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Link to some Irish photos from JWOC: click here
Link to the JWOC maps with the route choices of the top 3 runners: click here.
After a much-needed rest day, JWOC resumed on Thursday with the Middle Qualification races followed by the Middle Finals on Friday. Here are Conor's comments on the Qualifications & Seans' on the Final.
LIVE RESULTS FOR THE RELAY: CLICK HEREIrish team running order: Conor, Niall, Sean
Sean Knight - Middle Final
The good weather persisted again today although the three Irish runners had starts in and around 9am. This meant we avoided the heat from the sun even if we did all have to wake at 6.30. Conor’s course was slightly longer than yesterday at 4.2km while Niall and I had 3.9km. Despite the difference in length both courses were remarkably similar throughout the middle and latter part of the race.
All races started in the open with the tallest features being 5m in height and not a single path was in sight. The ground was not flat but the majority of detail was simply too small to map. Even though the runnability was good this made the orienteering difficult as attack points catching features were minimal or simply didn’t exist. Talking to Conor, Niall and orienteers from other countries this is where most time was lost due to people blasting out of the start and then finding themselves unable to relocate.
Once we entered the forest this was truly nice running and the pace was able to pick up. For the most part the features were just as small but the addition of paths made the orienteering somewhat easier. General consensus is that both map and terrain were a joy to run on and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their run.
Conor finished his course in a time of 34.30 and ended up 45th in the B-Final. A respectable result given the competition in such a final and even managed to improve on his position in the qualifiying race. Niall had a few hiccups in the open at the start yet managed a time of 36.31 and came 24th in the C-Final. I was also in the C-Final and I had quite a clean run with maybe 2mins mistakes and ended up with a time of 29.52 and a 5th place position.
The final race of the Junior World Orienteering Champs takes place tomorrow in the form of a relay. The weather is predicted to be sunny with a temp of 25 degrees. After this all competitors return to the barracks to finish the week of hard racing with the much anticipated JWOC banquet...
Irish results:
Middle distance, Kollerup
Men B final 4.20km
1. Štanfel,Matjaž Croatia 24.10
45. Short, Conor 34:30
Men C final 3.93km
1. Childs,Andrew USA 24:50
5. Knight, Sean 29:52
24. Ewen, Niall 36:31
Conor Short - Middle Qualification
The qualifications for the middle distance took place in Kollerup today, 5km to the south-east of the long distance map. These qualification races determine whether each competitor will be in the A, B or C final tomorrow on the same map.
The race itself was quite a contrast to Tuesday’s long, with the dense green being replaced by quite runnable forest. There was also a considerable section of the course in an open section, blanketed in felled trees. The intricate contour detail remained, however, but it was much easier to interpret it on the 1:10,000 map. An interesting twist to the qualifications was the fact that three runners started simultaneously. The courses were gaffled, similar to a relay, and runners could be seen going every direction. It was important to ignore everyone else and just run your own race.
The quick terrain resulted in very fast times on the 3.8km course, with a winning time of 21 minutes exactly.
I was quite happy with my run, and I scraped my way into the B final, which was one of my main aims for JWOC. Both Seán and Niall just missed out on making the B final, so they will be running in the C final tomorrow.
Full results are available on the JWOC ’10 website.
Tuesday 6 July was the day of the Long race at JWOC - 11.3 km with 320m climb (for the Men). The winning time was longer than in recent years, with few taking under 80 mins. None of the Irish runners were at full fitness after a year of injury and exams but, with the help of Mike Long who took on the job of coach & food supplier at the spectator control, all handled the distance well. Niall was reasonably happy with the result at his favourite distance, but Sean was disappointed with some large errors near the start of the course.
Pavel Kubat of Czech Republic won M20 while the Swedes Tove Alexandersson & Lilian Frosgren took 1st & 2nd in W20.
Niall Ewen reports on the Long Distance
The Irish contingent at JWOC has just competed in the 11.3km long distance event in the dense sand dune forests of the Svinkløv area. Sean Knight took the early start block and started fourth of the males, but at the last second the start was delayed by 40 minutes, forcing Seán to wait and warm up again. I was second out of the Irish starting in the middle block although it took me a while to get into the technical contour features of the terrain and finding controls in green depressions. After that the race became easier although the going was still tough and most of the open areas were covered in felled trees, the course took us from high up on the forested plateau down 30m to the beach to fast sand dune orienteering and then back up the hill to the forests four times. The butterfly and arch nemesis from jwoc 09 was slightly unusual having two central controls and only one control on each wing, this time I decided to follow the planners recommendations and get the controls in numerical order. Many of the longer route choices were on paths rides and open fields with most orienteers avoiding the thick dark green areas at all costs. The arena was ideally situated for a good view of the action with two spectator controls and an uphill run in. Conor Short was last start for the Irish team having a solid run but as with all of us found the 1:15000 scale challenging in the circle.
