members of the Roxburgh Reivers were part of the organising team on the first day of the JK International Orienteering Event, the largest annual UK competition, hosted by Scotland this year.
Day one was a fast and furious short race round the alleyways of Livingston, held in a drizzle, but an enjoyable start to the weekend. There were mixed fortunes for the club with the notable exception being fourth place for Kirstin Maxwell on the W20 elite course.
Day Two moved to Perthshire and a traditional Scottish mixture of commercial plantation and semi-open grazing land. Reivers had better luck, with excellent results from John Tullie (second), Eileen Maxwell (second) and Kirstin Maxwell (third). The event attracts a large number of overseas competitors.
Day Three was at Craig a Barns, Dunkeld, the large forest with the enormous crags you see to the east of the A9. Winter storms had brought down hundreds of trees, which meant a very physical race. Reivers were on a roll, with Douglas Tullie winning the Men’s Elite course over the 12km course and taking second overall after a poor run the day before. John Tullie scored an overall win on M55, three years after winning M50 – not many people can claim two wins in the history of the event. Kirstin Maxwell in W20 elite finished the weekend in bronze position.
The second of this year’s Scottish League events took a small number of club members to Dalbeattie Forest last weekend, notable for its maze of walker and mountain bike trails. The best performances came from Lindsey Knox (second on W50), Douglas Henderson (third on M60), Ian Maxwell (fourth on M50) and Barry Veitch (fourth on M40).
The next local event is on Saturday at Elibank. Entrance is from the South Tweed Road between Walkerburn and Peel. See www.roxburghreivers.org.uk for more details.