Interland results

[CHS]

Has anyone heard anything of the results of Interland? The website here hasn't got any results at the moment.

[NeilC]

The website here hasn't got any results at the moment.

Probably because the main event isn't until tomorrow.

[Mrs H.]

Well Little Miss H. just phoned to say she was having the time of her life - didn't go into any troublesome details like results - I guess girls just wanna have fun

1pm - text to say England have won. Only result I know is that Harriet won W14 with Miss H. in 5th a few seconds behind Charlotte (3rd? 4th?) Young Neville would only get in touch if there was a problem

[Pooley]

Got similar Text from the missus but with a little more detail.
Class winners in addition to Harriet Batten
Alice Butt W17
Karen Heppenstall W21
Jane Morgan W40
Inara Gipsle W50
Jane Christopher W60
Ralph Street M17
Duncan Archer M21
Clive Hallett M40
Mike Murray M60

10 2nd places including
Bryony Crickmore W17
Becky Carlyle W21
Jonny Malley M14
Peter Hodkinson M17
M/W20 results were not available when text sent.

Well done England

[badger]

Results are up now.

[bedders]

WOW those are some quick times...fast area by any chance?

[Duncan]

WOW those are some quick times...fast area by any chance?

You could say that. It isn't every day you go under 5min/km (60 mins, 12.5km). The area was very flat, most climb was done getting into and out of depressions used for controls sites, and there were significant sections of running on tracks / paths, or across open grass (although harder than you expect when it is sandy and the ruts in the sandy tracks are frozen solid).

I thought it was a shame the German's couldn't find a more technical area to use for such an International comp. The area was an army training area, loads of paths and some open, used by tanks and army vehicles etc. Like some southern english army areas but without the hills and variety of contour detail. One of the main challenges was just picking the fastest route and executing it amid the extensive path network. Nice to be selected, proud to run for England and all that (and thanks for Germany and BOF for conspiring to hold a GBR squad training camp clashing with Interland, thus taking out some of the better runners from the team!), but still disappointing to have to travel by road for 12+ hours to and from such an area. Hey ho, it is an international comptetition, and the stature of an event doesn't always correlate to the quality of the terrain.

Amusingly there was one area with many large depressions, which happened to be adjacent to a railway line bisecting the area. According to the organisers: "this is where you english tried to bomb the railway and missed, ha ha". We did create some good point features for orienteering though...

[guest]

I'm sure we would all like to represent our country. Could someone explain to me the process by which a person ranked 188 in M50 gets to be in the team?

[Duncan]

Could someone explain to me the process by which a person ranked 188 in M50 gets to be in the team?

The seniors compete in 10 year age groupings at the race (M40, M50, M60...), not the usual 5 year groupings. The team is made up of 2 from that BOF age class and 1 from the BOF age class above, e.g. on the M50 course at Interland, there are 2*M50 and 1*M55 selected, who all run the same course. (I'm not sure if just England select like this to be nice to the other teams who we consistently thrash, or whether all the countries do this).

I presume, "guest", your disgruntled comment is about how Paul Taylor can be ranked 188th and still make the team? He was selected as the 1*M55 competitor, and if you look at the M55 rankings you'll see he is ranked 5th (his 188th ranking is in the M50 rankings from events at which he happens to have run up). Seems like a perfectly reasonable selection, taking into account other factors (e.g. selection races, non-availability of others etc.).

[guest]

Thanks for the explanation- sounds fair enough. Not disgruntled as such, but always had the impression that who you know counts.

Even when I was ranked 4th in the M40 rankings, winning a few national events and getting consistent regular BOC top ten results (a few years back) - I never got the remotest sniff of a place in any national team.

Come to think of it, maybe I am disgruntled..

[guest]

Even when I was ranked 4th in the M40 rankings, winning a few national events and getting consistent regular BOC top ten results (a few years back) - I never got the remotest sniff of a place in any national team.

Come to think of it, maybe I am disgruntled..

Why don't you run the same course in the Veteran Home Internationals and smash the selected team out of sight? QED.

[Man of Kent]

Too many 'guests' one thinks!

[Neil M35]

I'm sure we would all like to represent our country. Could someone explain to me the process by which a person ranked 188 in M50 gets to be in the team?

The EOC publish a selection policy which is available on the BOF website (homepage>fixtures>home internationals>England>selections).

The veteran policy currently reads

England Veterans Selection Policy 2006
In 2006 the team for the Veterans Home International will be selected
using results from the JK, from BOC, and from the National Events on
Jan 29, Mar 19 and Apr 30. Greater emphasis will be placed on results at
the JK and BOC. Competitors wishing to be considered should run in at
least two selection races.
When the selectors are aware that a veteran has run up in a selection race,
they will take such results into consideration on a mins/k basis.

There was a similar policy in place for interland which included the Nat Events at Kyloe and Kilnsey, the November classic and I think another race. The selected M55 (to run up in M50) will have been the best M55 in those races, as judged by the selectors.

So now you know what you need to do to be selected for the VHI - be fit in April. The VHI is not until November.

[Peter B]

I notice also the results were in The Times today

[Lizi Beee]

they were??