Relays

Each year there are a few relay events where teams are entered on a club basis.   Relays are a fun, sociable way to orienteer, and with the Club tent to keep out the elements, it’s warm and dry as well!

The three main relay events are the British Orienteering Relay Championships, which are held on the day after the British Champs in May, the British Mixed Sprint Relays and the JK relay which is the last day of the four day Easter festival. The two other relay events of note are the Harvester, which is a seven leg relay that starts in the late evening and runs through the night, and the Peter Palmer Relay for club Junior teams.

Relays work as you might think, with a mass start and handovers, but the courses are made up of a series of legs that vary so that each team has a different combination.  By the end every team has covered exactly the same set of legs, but in a different order.  The first leg is usually highly chaotic and there are lots of controls so it is important to check. There are usually different classes like Open, combined age over 165, combined age under 40 and so on (for teams of three).  It is great fun and there is always a buzz.

If you want to run as part of a Claro team in any of these events, please let Claro’s Relay Secretary (Andrew Kelly) know.  Closing dates are often some weeks in advance of the race itself, so don’t leave it too late!

Photo credit – Wendy Carlisle