Another superb urban race from BOK. I work nearby so was keen to do this one having missed out last week. Very nearly missed this one too - got lost twice trying to find the start! Very pleased to have come 10th out of 50 on the long. Given that most of those ahead of me are half my age, am I entitled to discount them, including our own Robin, and say I was 4th really?
Also feeling pleased with himself was the planner, who proudly told me he had combined 3 races into 1. We started in some scrubby woods, then passed through an immaculate sports field, then we got to the urban part. The first bit was the hardest and some controls were quite tricky - I think leg 4-5 could have gone badly wrong if you misjudged the distance. The sports field was quite easy, but the urban had its moments. The hardest bit for me is spotting the narrow passages on the map - I am getting old so next time I will bring a magnifier.
Results from the event: Race 2 - Emersons Green - BOK Urban 2022, Results
Long
4 Robin Fieldhouse 37:36 +5:11
10 Richard Sansbury 43:04 +10:39
20 Pete Shirvington 47:44 +15:19
28 Philip Sorrell 53:43 +21:18
Medium
3 Graham Hartley 32:19 +6:04
13 Martin Lewis 40:38 +14:23
There is a brilliant write up on the BOK website:
Urgh - so I enjoyed it but failed terribly in the wooded area for pretty much all the controls. I was just not expecting that kind of navigation, so it completely threw me.
@RichardS I did wonder where you were going when I passed you the first time. The second time you had just entered the estate and seemed to be running very fast.
The latter part of the course was a lot of fun - you had to keep on your toes and stay focused, and there were good route choices (albeit very similar so it still mostly comes down to running speed). Pleased to see I chose the shortest route for the example leg BOK gives distances for:
and if anyone is in any doubt, this is a terrible route choice - a tiny path between two fences with brambles and stinging nettles!
