Fri 25 March - Sprints at Leeds University, Sat 26 March - Wass, Sun 27 March - Kilnsey,
Mon 28 March - Relays at Storthes Hall
Chris Branford writes: Over Easter weekend a number of our hardier members braved the weather in Yorkshire for the JK International. WIM had some excellent results and we must congratulate Paul Pickering and Jo Pickering for both coming 1st in their age group in the Sprint Event, Harry Bratcher-Howard for coming 2nd and Annie Crookshank for coming 4th on the first day. Paul Pickering then followed this up by coming first overall for days 2 and 3 - outstanding results. Finally on day 4 we had two teams sixth, Jo Pickering, Annie Crookshank and Kirsty Staunton in the Women's Short Race and Keith Henderson, Sue Hands and Brian Johnson in the UltraVets 210+. Well done to them and all the others who took part.
Day 1 - The Sprints
I really enjoyed my first JK, as I got to orienteer for three days in a row and on very different types of terrain. My best performance was during the sprint day. I had a 1.5 km course with 19 controls spread over a small area of the main campus. I found the pre o really helpful in getting my mind thinking after the long drive. I had a five minute lead before my brother started. My course started easily with 3 downhill controls before turning left into the centre of the campus. Then I met my first staircase before running through a garden area. Next! I ran alongside a lake before running through an underpass. I made a small mistake between 14-15' but I was quickest on the decisive tricky leg to 16, where other M10s made errors. I followed the road before more steps led to the last control, then a run in to the arena. My overall time of 13.28 earned me a silver medal and place on the podium. I was really pleased and want to thank all the coaches that have helped me over the year.
Harry Bratcher- Howard
Paul and Joanne Pickering were winners of the JK open sprints
Day 2 - Wass
My course (10B) was 2km with 30m of climb. The east start had lots of courses and started in a dark forest with Indistinct tracks and rides. I was confident with the first couple, but then things got a bit tricky with control 2 leading me off my course onto the yellow course. After a few minutes, I got back on track by going up the hill to find control 33. The next few controls were more straightforward with a photographer lying in wait when I jumped over the stile to number 9. I then ran into some open fields where I ran as fast as I could uphill to my finish where they gave us bottles of water. My time was 25.51 putting me in third. While I was waiting for dad, I completed the technical string course where you had to climb over trees and low walls. Then we discovered a great cake tent and played on the straw bales with the other juniors.
Monty Bratcher-Howard
Day 3 - Kilnsey
After the hailstorm - The survivors in the club tent after the apocalyptic hailstorm at Kilnsey on Day 3 of the JK on Easter Sunday.
Our holiday cottage was less than 5 minutes from Threshfield Quarry car park so getting to the event was a doddle. Perhaps the course would be too... We were thoughtfully warmed up by a 600m walk from the bus stop to assembly and a further 1.45km gradual climb to the Start. Ten minutes to cool; then I was called.
Lovely open fell with rock features, a bit lumpy but firm underfoot and almost marsh-free. The first few legs highlighted two essential skills - dead accurate compass work (a few degrees out caused bewildering relocation problems) and continuously checking off collecting features. It was a brown sort of day, with limestone pavements welcome as extra navigation beacons.
All was fine until 8 to 9, a 530m leg which demanded unwavering concentration on detail to keep map-ground contact while wiggling through contour features. As I approached the supposed destination, confidence ebbed away and I slowed to a cautious walk. I arrived - nothing. I scanned left and right - not a clue. I looked behind me - it was there. A pantomime control!
A hard, well-planned course and a fairly good run - I'd enjoyed it. I ran course 22 (M65S) which at 4.8km with 150m climb equates pretty well to the Green courses I normally run. I did ponder some course lengths & climbs though. The next course up, 21, was 5.8km with 200m climb and designed for M75L/W65L. A reasonable step up for Short Green runners? I wonder.
Mike Kite
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TrailO
The TempO map - St George's Cemetery
Other than doing disastrously badly on the M70 Sprint course, I spent my time at the JK competing in, and computing the results for, the two TrailO events, the TempO in the old cemetery next to Leeds Uni, and the PreO in the grounds of Ampleforth School.
As my arthritis has gradually worsened over the last year, I reckoned in January that I'd now reached the point that I was slow and decrepit enough to qualify as a Paralympic TrailO competitor again, under the amended IOF definition. My doctor agreed with me and so in February I sent off the appropriate form to BOF, who then approved it and sent it on to the new IOF offices in Sweden. They send it to their medical experts for approval - it takes a while.
As I'd heard nothing from Sweden before the JK, I had to compete in the Open class rather than the Para at the JK TrailO. I did reasonably well (27/83 in the TempO, 14/39 in the PreO) but was ahead of the other Para competitors. So of course its Sod's law that my Paralympic accreditation arrived from the IOF first thing on Easter Tuesday morning!
The good news is of course that as one of the two GB TrailO selectors, I can now select myself for the GB Team for this year's European Championships in Slovakia in May! And the JK TrailO organisers have promised to send me a medal.
Dick Keighley
