Kris Jones reflects on his JK running and explains his plans between now and the European Championships.

In preparation I will race at the 12 Stage road relays and Tiomila during April.

Thankyou for your interest in the squad competition for the JK. It comprised a ciphered message in the programme giving you a web address where three "lead-in" puzzles were to be found. This was an unindexed page of the Scottish Spring Weekend website which Graham Gristwood (pictured) was managing. Incidentally if you wondered where Graham was over the weekend and haven't checked the gg Attackpoint log he is injured. Injury is also the reason Alan Cherry wasn't running. We wish both a good recovery.

SportIdent Results Site

At the final day of this year's JK, Monday April 2nd, Edinburgh University won the JK Trophy and Lakeland won the Women's Trophy.

For old-timers it was a traditional JK Relays - bad weather coming in on Sunday night /Monday morning causing really tough conditions for both the organisation team and the runners.

(Photo: Steve Rush)

Alasdair McLeod and Hollie Orr won the JK Long World Ranking Event races today.

World Ranking Event Points.

Alasdair was the only man running under 100 minutes for today's 17.9km M21E course at Beaudesert. His win did take the overall JK title, which is awarded on combined time for the middle and long distance races.

Hollie's win was a narrow one, and not quite sufficient to win the overall JK title, which was taken by Jessica Tullie by 2 seconds, with Tessa Strain and Megan Carter-Davies third and fourth again only some seconds further back.

(Photo: Wendy Carlyle)

Peter Hodkinson and Cat Taylor won the JK Middle World Ranking Event races at Brereton Spurs today.

World Ranking Event Points.

(Photo: Maprunner)

Kris Jones and Megan Carter-Davies won the JK Sprint World Ranking Events races today.

World Ranking Event Points

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.

The "JK", the biggest annual festival in the UK orienteering calendar, held every year at Easter, is upon us. What a lovely prospect! This year the West Midlands Association are hosting. How's the training gone, have you got it all planned out and read through 28 pages of programme, how did you fare on your big weekends in February and March? Do you miss chatting to your friends at a model event before the real action - once upon a time that was the Friday entertainment. And will we have snow? (No is the latest I've heard).

For Team GB it is the several rounds of the World Cup that defines the competitions. The rounds are hosted in different countries, and the programme is different each year. This year there are four rounds in all. The first round is the European Championships (EOC). The second round is the annual World Championships (WOC).

The European Championships are every two years. 2018 is a year for them - they are in Switzerland, in May.

This is the last year that the World Championships includes all disciplines. From 2019 forest and sprint will alternate. This year WOC is in Latvia in August.

The combination of an all disciplines World Championships and a European Championships makes 2018 the best year to further develop the interest of supporters and spectators in international orienteering.