information I cannot see is the date of this event !

[gaw]

Yes, a bit hidden but it's on the Entries page. Sunday September 11th 2011.

[gaw]

I wonder why orienteers in the Mountain Trial enter under their running club? I can see 7 orienteers on the Classic course but only 1 entered under their O club.

[andypat]

Maybe trying to conceal the fact they are also expert navigators in order to gain an advantage?

Although I see two former Dfs and Galloway O squad coaches Carol McNeill and Ann Salisbury are entered on the shorter course under their O club - there's no hiding when you are a legend.....

[ifor]

I wonder why orienteers in the Mountain Trial enter under their running club? I can see 7 orienteers on the Classic course but only 1 entered under their O club.

As it is registered as a fell race then I would enter under my Athletic club if it was registered as an O event enter under my O club. It would posibly different if I had some people to make a team with but I was always the only one whichever club when I used to run it.

Highly recomended event great fun normaly great route choice. Lots of history it was going long before anything else like it in the UK.

[redpossum]

Wrekin Orienteers are holding a 'Long O' on the Long Mynd on 4th September with courses of 16,12 & 8kms.

For details see: http://www.wrekinorienteers.co.uk/fixtures.html