The JK sprint was held in the campus of Stranmillis University in central Belfast, a mix of parkland, buildings and even some small sections of woodland. There was a great atmosphere in the event arena, spectators congregating on a grassy bank overlooking the finish and spectator controls, reminiscent of Henman Hill at Wimbledon. The sun shone for most of the afternoon but unfortunately a shower late on dampened things slightly.
To allow for those travelling from all over the UK and Europe the starts were spread over a four hour period but the Elites and Junior Elite courses were seeded into smaller start windows to bring some added excitement to the event. The Women’s elite course did not disappoint with a tie for first place between Sarah Rollins and Pippa Archer. The men’s elite title was taken by Matthew Crane.
My M35 course started with a cheeky short leg before it wound its way around some accommodation blocks in the north part of the map. There were many different levels on the map generally which called for huge levels of concentration. After nailing number 4 in a particularly complex area I then fluffed number 5, losing nearly 40 seconds until I realised I was looking on the wrong building. Struggling to put such a big mistake ( in sprint terms) behind me I got back into the map and, although potentially losing time to route choice on number 8, ran strongly up the hill to the spectator control at 14. From here the course and area changed character requiring faster running and more traditional orienteering techniques. After coming out of number 23 I then completely missed 24, running straight towards the final control. Luckily I spotted it quickly and ran back but it was a heart stopping moment. I gunned the finish run in from the last, having had a very enjoyable run on a great sprint area, the 25 controls taking just 16 minutes in a slightly disappointing 8th position.
It was a quick change and into the commentary van to take over ready for the junior elite competition. This was the first sprint event I had ever commentated on and learnt a lot, and was probably as mentally exhausted after the speakers job as I was after actually running the sprint !
The JK moves to the sand dunes tomorrow, with classic distance races for everyone except the elites who get a middle distance race.