Oxford City Race

[Gonzo]

Great fun although a bit less interesting than last year - more residential streets - less tricky alleys, colleges, running round shoppers etc. Entry seemed high - loads of people. Well done to the organisers and the course winners. A shame most of the prize winners didn't stay for the prize-giving !! I hope next year there will be prizes for all classes, not just open and junior - what about all the old wrinklies? I think at Warwick they at least got a mug!
One minor moan - why use that dreadful plastic paper - it just doesn't stay folded and must be at least as bad for the environment as plastic bags!
Roll on City Series 2008.

[drobin]

It had its moments. Exiting Somerville via glass sliding doors. Running along the tow path from 106 to 107, then jumping over the 'boulder'! Trying to read the map in the darkness at 129, but still spotting the spiral staircase to exit due north.

[redkite]

Great fun, although agree with Gonzo's comment on the paper.

Good to see so many newcomers/novices from clubs such as Bristol Uni. This format is a great intro to the sport

Well done to the organisers

[roadrunner]

Once again, a great event - well done, OUOC! I was pleased that, despite the same area for start and finish, my course was completely different from last year's.

[Barny of Blandford]

Thankyou to all the organisers and marshals for an excellent day in Oxford - may we have many more such events

[Knee Deep Mud!]

Well done to all at OUOC for organising nice weather for the second year in a row! Good event too!!

Great fun although a bit less interesting than last year

I agree. Technically slightly easier, but still really enjoyable, and a different challenge to last year. I just need to practice the running faster bit of the event.

It had its moments. Exiting Somerville via glass sliding doors.

I'm glad they had the sign in front of the doors saying 'Somerville welcomes the Oxford City Race', otherwise I might have lost time here trying to convince myself I was going the right way. More exiting was dodging round all the fire engines and police cars at 103!

Only problem was the people who took a short cut through the unmarked gate between 129 and 114 (due east of 129). I almost went this way as a passing student was holding the gate open, but thought that it did look like it was marked as a forbidden to cross wall on the map, though I wasn't sure as the number 20 was printed right over the top of it. The shorter course maps clearly show an uncrossable wall. Will be nice to see who owns up on routegadget!

PS I liked the maps. They stood up to a bit of abuse and still looked almost as pristine after the event as they did before.

[RobL]

Great fun although a bit less interesting than last year

Yes, I think the courses needed to visit some of the city's landmarks that made last year's race so distinctive. There were legs today that could have come from a street-o in any town up and down the country.

A great event though, and already looking forward to next year's race!

[RobL]

A shame most of the prize winners didn't stay for the prize-giving !!

Was there really prize-giving for the juniors?? My kids managed a first and second place but were told by the organiser that there was only prizes for the series winners(?)

[brooner]

Not sure what happened with prizes as I had to leg it long before the prize giving, but there were prizes for the Open class winners as part of the UK Cities Cup and then a few prizes for the kids too, thanks go to Innov-8 for these.

Top racing today, and from looking at the maps it possibly wasn't as "interesting" a course in terms of locations visited compared to last year but it was still top quality urban orienteering with a variety of challenges, especially when apparently open gates were closed :s

Thanks to all involved, look forward to next year in a different part of the city with different challenges again.

[johnloguk]

Loads of photos at http://www.mysportstream.com/tags/orienteering looked like another fantastic race.

[paul]

Only problem was the people who took a short cut through the unmarked gate between 129 and 114 (due east of 129). I almost went this way as a passing student was holding the gate open, but thought that it did look like it was marked as a forbidden to cross wall on the map, though I wasn't sure as the number 20 was printed right over the top of it. The shorter course maps clearly show an uncrossable wall. Will be nice to see who owns up on routegadget!

Looking at the splits for this leg - I'd guess that anyone who took less than 2 mins on this leg probably made use of the convenient open gate...

[roadrunner]

Loads of photos at http://www.mysportstream.com/tags/orienteering looked like another fantastic race.

...and I'd like to see them, but while the first page loads really fast, the second takes forever (I've given up on it several times now). Is anyone else getting the same effect?

[NeilC]

A shame most of the prize winners didn't stay for the prize-giving !!

Was there really prize-giving for the juniors?? My kids managed a first and second place but were told by the organiser that there was only prizes for the series winners(?)

Ditto, having been told that there were only prizes for the senior open classes we decided to head off to prepare for the SNC and avoid the rush for the park and ride buses.

Our first city race and very enjoyable, a couple of legs on the vet men certainly caught me out. Disappointing to see people taking illegal routes through uncrossable walls and across OOB playing fields. Perhaps race organisers should offer competitors a post-race amnesty period to declare themselves DSQ. It can be difficult to spot that a route is illegal on the run (remember a magnifier next time) but afterwards it should be clear, plus of course the splits analysis help identify transgressors. At least two people above me have very suspicious split times.

[Simon E]

Some more Oxford photos here.

The new waterproof paper (as used at November Classic, Oxford and West Wood) provides quite a dilemma. It irritates me intensely that it is so difficult to fold and makes such a noise. However it is clearly more robust than anything else I have come across and shows absolutely no sign of print wearing off, even after today's downpour.

[Harley]

KneeDeepinMud wrote

Only problem was the people who took a short cut through the unmarked gate between 129 and 114

I notice looking at the splits, that 130-138 (mens vets) may have had similar problems . You know who you are

Didnt do last years, so I have nothing to compare it to - enjoyed it though. Thanks to all involved.