Relay Good Race!
Forth Valley Orienteers enjoyed a unique relay event in Falkirk, with the third staging of the Ted Finch Relay in Callendar Park
The event was devised as a feature of the club's golden jubilee in 2023, and features evenly seeded teams of three competitors racing head to head over race legs of different lengths,with the intention being to bring all the teams home together for a sprint finish.
The short course, comprising of young juniors and some older competitors, was first out in a mass start, and Laura Polwart (18.08) was quickest back, just ahead of Geoffrey Hensman (18.10) and Kate Kilpatrick (19.21).
As there were more Medium runners than Long this year, the Long course was next, where Lucas Baikie (28.43) was three seconds quicker through the maze than Alexander Hunt, with Dom Edward 3rd in 30.21. Rather than disqualifying a team for a mispunch, time penalties were added for infractions, and this had an effect on the eventual result.
The Medium course closed the day, and Heather Thomson lifted her team into a winning position with the quickest time on the course (25.02). Matthew Owen was 2nd (25.22), even with a penalty for wrestling in the maze, and Rachel Kirkland was 3rd (26.25).
The team title went to Kate Kilpatrick, Paul Hammond and Heather Thomson, in a combined time of 79.08. Catriona Downie, Lucas Baikie and Jonathan Molloy were first home, but time penalties pushed them back into silver medal position (80.22) and the team of Sully Crossley, Matthew Inman and Sean Truswell was 3rd in 80.52.
There was some consolation for Jonathan Molloy, as he was elected as the new President of Scottish Orienteering at the federation's AGM,which was held online. Molloy replaces Richard Oxlade (ESOC) who extended his presidency by a year to accommodate the challenges of the Scottish staging of the World Championships in Edinburgh in 2024.
He commented after his election “I have been in the sport for almost 30 years, and have been fortunate to attend orienteering events all over the UK and Europe. I know that orienteering depends on volunteers and I am keen to give back to the sport that I love by serving on the board.”
His first task in his new role will be to get the federation back on a level financial footing, after the World Championships ran at a £79,000 loss, eating into the operational reserves.