Alex Wetherill (in Edinburgh University colours), is one of the GBR runners tackling the World Champs test races in Finland
In Britain forest orienteering is traditionally a winter sport, like football or cross-country. The season gets underway in the Autumn as colder weather helps to reduce the vegetation and reward direct running, and the season peaks with the JK at Easter and the British Long championships in the Spring.
The international season is the reverse: the forests of Scandinavia and Central Europe becoming runnable from Spring to Autumn.
This year June is the month for the first World Cup Forest Races (in Sweden), the Jukola and Venla Relays in Finland, and the World Champs test races (also in Finland.) These are being used for selection for next month's World Champs by many countries - including Britain.
The Test Races, 7th, 8th June
Notoriously the most stressed races for some: will you get to run the race you really want to run?
The Swedes had their own races in much the same place three weeks ago (maybe the same courses?) Although noone involved can say anything to anyone not involved, splits were published and suffice to say a lot of good orienteers were making mistakes.
Saturday 7th June - Middle. Startlists.
Sunday 8th June - Long and Middle. Startlists.
There are 12 British men and five British women in the lists.
World Cup Round 1, Idre Fjäll, 18th - 22nd June
Website for World Cup Round Sweden and at IOF Eventor
Orienteering Live - World Cup Round 1
It begins with a "shortened long" qualification on Wednesday 18th, to quaify 60 runners for each of the men's and women's A finals.
Then there are long, middle and relay races.
Qualifying is not easy for GBR runners. Last year the European Champs in Hungary had a qualification race and the numbers qualifying by country were:
- 19 - Sweden (10+9)
- 16 - Switzerland (8+8)
- 14 - Norway (7+7)
- 12 - Finland (6+6)
- 10 - Czechia (5+5)
- 9 - Hungary (3+6)
- 9 - France (7+2)
- 9 - Denmark (2+7)
- 3 - Austria, Estonia, Latvia
- 2 - GB, Germany, Slovakia
- 1 - Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Ukraine.