2011 best of..

[Roger]

JK relay.

NIOA did a great job all weekend (and for a couple of years beforehand of course!), but the JK was special for me because it constituted my first competitive action after six injury-hit months. Sprint was good, although being unable still to stride out properly was frustrating. Tyrella individual was also good, but head-to-head on leg 1 of the relay was better: partly because it showed that all those numb winter hours on the bike hadn't been a waste.

[EddieH]

The Moray mix at Lossie is getting a lot of mentions. It was certainly the most fun of the 4 events in 6 weeks that I planned or controlled. I liked the variety and it is clear that many others did too.

The other half in Culbin was simply a brilliantly planned course in fabulously runnable and detailed terrain.

I too loved the JK sprint and the BOC relays (though as a part of a non comp team it can't really rank).

The most thrillingly enjoyable event for many years was day 6 of the Austrian 6 day - fabulous planning , yet Margaret had the same planner and a rotten course . So was mine a fluke or do they assume that older ladies cannot navigate?

[Scott]

Another vote for the JK Relay. It's the first time I'd run with the combined mass starts for Men's Open and M120+, and it meant that it actually felt like a head-to-head race, rather than the usual UK relay experience of bimbling around a deserted forest on my own.

Other highlights were the WOC selection race on Holme Fell, the very fun SN urban-parkland-forest-middle-thing at Wellington College, and the SWOA sprints as Poundbury, which is possibly the closest thing the UK has to a custom-built sprint orienteering area.

Best EVO was the BUCS ceilidh.

Second daftest orienteering concept was the CUOC £60 training weekend in Norway.

Daftest orienteering concept was attempting to hang controls for a training session on Angletarn Pikes in waist-deep snow.

[awk]

I know there is another week left to 2011, but c'mon people!

I haven't responded until now simply because I couldn't make my mind up - there have been so many that I've enjoyed to the full. Really, really difficult to choose the best.

So...best terrain event? Possibly Southern Champs at Hambledon, but Graythwaite, Midlands, British Long, British Relays, Hugsett and VHI individual were all up there for me too. Loved the British Nights too, and Bigland, and.....

Best domestic urban (I'm thus excluding Venice!)? Very, very difficult. I think Nottingham might just nudge it, but this year has been marked by a whole string of really excellent races (not just Nopesport, although the ones I've run have all been consistently good), making really good use of the areas, and which could have been the best in many other years.

Best 'special' race? I've got to mention the LOK Ultrasprint in Regents Park - some of the best fun this year, followed by the Leeds Uni chasing sprint.

Best weekend? Again, horribly difficult, but London might just nudge it in front of the likes of the Edinburgh, British Long/Relay, British Sprint/Middle, and Cambridge weekends, simply because it was so much fun.

But then there are loads I've not even mentioned (including a whole fistful of Yorkshire Urban League and other local events, including some great Wednesday evenings) All in all, one of the best year's domestic orienteering for a long time.

[Homer]

Like awk I've been struggling to decide. However, it's the big event atmosphere that does it for me (as long as there's a decent orienteering experience to go with it). So, highlights of 2011 were:

JK. The whole weekend, but best day was the Sprint.
Oban. Especially days 1, 2 and 3 (before I got injured).
BOC. Even though I was at the start most of the day.
British Sprints. Despite the new format.

If non-UK events were allowed, I'd have to include WOC despite disappointing British results (Sprint excluded).

[awk]

Like awk I've been struggling to decide. However, it's the big event atmosphere that does it for me (as long as there's a decent orienteering experience to go with it). So, highlights of 2011 were:

JK. The whole weekend, but best day was the Sprint.
Oban. Especially days 1, 2 and 3 (before I got injured).....

Should have noted that we weren't at either the JK or Oban, which, given everybody else's very positive comments, will explain why they don't feature in my best of lists.

[Liz P]

SYO middle distance event at Hugset! An amazing experience.

[ba-ba]

Best Course: British Relays, excellent area, excellent map and excellent courses - you'd never expect something described as "Northrop's Baby" come out looking so attractive! (closely followed by Tyrella courses).
Best O feeling - 6th day of 6days (after binning 8mins on #1, that is) - fast, spiking (most) controls, dropping competitors.
Event of the year - Biassed but being involved in the Harvester was the ultimate ShUOC send-off.
Red faced moments of the year: Going badly wrong on GPS at Harvesters; Following Fell Runners in clag at the IHMRs - the shame!
Rough moment of the year: The Ultimate hangover at the CSC final

[HarryO]

My favourite event - my first ever City Race at Cambridge. Now I'm hooked and can't wait for the next one, which will probably be one of your Nope Urban events. I particularly enjoyed being able to run inside the forbidden-to-enter colleges - especially at Kings where the porter held back the tourists as I ran through the gate. Lush

[mister blobs]

My favourite of 2011 was probably Bigland. A great technical run - even though I was nearly last!

[Paul Frost]

It's interesting that the 6Days in Oban is not mentioned much, when a large number of people commented that they thought it was the best 6Days they had been to.
I wonder if it's because of the volume nothing stands out, but individual events stick in the mind more?

[Big Jon]

I reckon people expect the 6-Days to be good, so it tends not to be remembered, that or the whole week is so overwhelming that by the end of it people have already forgotten the first part.

[EddieH]

Jon's right. The 6 day was great, but no day was a stand out as can sometimes be the case. This year's event was also less varied than normal. Shenavellie was very distinctive but for me not personally my favourite. The Austrian 6 day was not a patch on S6D but had a stand out day which was unfogettable.

I loved Torinturk - almost no paths (just 100m throught he narrow bit, and again to the very last control).