WTOC 2015: The movie

[A Vihor OK movie / www.vihor.hr. Image and edition: Foto Brezar / foto.brezar@gmail.com / https://facebook.com/fotobrezar]

Joaquim Margarido

Porto City Race 2015: The word to the winners

Big winners of the Porto City Race 2015, the British Jack Kosky and Sophie Kirk talked to the Portuguese Orienteering Blog about their experiences in Portugal. A relaxed conversation which withdraws the great convergence of opinions about the value of the course, the organization and the City Race Euro Tour.

Like many British orienteers, Jack Kosky and Sophie Kirk departed from London to Porto for one special weekend. The active tourism is among the activities of their choice and, in a fashionable city like Porto, an Orienteering event is very welcome. “I think I've never been in Portugal before”, say Sophie, joining to the sentence a hearty laugh. But quickly corrects, “perhaps at the Portugal O'Meeting, I'm not quite sure.” These are days of break in her professional activity and a holiday in Porto, a city to discover, is the reason why she's here. “And I still have two more days of vacation”, Sophie says, smiling from ear to ear. The purpose of a tourist visit is also the reason of Jack Kosky's option for the “Invicta”, but here the situation is somewhat different: “Last year I was in Porto in this time, as a tourist, but I lost the Porto City Race. Seeing the city, I understood how interesting would be to compete here, in a very hilly city, with many narrow streets, for a very nice orienteering. This year I could confirm that”, he confesses.

Speaking of her race, Sophie Kirk emphasizes that “it was quite fast and tricky as well. And it was quite hot and quite long too, so I got really tired in the end.” Sophie points the keys for her victory: “I didn’t make too many mistakes, I just try to keep running.” Kosky highlights the running part as his ultimate weapon, stating that “I train more running than Orienteering and it might helped today.” But he underline “the small technical sections along with longer legs, in the hills, on the heat... it was an absolutely physical and technical challenge”, giving full marks to the course setter. Also the organization, in a global way, deserved the appreciation of both, with Jack Kosky to applaud a particular effort: “I could see a lot of publicity around the city, there was so many sponsors on the map comparing with London, for example. When we run in the middle of the forest, nobody see us, but this is an urban race and it was nice to see what happened here. The organizers have done really well, calling the people.”

The concept of the Euro City Race Tour, combining tourism and Orienteering, equally pleases both. Again Jack Kosky taking the word, based on his personal experience: “I like to plan my trips with a purpose and it’s nice to go somewhere with a sport activity in mind. You see the place in a different line, you understand better those who live there, you see different parts of the city that you wouldn’t visit otherwise. It’s nice to mix sport and trip, so I think that the concept for the City Race Euro Tour is great.” And Sophie Kirk suggests that the circuit should include more cities. But which ones? On her face, the expression of a decision everything but easy, but finally a name: "Berlin". Jack Kosky, on the other hand, puts forward the name of Venice without even thinking twice: “I’ve never ran there but some of my friends did it and I think it’s really fun. And we could see another country joining the circuit”, he concludes.

Joaquim Margarido

Porto City Race 2015: Moments

Saudações orientistas.

Joaquim Margarido

Porto City Race 2015: Maps

Saudações orientistas.

Joaquim Margarido

Porto City Race 2015: Triumphs of Jack Kosky and Sophie Kirk

Held today, on Pasteleira map, the third stage of Port City Race 2015 put an ending in the event. Hardly contested, the queen stage had in the British Jack Kosky and Sophie Kirk the big winners.

Point of departure and arrival of the third and final stage of the Porto City Race 2015, the Pasteleira Park was the epicentre of the queen stage, held this morning and scoring for the City Race Euro Tour 2015. Organized by the Grupo Desportivo dos Quatro Caminhos, the event offered great challenges to about three hundred participants, more than half of which competing in the Open classes.

A week after the London City Race 2015, where he was 23rd placed, the British Jack Kosky took a big win today in the Men Senior class, covering the 8.400 meters of his course in 52:10. Repeating the outstanding performance that earned him, yesterday, the triumph in the Final of the Portuguese Urban Circuit 2015, Nélson Baroca (CA Madeira) was the second placed, with 59 seconds more than the winner. Winner of the Sprint stage that took place yesterday at S. Roque Park and Monte Aventino Sports Centre, the British Mark Burley (Bristol OK) finished in the third place with a time of 53:26.

Remaining winners

The winner of the Women Senior class was the British Sophie Kirk (Octavian Doobsters), finnishing the 5.600 meters of her course in 41:26. To this result she adds the triumph in the night Sprint stage that opened the Porto City Race 2015 and follows to the excellent 8th place achieved last week at London City Race 2015. The French Heloise Cavalier (RO Paris) and Marie Desrumaux (Valmo), took again excellent results, occupying respectively the second and third positions, with 1:39 and 2:07 more than the winner. Tania Costa Covas (.COM) was the best Portuguese athlete in the race today, finishing in sixth place with 5:45 more than the winner.

In the other classes, the rule remained and while the Portuguese dominated in the lower age groups, the foreigners, mostly British, were the great rulers in the Veterans classes. The highlights go to the youngster Helena Lima (COC), for the veteran Mary Ross (interlopers), for the Super-Veteran Annamari Vierikko (HS) and for the Ultra-Veteran Christopher Branford (WIN), which made a full of victories in the three stages disputed.

Results

Men Senior

1. Jack Kosky (UDOC) 52:10 (+ 00:00)

2. Nelson Baroca (CA Madeira) 53:09 (+ 00:59)

3. Mark Burley (Bristol OK) 53:26 (+ 01:16)

4. Robert Kelly (AIRE) 56:55 (+ 04:45)

5. Maikel Rodriguez (AROMON) 58:37 (+ 06:27)

Women Senior

1. Sophie Kirk (Octavian Droobers) 41:26 (+ 00:00)

2. Heloise Cavalier (RO Paris) 43:05 (+ 01:39)

3. Marie Desrumaux (Valmo) 43:33 (+ 02:07)

4. Merill Mägi (OK Kape) 43:47 (+ 02:21)

5. Sally Calland (WIM) 47:04 (+ 05:38)

Winners other classes

Youth M/F - Tomás Lima (COC) and Helena Lima (COC)

Junior M/F - Ricardo Ferreira (ADFA) and Joana Marques (Ori-Estarreja)

Veteran M/F - Eduard Garcia (Farra-O) and Mary Ross (INTerlopers)

Super-Veteran M / F - Gavin Clegg (Quantock Orienteers) and Annamari Vierikko (HS)

Ultra-Veteran M / F - Christopher Branford (WIM) and Liz Drew (Happy Hearts)

Initiation - Afonso Guimarães (CCachapuz OK)

Open Short - Daniel Pereira (EB Apulia)

Open Middle - Eduardo Camilo (Individual)

Open Long - Gonçalo Gomes (Seri)

Further information and complete results at http://www.gd4caminhos.com/portocityrace.

Joaquim Margarido