Ralph-Grindelwald As Ralph is not running at the JK this year On The Red Line asked him to share a few notes that might help your thinking about what to expect.

Whistles are required and will be checked.

Brereton Spurs Map.

Beaudesert Map.

Ralph ran all four days of the JK last year. In the relay he anchored a South London Orienteers' team all three of whom would later in 2017 run at the World Orienteering Champs in Estonia. The team was fifth at the JK.

Sprint - MOD Stafford

  1. Attention! The JK Sprint is not on a university campus!
  2. Traffic is likely to be a nightmare, being on time for your start will greatly improve your chances of a pleasing performance.
  3. It should be pretty simple, lots of regularly shaped small buildings, not many hedges or walls, no tunnels.
  4. There is plenty of grass, so it might well get slippery if wet.
  5. There are some fences with gates in, some of which may be closed: that could potentially create some interesting routechoice, and traps.
  6. There could be a fair amount of congestion in some places, watch out for other runners, no map reading going round corners.

Forest Days - Cannock Chase

  1. Undulating/hilly woodland with plenty of tracks.
  2. There is potential for over or round, or straight or round choices.
  3. Normally you would expect to use paths a lot, but because of the cold weather the undergrowth could be lower than you expect, making a forest route choice good for longer distances than usual. As always look to form a view early on - and be a little cautious initially.
  4. The hardest controls to find may very well be those on spurs or in valleys. Aiming off is a technique we all know, so do remember it - knowing which way to turn once you reach the spur or valley will save you a lot of time.
  5. For the middle race - the course being shorter does not mean you have to run any faster. Good orienteering - sensible decisions, minimising risk - still beats headless smashing on compass.

I'm sorry I'll miss the JK this year - my absence is about managing the whole season which gets very busy for me in only a month's time. I wish everyone all the best and hope you enjoy the weekend.