World Orienteering Sprint Championships
Edinburgh, 12-16 July 2024
Report by Vicky McCreadie - WOC24 from a volunteer's POV
The World Orienteering Sprint Champs were held in Edinburgh over the period of 12-16th July 2024. I was asked if I wanted to volunteer with the Start Team, led by Andy and Alison Yeates, and of course I jumped at the opportunity to be able to help at such a prestigious event. I was attending the event and racing on the public races anyway so this just added more excitement to the week.
12 July was an early start for the individual sprint qualifiers, starting along a canal in Leith. The men came first all looking either very nervous or very focussed, followed by some equally nervous women. It was interesting to see their focusing techniques and how they warmed up, with all of them staying away from everyone else, doing short sprints or little dances. None chatting away like us amateurs often do just before we head off! Once all runners were through it was a quick close down and three of us, Katie Costello, Sally Calland and myself pegging it over to get our own races in about 1km away using a similar area as the elites had and the same finish so we got to experience what they had. Few little mistakes but it was a great course to test us on the first day, though very different to the warm up which was up Arthurs Seat! It was then straight on a bus to the second secret location of the day – the Old College. What an amazing venue to start the finals, very technical and challenging, finishing off in Princes Street Gardens to a huge crowd, with the castle as a background….of course I didn’t see any of that as I was marshalling competitors across a busy road and ensuring they reached the start on time but I’m told it was a great atmosphere!
Whilst the elites had a day off we then attempted an indoor race in Kings Building which was very complex and really made you think, before the relay races in Riccarton Campus on the 14th. I didn’t actually help with this one as we were running the Royal Signals orienteering Corps Champs over the public event but we went to watch the excitement of the elites and wow…from the fans park we got to see all the action, including the final maze inside the arena, which we then got to play on for our own races. The atmosphere was like nothing I’ve ever experienced at an orienteering event with everyone super excited and cheering the teams as they whizzed past us at what seemed like inhuman speeds.
Whilst the elites had another day off, we then had the opportunity to race around the Old Town of Edinburgh, pushing tourists out the way on the Royal Mile and getting lots of odd looks…but what an amazing place to race and really made you think. We were then back with the elites on the final day with the Knockout Races. Up bright and early…much the annoyance of locals in Wester-Hailes (think Trainspotting!) and even though some of the locals decided to yell abuse and try to make a pain of themselves, a lot of them were very supportive and curious to see what we were doing. We had 4 races to manage and our own race to fit in so it was really intense day. Again we got to be up close to the elites whilst they took their last deep breathes to calm their nerves before heading off into what is a very complex estate with little alleys and twists and turns. One interesting way to gain focus came from Ralph Street who held his compass very close to his eyes and moved it round in a figure of 8 for the entire -2 minute. As soon as the racers had gone, we pegged it over to do our own race, which again finished in the same place as the elites, before driving to the city centre for a different start point for the quarter finals. It started raining at this point but that didn’t hamper our efforts as we set the runners off from a specially designed podium and up-hill start! The team split in 2 at this point so half of us could make it for the semi-final and finals starts in St John Street.
Here we got to hand the elites their maps just before they went onto the final podium and then watch from just behind the start gun position to see the runners set off and then tear around the final corner into the final straight. The atmosphere was electric and you should have seen the crowd go wild with excitement when Megan Carter-Davis took her risk and went up the hill breaking away from the pack and beating them 10 seconds ahead at the next control, only to lose the advantage a few controls later to come in 5th in the final. Overall the whole experience was amazing and I would say to anyone that if they are offered the opportunity to grab it by the horns and take it.
Background photograph by Rob Lines