JK Orienteering Festival 2024 - Midlands

Across Easter weekend, ShUOC travelled to the 2024 Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering!

Loughborough University was host to the Sprint, with a technical network of paths and buildings creating an exciting challenge!! M21E - 52nd Adrien Gallet, 54th Joe Thomas, 75th Thomas Entwistle, 85th Jack Baker, 88th Ben Stevens, mp Dom Green. M20E - 5th Tom Perry, 16th William Lake. Men Open - 22nd Liam Overett. W21E - 35th Rebecca Ward, 41st Eleanor Ellis. W20E - 12th Maya Hampshire Wright 

Saturday and Sunday were both set in Beaudesert - an area full of deep mud and brambles. Issues with misplaced controls at the Middle Distance meant W21 Elite was voided, much to the despair of Eleanor, who'd had an amazing run. And the M21E course was paused at control 13, leaving Dom overjoyed, as his mispuch was removed. 

Middle: M21E (altered) - 49th Joe Thomas, 67th Ben Stevens, 81st Thomas Entwistle, 86th Adrien Gallet, 88th Dom Green, 103rd Joseph Goodwin, 108th Jack Baker. M21 L - 14th Liam Overett. M20E - 12th William Lake. W21E (Void) - 32nd Eleanor Ellis, 34th Rebecca Ward. W20E - 13th Maya Hampshire Wright 

Long: M21E (1) - 50th Dom Green, 58th Adrien Gallet, 59th Ben Stevens, rtd Joe Thomas. M21E (2) - 6th Jack Baker. M21L - 14th Liam Overett. M20E - 7th William Lake. W20E - 11th Maya Hampshire Wright. W21E - 31st Rebecca Ward. W21L - 9th Eleanor Ellis 

The change from boggy wood to Peak District moors at Stanton Moor proved popular at the relays. Well done to all our teams! Men Of Steel was 16th on Men's Trophy, Cheffing it Up was 11th on Women's Trophy, and Lost Causes was 16th on Men's Short.

Apparently there were also some other races this week, but strava has been so full of JK runs that I may have missed some? Adam decided that Beaudesert wasn't up to his O standards and disappeared into Swedish Skog, and Andy competed in the Rivington Pike Fell Race where it seems he was more focused on a UFO in the sky than the run?  

Massive thank you to the clubs involved with planning and organising the JK this year! 

Extra challenge - spot Will in the group photo. 

📸 woodentops.org.uk & Wendy Carlyle