Euromeeting - Loch of Boath WRE

[afterthought]

It clashes with the World Games, but the UK race with the strongest field this year also merits a thread.

It's the Middle Distance at Loch of Boath, part of Euromeeting and Moray2013, on Thursday August 1st.

Commentary, a big screen and a spectator contol will help the Moray2013 holiday crowds take an interest, if so minded, and help the 2015 team practice the spectator side of things.

The National teams taking part in Euromeeting come to the race from the previous day's sprint. The Norwegian team and some British team runners also come from Tuesday's Moray2013 race at Culbin (seen as a unique opportunity relevant for WOC2015.)

Individual runners taking part in Moray2013 have the option to do the sprint, but may well be coming from a rest day after racing at Culbin and the two days before that.

The race is a World Ranking Event, a great chance for GBR runners to pick up points. The World Ranking List is not perfect for the usual reasons that afflict ranking lists, and not everyone will be going 100%, but the top-50 of the list can provide a guide to who to watch for. Sweden and Switzerland are evidently sending strong teams.

Apologies for any omissions.

W21E

18th - Silje Ekroll Jahren (NOR)
21st - Sabine Hauswirth (SUI)
23rd - Sarina Jenzer (SUI)
27th - Julia Gross (SUI)
36th - Sofia Haajanen (SWE)
38th - Josefine Engstrom (SWE)
39th - Maria Magnusson (SWE)
40th - Rahel Friederich (SUI)
42nd - Marika Teini (FIN)
47th - Riina Kuuselo (FIN) - Octavian Droobers
50th - Lilian Forsgren (SWE)

There are 32 GBR runners, the highest ranked being Helen Palmer (Mar Orienteering Club) at 81st.

M21E

9th - Gustav Bergman (SWE) - two medals at WOC this year - OK Ravinen, a club with many British runners.
11th - William Lind (SWE)
12th - Baptiste Rollier (SUI) - Kristiansand OK
20th - Andreas Kyburz (SUI)
21st - Olle Bostrom (SWE)
24th - Martin Hubmann (SUI)
33rd - Filip Dahlgren (SWE)
34th - Tomas Dlabaja (CZE)

There are 65 GBR runners, the highest ranked being Graham Gristwood (Forth Valley Orienteers) at 64th.

[Freefall]

It will be a true test of the Freefall Mark 1 Ladder Stiles that were being erected today - 6 done and 4 to go. The parking field has been trimmed down to a couple of centimetres in length so it all looked good this afternoon.

[afterthought]

Thursday's starts will be in reverse order of World Ranking Position, Moray2013 elite merged with the Euromeeting runners. It will show up errors in afterthought's earlier post.

[Adrian]

I feel a bit sorry for the likes of Maria Magnusson. One of the best orienteers in the world, she's never had the chance to take part in a WOC. I think that in a similar position I'd move to Holland or Iceland and guarantee myself a WOC place...

[afterthought]

Last 20 men starters:

Code: Select all

Štephán Kodeda        Czech Team    
Chris Smithard        Team GB / DEE    
Andreas Rüedlinger    Swiss Team    SUI
Vetle Braten          Norwegian Team    
Oskar Sjoberg         Swedish Team    
Rune Olsen            Bekkelaget NOR    
Graham Gristwood      FVO    GBR
Erik Rost             Swedish Team    
Florian Howald        Swiss Team    
Filip Dahlgren        Swedish Team    
Miloš Nykodým         Czech Team    
Raffael Huber         Swiss Team    
Tomas Dlabaja         Czech Team    
Ulf Indegaard         Norwegian Team    
Martin Hubmann        Swiss Team    
Olle Bostrom          Swedish Team    
Andreas Kyburz        Swiss Team    
Gustav Bergman        OK Ravinen    SWE
Baptiste Rollier      Kristiansand OK SUI
William Lind          Swedish Team    


[afterthought]

Last 20 women starters:

