Discussion: Big relay
in: Orienteering; General
Oct 29, 2005 4:38 PM
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rm:
I've had an idea for a North American event since participating
in the 25-Manna relay in Sweden last fall. I think it would be exciting and fun, but I don't know what others would think. The 25-Manna-ish format keeps it quick.
An 8 person relay. 8 courses of different lengths and difficulties, with some forking. Three people from each team head out at the mass start. As each person finishes, they tag off to another person on the team, who heads out. The first team with all members back wins. (For more strategy,
I figure you allow each team to do the eight courses in any order...the team can pick which team member goes out on which course on which leg. Just have to do all eight by the end. Or allow some flexibility in the order anyway.)
The 25-Manna worked this way, except four people at once, and some early and late legs with only one person out at a time. It had strategy about sending slower, less reliable orienteers out earlier for the legs that had multiple runners out at once (as would be the case for all legs here), so that the times would come back together.
The Swedish event was run and exciting, with lots of people coming in and going out all the time. It also made for a surprisingly short day.
I'm figuring that it would only need about ten teams to be exciting and fun.
Do you think that North American orienteers would like something like this? (Or other ideas for a big relay? Mike Waddington mentioned other ideas for a big team or relay event.)
in the 25-Manna relay in Sweden last fall. I think it would be exciting and fun, but I don't know what others would think. The 25-Manna-ish format keeps it quick.
An 8 person relay. 8 courses of different lengths and difficulties, with some forking. Three people from each team head out at the mass start. As each person finishes, they tag off to another person on the team, who heads out. The first team with all members back wins. (For more strategy,
I figure you allow each team to do the eight courses in any order...the team can pick which team member goes out on which course on which leg. Just have to do all eight by the end. Or allow some flexibility in the order anyway.)
The 25-Manna worked this way, except four people at once, and some early and late legs with only one person out at a time. It had strategy about sending slower, less reliable orienteers out earlier for the legs that had multiple runners out at once (as would be the case for all legs here), so that the times would come back together.
The Swedish event was run and exciting, with lots of people coming in and going out all the time. It also made for a surprisingly short day.
I'm figuring that it would only need about ten teams to be exciting and fun.
Do you think that North American orienteers would like something like this? (Or other ideas for a big relay? Mike Waddington mentioned other ideas for a big team or relay event.)
Oct 29, 2005 5:54 PM
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The ideas that Jim mentioned above stem from a discussion with Alar Ruutopold many years ago.
We thought it would be cool to have a 7 or 8 person relay like Jim has mentioned but figure only 10 or so clubs could really put together decent teams of that size. But it would/could be a popular race.
The other idea we thought of was to make an orienteering/adventure running version of the very popular 12/24 hour relays done in MTB (e.g., 24 hours of adrenalin) and also done in trail running and cross country skiing.
We thought that this type of format could really bring the orienteering, rogaining, trail running and AR communities together and increase the number of teams. Teams could be 4 to 6 people. Set up a base camp with a campsite. Start at noon and race to midnight? The team going the farthest wins. The race could start with a few loops of some short courses that people have to do each individually as a relay, then a team section, a duo section, a few easy trail runs, perhaps a really long and technical solo or duo section, etc. etc.
Have some good music playing at the base camp, beer garden, campsite etc.
Another option is to take a solo race and make it into a team race by using a points system.
Any of these would be cool.
We thought it would be cool to have a 7 or 8 person relay like Jim has mentioned but figure only 10 or so clubs could really put together decent teams of that size. But it would/could be a popular race.
The other idea we thought of was to make an orienteering/adventure running version of the very popular 12/24 hour relays done in MTB (e.g., 24 hours of adrenalin) and also done in trail running and cross country skiing.
We thought that this type of format could really bring the orienteering, rogaining, trail running and AR communities together and increase the number of teams. Teams could be 4 to 6 people. Set up a base camp with a campsite. Start at noon and race to midnight? The team going the farthest wins. The race could start with a few loops of some short courses that people have to do each individually as a relay, then a team section, a duo section, a few easy trail runs, perhaps a really long and technical solo or duo section, etc. etc.
Have some good music playing at the base camp, beer garden, campsite etc.
Another option is to take a solo race and make it into a team race by using a points system.
Any of these would be cool.
Oct 29, 2005 6:30 PM
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What about a score-O with everyone from a team visiting different controls (selected by the team)? Everyone from the team starts at the same time.
Oct 29, 2005 7:11 PM
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Um we can't really put together a competitive US Relay Champs some of the years... well, the 12-point category IS usually competitive.
Oct 29, 2005 7:37 PM
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feet:
The 24 hour idea is done biannually in Germany, and is one of those cool events I mean to make it to some year. They have a bilingual website: (http://www.24h-ol.de/ ). There was also an article in Orienteering Today on the 2005 edition about three issues back. Next version in 2007. Germany is not really an O-powerhouse; it seems like what they can do, we have some chance of being able to manage.
Oct 29, 2005 8:43 PM
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Another option would be something like Smalandskavlen (which is going on this weekend).
The relay has five legs. The first two are night legs are on Saturday night with individual starts. Then the relay continues at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning with a chase start for the last three legs. The team with the best combined time for the two night legs starts first.
A similar format could work in the U.S. with a couple of modifications. First, you could allow runners to run both a night and day leg (so a team could be made up of as few as three runners). Second, you would set up the chase start so that the worst a team could start on the second day would be something like 15 or 20 minutes after the lead team. That would reward a team with good night runners, but wouldn't make having good night runners an absolute must to be reasonably competitive (you could even allow teams to start in the chase even if they didn't have any night runners).
The relay has five legs. The first two are night legs are on Saturday night with individual starts. Then the relay continues at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning with a chase start for the last three legs. The team with the best combined time for the two night legs starts first.
A similar format could work in the U.S. with a couple of modifications. First, you could allow runners to run both a night and day leg (so a team could be made up of as few as three runners). Second, you would set up the chase start so that the worst a team could start on the second day would be something like 15 or 20 minutes after the lead team. That would reward a team with good night runners, but wouldn't make having good night runners an absolute must to be reasonably competitive (you could even allow teams to start in the chase even if they didn't have any night runners).
This discussion thread is closed.