Crickmore giving it toes at English Champs fell race

[Big Jon]

Back in the late '80s and '90s there were plenty of orienteers winning hill races - just not doing too many as they were only as a training element for orienteering. Look at the likes of Kitch, Dickie Jones, Stan Hale, Jon Duncan, Jamie Stevenson etc - plenty of wins amongst this group and others. Mind you it was helped by hill-runners tending to over-race spectacularly (why do 1 race a week when you can do 2 or 3 being their motto).

[Freefall]

Freefall Jnr (Rory) has just completed the North Downs Ultramarathon in 42nd place. JK and BOC Long Races were good training.

[graeme]

'80s and '90s there were plenty of orienteers winning hill races

OK, so some orienteers were quite handy back then too, but the current lot are every bit as good.

[Big Jon]

I agree Graeme - just pointing out that its not a new phenomenon.

[Supersaint82]

TBH, not at all surprised with Jonny's results at Fairfield. All top-level orienteers are fit and have no problem running on rougher terrain (by rougher I simply mean not well-laid footpaths), and would do as much training as any top-level fellrunner. Every year at the FRA Relays (equivalent of British Champs) there are numerous orienteers competing, more because there is very little else on at that time of year. You don't see many of the top orienteers at the big fell races because they frequently clash, or at the very least are in the week preceeding a big race, and competing in these fell races would effect their results in subsequent O races.
In the last 3 years all these people have had top 10 results at British/English fell champs - Rob Baker (x4), Oli Johnson (x4), Rhys Findlay-Robinson (x4), Ian Nixon (x3), Rob Little (x2), Matt Speake (x2 - including 1 win),Jon Duncan also won 1 in 2009.

[PG]

Following Hector winning in the Scottish champs race at at Stuc a Chroin last weekend

Hector's form continued this weekend with a win at Jura, one of the toughest Hill Races, in a time of 3:18

[ifititches]

and congratulations to Tessa, finishing above all the Welsh and Scottish internationals, and a fair few of the English ones too, at Keswick last weekend
http://www.britishathletics.org.uk/comp ... challenge/
in which Steve Vernon won the men's course by a 6 seconds after 54 minutes of racing.
It was all uphill too!

[Glucosamine]

Didn't quite make the FRA calendar (unlike the Surrey Hill Races) but TVOC holding an event in the same place at the same time as the Coombe Hill Run offered the chance to double up - but not sure if anybody did. Having an organised cycle event coming through just added to the fun.

[The Loofa]

GG won the long course (30km) at Surrey Hills in 2 hours 03 - hopefully longer than he would take over a WOC long. He was followed by more orienteers - Harold Wyber (CHIG) and the OUOC pack of Ben Stevens, Jamie Parkinson and Alan Cherry.