I always thought it was intended to be a 26 mi O event but see not this time, at least. That's a bit more "comforting" to see:-).
Always 26.2 km, since its inception. (DVOA has put on a couple of 26.2 mile orienteering events, in less punishing terrain.)
Congratulations on your first highlander, Ernst! I've yet to have mine :-). Was nice meeting you
Did not wear my GPS watch. It has thick multiple layers of repair bands to hold it together - too onerous to wear. So I steal the distances from other people. Looks like ~ 32 km is a good average.