World of O News
– Running up the finish straight at the WOC Relay with my team and meeting our coach and friend Dave Peel was the highlight of the season, Jamie Stevenson tells us in this interview. Stevenson took home the victory for Great Britain in one of the most special orienteering thrillers the orienteering world has seen – the WOC Relay – after delivering a fantastic performance on the last leg, suprising everybody by coming in first. His teammates Graham Gristwood and Jon Duncan are also a very important part of this achievement. Below Stevenson is presented for the nomination “The Orienteering Achievement of 2008″ through an interview made by World of O and Ultimate Orienteering.
About: Two of the major sources for international orienteering news on the Internet – World of O and Ultimate Orienteering – are organizing a poll to name “The Orienteering Achievement of 2008″ and “The Ultimate Junior Orienteer of 2008″. The winner in each category is decided in a vote amongst all the readers of World of O and Ultimate Orienteering after all nominees have been presented. Starting November 12th we present all nominees on a day-by-day basis. The poll is sponsored by Trimtex. Voting will be possible after all nominees have been presented from the voting page. See also all nominees in the initial press release.
Interview with Jamie Stevenson
Give a short presentation of yourself.
I was born in 1975 in Edinburgh Scotland. I have lived in Sweden 1999 – 2004. Now I live in Hillerød, Denmark. I am engaged to Helene Hausner. We are happy parents of baby Selma, born October 2008. My profession is school teacher – english and sport.
I started orienteering aged 11. My first WOC was in 1997 in Norway, 22 years old – 6th place in relay.
What was the highlight of the 2008 season for you?
The WOC relay. Running up the finish straight at the WOC Relay with my team and meeting our coach and friend Dave Peel was the highlight of the season.
I hope to perform well but also be a good team member and inspire the next generation of national team runners
What is your thought about being nominated for the orienteering achievement of 2008?
I am very flattered.
What are your main goals for the future?
I hope to run one more WOC long distance, in very technical terrain next year. I hope to perform well but also be a good team member and inspire the next generation of national team runners, either as a member of the relay team or as a spectator.
Where is your favourite place to orienteer – where you would advice our readers to travel?
I love orienteering everywhere. The Lake District in England is one of my favourites, but after visiting Hungary and Slovakia I am looking forward to next year’s WOC.
Can you describe your toughest training week in 2008 (day-by-day)? Did that have any specific impact for your great achievements in 2008?
I got into good running shape on the forest tracks around Hillerød. I had to economise on training time during many weeks, so I used threshold runs to work and back home as good basic training. I trained 160 km a couple of times and 140 km quite often during the spring and early summer.
… after visiting Hungary and Slovakia I am looking forward to next year’s WOC
Are you a professional orienteer? How many percent is your work/study that you do besides orienteering compared to a full position – and how many hours do you train each year?
No – I am a professional teacher and a family man, with a house to fix and a garden to look after! I work full time, but I took a couple of weeks off school to take part in training camps last year. When I train hard I train 10 – 15 hours. But in the autumn I usually spend a lot of time on my work and at home. This year I have spent a lot of time getting ready for our baby and now of course I want to spend as much time with Helene and Selma at home as possible.
In your training: Do you put priority on running in the forest or on the road/track? What is your PB in 3000m/5000m?
I have spent a lot of time on forest trails, because it is quick and effective training. But of course I spend a lot of time in the forest when we have training camps in WOC relevant terrain for example. PB times are 8.39 in 3000m/ 14.38 in 5000m.