Code: Select all

Karolin Ohlsson   Swedish Team    
Kine Steiwer      Norwegian Team                
Michaela Omová    Czech Team                 
Ingjerd Myhre     Norwegian Team 
Helen Palmer      Team GB / MAROC                
Anna Narhi        Finnish Team           
Miek Fabré        OMEGA Belgium    
Sari Anttonen     Finnish Team           
Lilian Forsgren   Swedish Team         
Riina Kuuselo     Octavian Droobers FIN
Maria Magnusson   Swedish Team               
Marika Teini      Finnish Team                 
Julia Gross       Swiss Team                      
Josefine Engstrom Swedish Team             
Rahel Friederich  Swiss Team                
Claire Ward       ESOC    GBR 
Sarina Jenzer     Swiss Team               
Sofia Haajanen    Finnish Team             
Sabine Hauswirth  Swiss Team             
Silje Jahren      Norwegian Team    


[RS]

Not too impressed with stile at white/green start - round wood, too far apart and slippy in rain. Lots of people struggled.
Saw fence in one of finish fields was taped and easier to cross for later runners.

[dorien]

I thought the ladder-stiles were great - solid as a brick privy and big enough to find first time. Made me appreciate the professionalism that goes into S6D.

But would have been more in keeping with the rest of the terrain if they'd been concealed beneath deep heather so that we couldn't see where the rungs were.

[PorkyFatBoy]

Whilst they the stiles were indeed sturdy, I agree that the rungs were too far apart. Maybe great for elites who only use the middle rung to bound right over the top, but for those of us with dodgy knees and those less steady on our feet, more rungs and perhaps a slightly steeper angle would be appreciated.

Seemed like a great launch of Highland/WOC2015, shame I was still in the forest and missed most of it. Wasn't sure if the loud noise at 2pm was a low flying jet fighter or Per Fosberg exploding with over-excitement.

[Sunlit Forres]

The 2 Bills in their Tornado from XV Sqn RAF Lossiemouth did us proud in what can at best be described as marginal flying conditions. On track on time and a spectacular start to the WOC Launch.

[RS]

Thought it was just coincidence

[Gross]

Spanish Air Force had planes flying over at WMOC.... some people moaned the noise affected their runs

[mharky]

Is anyone going to mention how bad that course looked?

Oh, I just did...

[afterthought]

The world ranking lists just being updated for this event provides an excuse for a post on one of the Forum's perennial favourite topics. Joking aside, the lists are used for start position and selection to an elite class when oversubscribed, so they do matter.

Perhaps with the course contributing (previous post), but also because of the strength of the field, this was a good chance for British runners to get points. Most of Team GB got more points for their runs here than at the other two ranking events in Britain this year (JK Sprint and Long) and most who ran now have this event in their counting four.

Biggest beneficiary was Hollie Orr, up over a hundred places back into the world top 100.

An exception to those counting this event is Kris Jones. Perhaps partly because currently when he runs as Kris rather than Kristian he contributes points to a NZL runner's total.

The overseas runners towards the top of the world list do not seem to be counting the race. But we hoped you enjoyed your visit to Scotland and thanks a lot for coming over and making the race worth more points than if you hadn't been there.

Meanwhile Murray shoots up to be the best placed male British runner with his two World Games Races.

Also remarkable: GG's third position in the domestic list based on six counting events being all six days of the S6D elite class.

[Spookster]

The world ranking lists just being updated for this event provides an excuse for a post on one of the Forum's perennial favourite topics. Joking aside, the lists are used for start position and selection to an elite class when oversubscribed, so they do matter.

Perhaps with the course contributing (previous post), but also because of the strength of the field, this was a good chance for British runners to get points.

But while that was the case under the current World Ranking List system, it won't be the case from January 2014, when the system changes quite significantly.

World Champs and World Cups WREs will have their points inflated, while regular WREs (like this one and JKs) will not. So the chances that your regular WRE runs will be in your best four, if you are a runner that competes in WCup/World Champs, will be much less.