The Irish Team will compete in the qualification round of the middle distance event tomorrow on a map called Kollerup a fast and technical area about an hour outside Aalborg.
Irish results:
Long distance, Svinkløv, 11.28km
1. Kubat,Pavel Czech Republic 1:18:48
120. Ewen, Niall 1:59:49
121. Short, Conor 1:59:55
136. Knight, Sean 2:11:20
On Monday 5th July JWOC opened with the Sprint in Aalborg University. The Danes on home ground took Gold in both Men's (Rasmus Thrane Hansen) and Women's (Ida Bobach) races. On a sunny day with almost 1000 spectators the atmosphere was highly charged.
Sean Knight (seen here at training) reports on the Sprint.
The three Irish athletes at JWOC were met again by another hot day today as they prepared for the first of five races here in Aalborg, Denmark. Earliest start went to Conor at 10.34am who left the barracks first with team leader and coach, Ruth Lynam. Seán and Niall followed shortly after and joined Conor at the Quarantine area.
The course was 2.7km in length through the technical and challenging grounds of Aalborg University and consisted of 22 controls. Like the rest of Denmark it was quite flat with 30m of climb and fast paced wouldn’t even describe it. Long taxing legs interspersed through sections of short legs with many direction changes made for interesting orienteering. As if competition wasn’t in the air already, one minute intervals and a spectator control heightened the atmosphere. Mike Long and family joined the crowd at the finish arena offering their support.
Sweat poured from the athletes as they raced in the heat and a look of sheer determination was painted on all three faces. Conor had a slight hiccup at the first control but clenched his teeth and pulled back to finish in a very respectable time of 19mins and 11 seconds. Seán bandaged his feet and finished in 17.23. Niall’s famous dislike of sprint events seemed ridiculous when he finished in 17.49.
As this is written Conor, Niall and Seán are relaxing, quietly contemplating what lies ahead in the 11.3km of the JWOC Long Distance tomorrow...
Irish results:
Sprint, Aalborg University, 2.68km
1. Hansen,Rasmus Thrane Denmark 13:04
126. Knight, Sean 17.23
130. Ewen, Niall17:49
141. Short, Conor 19:11
The Irish JWOC team: Niall Ewen, Sean Knight, Conor Short & Team leader Ruth Lynam arrived in Aalborg in West Denmark on Wed 30 June in time for several days training on JWOC terrain before the competition started up. Long & Middle race terrain is thickly forested sand dunes, very complex in parts, but with plenty of paths. The Relay terrain is completely different, a series of sttep hill and deep river valleys, largely open with heather & ferns. The team accommodation is in Aalborg barracks on a Sprint map, perfect for some Sprint familiarisation.
Conor Short describes pre-JWOC training. Conor & Niall prepare training maps
The Irish Junior team at JWOC in Aalborg, northern Denmark, has spent the last couple of days training, and are now psyching up for the sprint race tomorrow morning in Aalborg University. The first thing that we noticed when we went out onto the maps was the heat. Our first day was spent in the thick, dense forests of Vester Torup on the northern coast, which closely resembles the terrain of the long distance race. The shade of the tangled mass of trees offered no relief from the blistering heat however, and the three juniors and their team leader returned to the car drenched in sweat.
On Saturday, after a quick run on more long distance terrain, we first tried out the Emit Timing system that will be used in all five races. Due to the system apparently being ‘inaccurate’, an extra tag has to be worn on our arms which will record the finish times. I can’t understand why the good ol’ SI system isn’t used! Today, we did a quick practice sprint on the terrain before relaxing for the rest of the day before the long week of racing ahead of us.
Unfortunately, Seán has already been to hospital before the competition has even begun! His new shoes gave him severe blisters which subsequently got infected. He’s been taking medication and the good news is that it looks like he’ll be up and running in time for the sprint race tomorrow.
The food so far has been excellent: there is plenty of it and it covers all the food groups, from meat to the all important sugar! We are accommodated in an army barracks with comfy beds and plenty of space to chill, so I think I can safely say that there are four happy team members over here raring to get going!
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