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Lister Park Sprint O Races 24 April from Andrew Kelly
"Just got back from Aire's sprint race round Lister Park in Bradford. Premarked ISOM
1:4000 map, e-punching etc. Aside from a couple of goes at things like Coaching
Conference, this was my first go at this, and it was brilliant. Fast, furious, knackering,
absolutely ideal for summer events in Britain when the vegetation makes so many
forests seriously unpleasant. It was also good to be able to run in the same race as
some of these fast M21s, compare (ignominiously) against them, but still run a
reasonable length of time. I really enjoyed the micro-route choice decisions too. And
whilst there wasn't a great drive on publicity, having the O-banners and presence on a
sunny morning in such a public spot can't have done the sport any harm. It also
seemed to go down really well with the juniors there.
All in all, this sort of orienteering deserves to succeed. I just hope more 'grassroots' orienteers latch on, and more clubs try and do this properly."
The LUOC trio of Niall Bourke, Ian Nixon and Tom Chesters led both long and short races, Niall taking 12.55 for 3.2km and just under ten minutes for the 2.3km short !
Steve Watkins and Ian Marshall (warming up for the Three Peaks next day) were quickest Aire regulars. The juniors were well represented by Lowri Jones and Robert Kelly, both quicker than 8 mins per km, Francesca Brook and Cerys Jones. In all nearly 40 competitors, some having two runs. As this was the first of a series of park sprint races, it was good to see Claro, Ebor and EPOC represented. Thanks to Tony Thornley for mapping and planning, Simon Brook for organising and to the patrols and registration and results team. Next race is in York City Centre on 31 May. Give it a try !
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