Discussion: 36
in: Sudden; Sudden > 2006-06-06
Jun 9, 2006 2:17 AM
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36 even? sounds like a solid time for that course. How did Fossil do?
Jun 9, 2006 2:50 AM
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Bash:
Check out the results here. Sudden modestly fails to mention that he placed 6th of 356 runners. Way to go, Sudden!! And Fossil was 16th with chip time of 38:58.
Jun 9, 2006 3:26 AM
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Impressive, Hans - you're definitely way faster on the road than I am at the moment. My PR is in the 34 range, but I'd be waaayyyyy off that time at the moment, and wouldn't get anywhere under 36 without some specific road and track training, I think. It really underlines (to me at least) the inherent unfairness of choosing such unusual and technical terrain (i.e. subtle dunes terrain in Alberta) to have selection races for a WOC in continental terrain (i.e. hilly, continental must-run-fast terrain in Denmark). It definitely tilted the selection in my favor - assuming my that relative to other contenders I'm technically more stable but a slower runner, a self-assessment that I don't think is too far off.
Little comfort at the moment, but something to think about for next year. Does the best orienteer always win regardless of terrain? Maybe, maybe not - but my feeling is that:
A) the best orienteer in one sort of terrain is not necessarily the best in another, and
B) in team selection even if the same top 1 or 2 people will always be selected regardless of terrain, the main challenges of selecting the team are in numbers 4,5 and 6 - and these are the positions that I think change significantly based on terrain (among other factors).
I'm hopeful that for next year we will have selection races that:
1) are in neutral terrain
2) are in relevant terrain
3) have appropriate courses that are well designed and propely set
At the moment (based mainly on hearsay at least), the 2007 US Team Trials do seem like they'd fit most of that criteria....
BTW - I have your sprint map somehow. I did get the week off from 19-24 June and will hopefully be able to swing through the Hammer at some point and hook up for some training and introduce Mia to Isak and Adria - will plan to bring it then.
Little comfort at the moment, but something to think about for next year. Does the best orienteer always win regardless of terrain? Maybe, maybe not - but my feeling is that:
A) the best orienteer in one sort of terrain is not necessarily the best in another, and
B) in team selection even if the same top 1 or 2 people will always be selected regardless of terrain, the main challenges of selecting the team are in numbers 4,5 and 6 - and these are the positions that I think change significantly based on terrain (among other factors).
I'm hopeful that for next year we will have selection races that:
1) are in neutral terrain
2) are in relevant terrain
3) have appropriate courses that are well designed and propely set
At the moment (based mainly on hearsay at least), the 2007 US Team Trials do seem like they'd fit most of that criteria....
BTW - I have your sprint map somehow. I did get the week off from 19-24 June and will hopefully be able to swing through the Hammer at some point and hook up for some training and introduce Mia to Isak and Adria - will plan to bring it then.
Jun 9, 2006 10:48 AM
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Good job Hans that is a tough and hilly course (well by road racing standards anyway) and with only a days rest from team trials - all the better. All those Lowry hills paying off? Last year's winner was mid 35's but the Kenyan had an easy job of it this year didn't he. I really enjoyed the post race bender. Enjoyed it a lot.
Wil, better warn Mia about Isak - he's a lady's man and he already has Emma hooked (and Etoile too I think).
Wil, better warn Mia about Isak - he's a lady's man and he already has Emma hooked (and Etoile too I think).
Jun 9, 2006 12:48 PM
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Yeah, I was wondering about Isak too - I thought he looked like trouble... But he comes from good folks so that counts for a lot.
Jun 9, 2006 4:50 PM
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Great job, especially if the course was hilly. I think it is also tough to run a good time if you don't have people around you . It doesn't look like the field was that big.
Jun 9, 2006 6:49 PM
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Brent, you know the hill to climb up to the Ancaster Community Centre? You do it twice.
Jun 9, 2006 10:57 PM
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It's not the same hill my legs exploded right?
Is there any precendent for sharing a Team Trials with the US. Has it been done in the past, BillA mentioned that it was tried years ago and there was a misplaced control and thus the board didn't want to take the chance.
Is there any precendent for sharing a Team Trials with the US. Has it been done in the past, BillA mentioned that it was tried years ago and there was a misplaced control and thus the board didn't want to take the chance.
Jun 9, 2006 11:48 PM
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Yes, Nev the very same hill but not the same place. It runs east on Jerseyville from Ancaster HS. Down the hill then right back up the other side. Left on Lover's Lane threw that groovy neighbourhood and down to Sulphur Springs road near K2. Then back up the hill to Lover's Lane (5K mark). Then typical flat road race stuff thereafter.
Jun 10, 2006 1:00 AM
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I'm not sure if there is a precedent for joint team trials - but it would surprise me if there wasn't.
And even if it hasn't been done in the past doesn't mean it's not a good idea.
Since 2003, despite living nowhere the US/Canada border, I have been placing the US Trials near the top of my list for meets to attend, and I can say that all the races I have been in have been far above-average in quality (and mostly excellent, truth be told - probably thanks to Eric Weyman and other course consultants), and I don't believe there has been any significant difficulty with misplaced controls. The combination of excellent courses, generally top-quality maps and fairly neutral (and usually WOC-relevant, which is important for a runner like me who has limited access to races prior to WOC and wants to ideally have as much time to work on relevant techniques) terrain, plus a guaranteed quality field, is way more than most other A-meets can boast.
For a number of reasons, it generally makes sense to me to combine the US and Canadian selections, and make a truly quality field (for North America anyway) in WOC-relevant terrain. WRE points being available would be a major bonus too - and we'd have all our top-ranked runners there to contribute to the pool.
And even if it hasn't been done in the past doesn't mean it's not a good idea.
Since 2003, despite living nowhere the US/Canada border, I have been placing the US Trials near the top of my list for meets to attend, and I can say that all the races I have been in have been far above-average in quality (and mostly excellent, truth be told - probably thanks to Eric Weyman and other course consultants), and I don't believe there has been any significant difficulty with misplaced controls. The combination of excellent courses, generally top-quality maps and fairly neutral (and usually WOC-relevant, which is important for a runner like me who has limited access to races prior to WOC and wants to ideally have as much time to work on relevant techniques) terrain, plus a guaranteed quality field, is way more than most other A-meets can boast.
For a number of reasons, it generally makes sense to me to combine the US and Canadian selections, and make a truly quality field (for North America anyway) in WOC-relevant terrain. WRE points being available would be a major bonus too - and we'd have all our top-ranked runners there to contribute to the pool.
This discussion thread is closed.