This year, with the kind permission of BOK, the Inter Command and RAFO v Police Championships were held at the annual BOK TROT Regional Event in the Forest of Dean.  The men competed over the M35 Long course and the ladies flew over the M21, M35 and M50 Short courses!!!!  Thankfully the weather nearly held of all day, and it proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable , if prickly, event.

STC overwhelmed PTC in both the ladies' and men's event this year, with Geoff Ellis and Carol Young being clear winners.

The event was also used to host the RAFO v Police Challenge 2004.  Both teams presented a strong field, with RAFO retaining the Men's trophy and PSUK claiming the Ladies' trophy by a margin of 10 minutes.  The Police have kindly offered to organize next years competition, probably in Sherwood Forest, I think!

I'll leave the comments to Keith Francis, in his race report below:

The Inter-Command and RAF Individual Championships took place at Moseley Green in the Forest of Dean. The event was piggy-backed onto the Bristol Orienteering Club BOKTrot Badge event. The male competitors were entered on the M35L course 8.7km, 365m climb, whilst the females were entered on the W35S course, 5.5km, 215m climb. The event was set in a typical Forest of Dean mixed species working forest, with some large individual specimen trees, old mine workings and large spoil heaps. The map was an upgrade of the 2002 JK 1:10,000 map. Much of the forest event area was very runnable, however some areas were restrictive due to brambles and brashings. An old mineral railway line ran SW/NE across the map. Though this area was fenced off, both courses crossed the shallower end of the cutting and care had to be taken not to trip on debris and wires.

Due to parking restrictions in the area there was a 1.6km walk to start from the event centre/car park. The indicated weather forecast for the day was rain and gales, so a fun day was expected by all! 

Many of the RAFO competitors had opted to stay in Mess facilities at RAF Innsworth. This was an ideal accommodation option as it was only 20 miles away from the event centre. Mick Chopping and myself had stayed here several years ago and decided that the Saturday evening meal could be taken in a local pub within walking distance of the camp gates (The Hare and Hounds). This would also make a good meeting point for all team members arriving that evening. However, Robbie Austin had over ideas, having honed her orienteering skills and capabilities she was not prepared to throw it all away by passively smoking a 20 pack in the ambiance this delightful establishment. Anyway “The Hairy Hound is in the middle of a council estate!” she stated snobbishly! So we (The Marham Team + me PTC hanger-on) ended up in a quiet pub called ‘The Air Balloon’, at the top of the hill. What hill? It was dark! Conversely, the Kinloss boys ended up in a bar full of accommodating females and didn’t even spread the word! No wonder Steve Lilleyman ran so well!

Sunday morning; it was overcast but dry. A large fried breakfast was consumed (including some strange mushroom variations!), thus filling the tank ready for a good run. Mick C+Mick S (Mick2) were collected from the Old Mans Mess and we headed off to the FoD with Robbie (+hubby) in tow. Mick C, always the optimist, suggested that if the weather was bad enough the event would be cancelled and we could all bog off to the pub for lunch. It was not to be, the weather remained calm and the competition excitement mounted.

We were greeted to the event by the sunshine smile of Pete Wood, who’d inhabited the blueness of the RAFO tent (The tent that didn’t go to Sweden!). By now many RAFO members had gathered and many handshakes had taken place. It was time to think about race prep and warm up (ie The 1.6km warm up to the start). Mick & John Liston , the father & son combo, were competing against each other for the last time in a RAFO Championships, so time was taken to get some photos of the pair before their run.

The starts had been blocked into half hour periods, allowing competitors to start their run as and when they were ready. This meant that RAFO members walked to, and waited at the start in large gaggles. Buck Rodgers mentioned that the Monty Python’s ‘Quest for the Holy Grail’ was filmed in the Forest of Dean. This started the renditions of lines from the film: “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elder berries!”, “We are the knights that say Ni!”, “Bring me a shwubbery!” etc. Colin Harding and Mick Chopping knew the most lines….missed-spent youths!! This focused my concentration, enhanced my visualisation and boosted my ‘Mojo’, I was ready to run!

My start (Time unknown) was witnessed by Andy Ebdon, Mike Rodgers, Colin Harding and Jane Congreve. (They may not remember!), so it had to be quick and clean; off the start line, dib at the start control, pick up the map, and run like the wind in the right direction, glancing only briefly at the map. Perfect, into an area of thick vegetation and out of sight! I could now slow down and read the map properly. I flew cleanly through controls 1 to 5, more or less direct, passing Mick Sillet at control 2. Things got a little tricky at control 6; I’d paced up the hill about 250m, then stupidly following a small child into the terrain to the right of the path. I’d cut in 50m too early and found myself floundering around in the brashings. Immediately realising my mistake I shot back out to the path to relocate, this time I overshot slightly, only seeing the control site as Buck came up behind me. In a swoosh of waving fern leaves Buck had gone. I headed across on a bearing to a ruined wall, my confidence had been slightly dented so my pace slowed. I hit the wall further to the right than I thought, again with low confidence I gingerly moved northward along the wall, control 7 was in the bag.

My next snag came straight after the road crossing as the rain started to fall. Feeling a little tired I knuckled down to run at the next control circle. Buffoon!! I’d only instinctively headed for number 20. I think it was during my backtrack manoeuvre to control 9 that Andy Ebdon whistled passed in a blur of red nylon (Electric!)

The wheels were still fitted; the teddies were still in my cot etc. I picked up the path directly to 11, flew passed Buck (Running in opposite direction) on the way to 12. Picked up 13 & 14, then the trouble started. On approach to 15 I saw another runner exiting the site to the right; after punching I was sucked into following him. This caused me to steer dramatically to the right of the mapped red line. There were 2 fenced areas ahead both containing dastardly nasty vegetation. I ploughed through it knowing exactly where I was, with Buck, Martin Doig and a chap from MOR behind me. 10 minutes later (or so it seemed) I’d broken through onto a path (Between the 2 said areas). I fought on, now alone, up a large re-entrant looking for a string of depressions in amongst nipple high ferns…….impossible!! I was now officially annoyed. Buck appeared, followed by Martin D, then the other chap (Who I don’t know?). We spent another 5 minutes discussing the devilishness of the planner, then Mike happened across a depression with control 157 in it……at last! Wheels now off, teddies out… gone!

The rest of my run went pretty cleanly, though I did get sucked along by Buck between several controls. I caught Mick Chopping up during my entry into control 23, at which point Buck crossed my path right to left???, I was not to see him again until I waited for him at the finish. Mick C had run very well, he kept up with me until control 25 (Final control), this control site can only be described as an open cast mine (Nearly) and poor old Mick couldn’t extract himself from it!

All in all an enjoyable run apart from the bramble faff at control 15. On checking the results I couldn’t believe the old duffer Mick Liston had beaten me…”Well done Mick, that pairs training session we did in Scotland must have rubbed off!!”

Keith Francis