Comments on: How long should the women’s Long Distance be? http://news.worldofo.com/2016/04/13/how-long-should-the-womens-long-distance-be/ Wed, 28 Aug 2019 06:19:27 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.24 By: Knut Wiig Mathisen http://news.worldofo.com/2016/04/13/how-long-should-the-womens-long-distance-be/#comment-124695 Fri, 29 Apr 2016 06:43:32 +0000 http://news.worldofo.com/?p=10949#comment-124695 As this discussion has evolved a bit towards the competition program and race distances in general, here is my strong and long-lasting input:
1) Competitions should have fixed running lengths.
2) All races should be measured according to the length of longest route-choice that one or more of the good competitors are expected to choose
3) The forest distances for men should be 6,9,18 and 30 km
4) The forest distances for women should be 16.67% shorter (meaning equal winning times), 5,7.5,15 and 25 km
5) The forest relay should have four legs, each 6 respectively 5 km
6) The 6 (5) should be interval start as today
7) The 9 (7.5) km should be a chase start based on the 6 (5) race
8) The 30 (25) km should alternate with the 18 (15) km, with one race as interval start and one as mass start
9) The full competition program for a championship week should be Day 1 (Saturday): 6(5) km; Day 2: 9 (7.5) km; Day 4: 18 (15) km; Day 6 Relay 4*6 (5) km; Day 8: 30 (25) km
10) All competitors qualified for the championship allowed to enter the 6 (5) km distance, but only the best 40 on the 9 (7.5) km. Instead non-qualified runners for the chase start run a qualification race that same day to qualify for the 18 (15) km. Mass start race entry limited and based on previous results during the week.

To limit the length of this article I will not argue for each of the proposed changes, but yes, it is inspired by biathlon and cross-country skiing. Why not, these are very popular events in almost all the leading top orienteering countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, France, Germany, Suisse etc)?

]]> By: Agnar Renolen http://news.worldofo.com/2016/04/13/how-long-should-the-womens-long-distance-be/#comment-124683 Tue, 26 Apr 2016 13:56:33 +0000 http://news.worldofo.com/?p=10949#comment-124683 I think the short winning time in the womens class is a relic from the time when orienteering was only one distance, the LD (first MD WOC in Marianske Lazne, 1991). Now, we have both MD and sprint. So today, if you find the LD too long, so run the MD or sprint (no matter the gender).

I think standardized gender-neutral winning times is a good thing for the sport. Women will still run a bit shorter than the men as they run a bit slower (compared to athletics and swimming where women compete in the same DISTANCES as the men, and use LONGER times).

Maybe we should have standardized non-championship distance between the MD and the LD (it’s a big gap in MD and LD).

]]> By: José Enrique Barcia. http://news.worldofo.com/2016/04/13/how-long-should-the-womens-long-distance-be/#comment-124651 Thu, 21 Apr 2016 11:57:06 +0000 http://news.worldofo.com/?p=10949#comment-124651 I agree. Absolutly.

]]> By: J.M. http://news.worldofo.com/2016/04/13/how-long-should-the-womens-long-distance-be/#comment-124646 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 14:35:59 +0000 http://news.worldofo.com/?p=10949#comment-124646 Discussion is going about different distances only by physical challenges. The sport is orienteering. Where is the mental aspect.

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