The Boyz!

Today was the last day of the British Championships Weekend and it was Relay Day.

We were based in the John Charles Sports Stadium adjacent to Middleton Woods in Leeds where the orienteering took place.  The stadium showcased the relay perfectly with excellent views of the action as orienteers ran round the track and in to the changeover and finish.

I was teamed with C and S in the W60 class and already anxious about my knees letting down the team when C, who was on first leg, arrived in to the stadium in first place!!  She handed over to S and I nervously went down to the map issue to get my third leg map and wait in the pen for S to return from the woods.  Finally she appeared in the stadium, we touched and I was off on my leg.  Middleton Woods is a tricky little area with lots of bellpits and a path network which means you really have to keep in touch with the map.  It didn't help that many of the minor paths were covered with leaves.  I made a couple of errors by overshooting but generally went well, my knees amazingly holding up despite yesterday's tough course.

The run in was verrrrrry long but at last I was back in the stadium to calls of encouragement from spectators on the wall and finished, thankfully having not been disqualified.  There was no way I could have maintained C's first place but I wasn't last and overall we were in fourth position.

It was then time to photograph the prize giving and our club had several good results, the best been as winners of the men's elite class, a highly competitive class.  So here are D, J and A with their trophy.  Well done guys!