Malvern Ultrasport Long O

[Mrs H]

Just thought I'd draw attention to my new signature. The Malvern Ultrasport Long O on April 26th celebrates the joining up of the majority of the Malvern Hills maps and the 40th anniversary of Harlequins Orienteering Club. courses 15k, 22k, and 30k. Don't hang about to enter as the numbers are strictly limited. There will be a fab Mrs h style prize giving ceilidh in the evening. Entry via http://www.fabian4.co.uk, details on http://www.harlequins.org.uk

[IanD]

Cancelled, apparently due to lack of entries.

What a shame. I wasn't planning to go to this particular event, but I'd like to see more long-O.

So far as I'm aware, no closing date was ever announced, so it seems strange to cancel more than a month in advance?!

[Barny of Blandford]

New Forest Long O

SOC and WIM are planning a long-o in the New Forest for Sunday 7th September 2008 using the Redshoot area.
It will also be a SOC colour coded event at the same time
So plenty of advance notice for all those who like to run in a Long-O

[seabird]

Event flyer says closing date for entries is April 13th
HOC website says on March 19th Long O is cancelled due to lack of entries.

Has someone muddled their months up?

[Mrs H]

I understand the organisers were expecting a significant early entry due to the limited number on each course to underwrite some considerable expenses relating to transport to the start etc which had to be booked well in advance. Not with standing that excellent article i wrote in compassSport these were not forthcoming, and in general there seemed very little interest in the event which was also going to require a great deal of time and effort to put on.

Perhaps the entry date should have been significantly earlier than it was (then you could all have moaned about that). You all seem to be saying it's a shame but we weren't going to do it anyway.

I think the club will provide much more pleasure for many more people by putting its time and energies into the National event in june

[RJ]

The Long-O is rather a specialist event in many ways since it often attracts a particular section of the orienteering fraternity along with other non-orienteers. The events often have an established date in the calendar (fairly fixed) so it would be a good idea to have them listed somewhere. How about an article for CompassSport.... anyone?

We have just resurrected ours.... the Copeland Chase...... after a number of years in limbo. Early November. It attracts a fair following and the relaunch brought in many who had been regulars in the past. You probably need to build up the event over a few years... but there is certainly an audience out there if you stick at it.

Have another go HOC, but perhaps keep it low key for the first year, or at least hold back on the resources you pump into it.

[seabird]

I can't remember all the details re entries for our Aire Valley Long 0 last September 1st (the first we'd staged for many years.) Maybe Swat can help.

The flyer did not give a closing date for pre-entries! I can't recall how many pre-entries we got, but memory tells me that we had quite a substantial entry on the day, and that not many of the pre-entries were particularly early. I recall approx 50 maps being printed for each Long course, which did not leave too many spare. The event was a bit of a gamble but paid off.

I am sure the Malvern Long O would also have paid off, particularly with such a good publicist as Mrs H. There must be a number of people beginning to prepare for the LAMM, and other summer long distance events, who would have participated.

I rarely enter anything these days more than a day or two before the deadline (and often later!) I know from doing pre-entries that I am not alone in this trait.

[IanD]

I understand the organisers were expecting a significant early entry ... to underwrite some considerable expenses ... which had to be booked well in advance.

I think you may have been well advised to have two different pre-entry rates, with a price hike just before you needed to make a go/cancel decision, and a final closing date just before you needed to commit to map numbers. A financial incentive usually works!

And no doubt you've suffered from the conjunction with the SLOW long-O the following day; no way could I do both, and with one virtually on my doorstep...

[The Loofa]

Thank you Ian for that plug. Hopefully of interest to those who had entered Malvern - so to expand

We have 2 mass start gaffled courses - 15km and 10km
on one of the areas used for the 2005 World Cup
and so its called - "The Winterfold Blood Races"
There are some shorter colour-coded courses too