SLOW success at British Championships – in and out of the forest
The British Orienteering Championships over the May Bank Holiday weekend were hosted by the South East Orienteering Association. SLOW played host to the British Championships long distance races at Winterfold and Pitch Hill, near Peaslake, Surrey on Saturday 4 May. Andy Robinson, Organiser, and Matthias Mahr, Planner, headed up our large, experienced and enthusiastic team of volunteers who made the championships a huge success.
In competition in the forest, SLOW members excelled with Gold Medals for Anja Stratford in W40 and Mike Murray in M65 and a superb Bronze Medal in Women’s Elite for Helen Gardner, backed up by Abi Weeds in 4th place. In total 54 SLOW members ran across the range of courses.
Anja, Helen and Abi teamed up the following day in the British Relay Championships on Holmbury Hill to take the Silver Medal in the Women’s Premier Relay, the first British podium place for a SLOW Elite team for over twenty years.
Abi Weeds and Anja Stratford, who ran with Helen Gardner, for the Women’s Elite Relays podium at BOC 2013
Shortly after the relays, the British Trail-O Champs were fought out at Newlands Corner. SLOWprint editor Sarah-Jane Gaffney took up this discipline a couple of years ago and immediately proved very adept and represented GB in 2012. It was perhaps no surprise (just a great deal of delight) that she is now the British Trail-O champion. Many congratulations to her. However she needs to keep looking over her shoulder: Jayne Sales in her first attempt at the discipline finished a remarkable 5th out of 49 in the elite class.
Monday saw 30 members run in an urban event in Dorking, where Di Leakey claimed second place in the Women’s Super Vets category.
Following his runs at the BOC events, Ed Catmur won the Milton Keynes marathon on the Monday in a time of 2:46:59. Ed had won the South Wales marathon in April.
Full orienteering results are available on the British Championships website (or British Orienteering website) and the urban event at Mole Valley Orienteering Club.
Rob Lines took lots of photos of SLOW members in action at both the individual day and the relays.
SLOW members Ed Catmur (centre), Richard Jones (left) and Evan Barlow (right) at the start of the BOC 2013 Men’s Relay. Photo courtesy of Rob Lines.
BOC weekend report by Chris Robinson