Perthshire challenge for outdoor event

Nov 25 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

ORIENTEERS are to navigate their way to Perthshire again for a major outdoor event in April next year.

Preparations are well under way for another event in the area next Easter, bringing a significant influx of visitors to the area.

The Jan Kjellström International Orienteering Festival, or “JK” as it is known amongst orienteers, will take place in Kinloch Rannoch, Pitlochry and around Dunkeld.

The event, first run in 1967, regularly attracts a field of around four thousand competitors.

If the Scandinavian-sounding name is confusing, the event is named after and held in memory of Jan Kjellström, a Swedish orienteer who played an important role in the development of the sport in Great Britain.

Orienteering is very much a sport for all ages and has an almost unique ability to attract large numbers of older competitors to a physically-demanding and active sport.

Local club Tayside Orienteers is playing its part in helping with the organisation of the event and many club members have already put their entries in. The Nicoll family from Dunkeld have already put their names down.

Mel Nicoll said: “We’re obviously really excited that the JK will be on our doorstep and that we’re getting another chance to take part in a world class event alongside many of the big names in the sport.

“The atmosphere of an event like this is fantastic and really inspiring for our kids who get a chance to meet orienteers from all around the world. We’ve been taking the kids orienteering since they were really small and we’re really keen to encourage other local families to have a go – there are “string” courses for the youngest of children where they literally follow a string laid out on the ground to guide them around a simple orienteering course, often with fun picture clues – and always a wee treat to reward them at the end!

Older competitors might however be more tempted by the social programme, which includes wine and whisky tasting sessions and a ceilidh.”

The JK will take place from Friday, April 6 to Monday 9 starting with an urban sprint event in Livingston, before moving up to Highland Perthshire on the Saturday.

In addition to the usual orienteering format of individual races, other features of the event are World Ranking status for the competition on the Saturday, relay races at Newtyle, near Dunkeld on the Monday and TrailO competitions at Faskally near Pitlochry and along the banks of the Tay at Dunkeld.

TrailO has been developed to offer everyone, including people with limited mobility, a chance to participate.

Wheel chairs, walking sticks, and assistance with movement, etc are permitted as speed of movement is not part of the competition, with trail orienteers identifying on the ground control points shown on the map.

As this is done from a distance, both able-bodied and participants with disabilities compete on level terms.

There are discounts for early entry, with the first cut-off point being the end of November.

Further details available online at www.scottish-orienteering.org/jk2012