Graham Gristwood is one of the
biggest names in Orienteering. To his “longevity” within the
Elite, the athlete joins a deep knowledge of the sport, a charismatic
presence and some great achievements, namely the incredible world
title in the Relay, reached in Olomouc, Czech Republic, eight years
ago. Now that he ensured the presence in the World Orienteering
Championships 2016, the Portuguese Orienteering Blog went out to meet
him. The result is here, a really pleasant talk that we share with
all of you.
I believe you've answered this
question a million times, but I cannot resist asking you again: How
often do you think in Olomouc 2008 and in the gold in the Relay,
alongside with your mates Jamie Stevenson and Jon Duncan? Do you
still search on it a motivation to the challenges you're continuously
facing in your sporting life?
Graham Gristwood (G. G.) - The
Gold medal that I won with Jamie and Jon has, in many ways, defined
everything that has come since. People know me for that, and
certainly at races in Great Britain, it is the first thing people say
about me. It feels like a long time ago now, but I still think back
often to that day – and I often use it for inspiration. Jon and
Jamie were huge influences on my orienteering career, and although I
don't see them very often now, we will always share that experience.
Our win, and I think the Czech's victory in 2012, show that you don't
need to have three individual World Champions in your relay team to
do well, and that is something the GB relay team talk about a lot.
Even if I don't win any more medals in
my orienteering career, I am satisfied and proud that I could stand
at the top of the podium at least once. That doesn't mean I am going
to stop trying though!
Why Orienteering?
G. G. - It is the greatest sport
in the world – there is nothing like the feeling of running fast
through the forest, mastering the course and feeling satisfied with
your performance. There is always something to improve though –
even in the best runs.
What do you see in this sport that
makes it so special?
G. G. - The combination of
physical and technical challenge, with the bonus of travelling to
some amazing places and meeting some amazing people.
How important was that gold medal in
your career?
G. G. - It opened a lot of doors
for me, but I am equally proud of my best individual achievements.
People like to see the medal though!
Would you like to tell me about
other equally tasty moments in your career so far?
G. G. - I am very proud of my
silver medal in the World Cup Final in Geneva (2010) and my 4th place
at WOC Sprint in Chambery (2011). I have run very well in a few WOC
relays, but especially 2010 and 2015, with GB finishing 4th (and very
close to a medal) in both.
Finishing 4th in Tiomila and 7th at
Jukola with IFK Mora was fantastic too, after nobody considered us to
have any chance to do well.
Let's move forward a few years and
“relocate” ourselves in your home country, in Inverness,
Scotland. How did you see the WOC 2015 from a personal point of view?
G. G. - WOC 2015 was a fantastic
experience. It was the best GB team I have ever been involved in with
regards to the team spirit and motivation levels. The races were
generally excellent, and the support levels were absolutely
incredible.
My week was very mixed, as I went in to
the Championships in just about my best shape ever, but I got a sore
throat and light cold two days before my races. I ran very well
technically (one minute mistake on one control over three races) but
I wasn't quite 100% physically. I showed what I could do in the
relay, but I was disappointed with the results in the middle and long
(although happy with my performances). Of course we would have liked
some medals, but there were some fantastic results from a generally
young team.
How was it in terms of the
atmosphere, the organizational work, the media coverage, the event as
a whole?
G. G. - The atmosphere was
fantastic – the noise at the relay was the best I can remember!
From my perspective the organisers did well. Although there were
problems, they seemed to be minor things and they were dealt with
calmly. Things were quite smooth from my 'athlete's perspective'.
Do you feel that Orienteering in the
UK is better now than one year ago?
G. G. - In terms of the national
team, it is certainly a time of transition now with many senior
runners retiring. This has given an opportunity to a new generation
of younger runners – I am definitely the senior athlete now in the
GB squad.
In terms of participation – certainly
locally the clubs and Scottish Orienteering Association seem to be
having success in increasing the number of people orienteering –
hopefully it will be sustainable.
For the 12th time in the last
thirteen years, you managed to ensure another presence in the World
Orienteering Championships?
G. G. - Yes, and I feel I was
unlucky not to be selected in 2014 as well! I am now selected for
middle and relay at WOC 2016 after our Easter Festival at the JK last
weekend.
What Graham Gristwood are we finding
today if compared with the Graham Gristwood in Vasteras, Sweden, in
2004?
G. G. - Well, I don't dye my
hair blond any more (maybe next year...).
I now work a lot more, and spend less
time away from home. Racing is a smaller part of my life. But on the
other hand, I am much more 'professional' in my approach to
nutrition, training, rest and relaxation. I am also much calmer in
both orienteering and everything else.
My main memory from WOC 2004 is how bad
I felt physically before and during my races - entirely as an
emotional response to the nerves and stressful situation. Last year
the only race I felt nerves at was Jukola – generally I am very
relaxed before competitions now – after all it is meant to be fun!
How do you feel right now in terms
of your preparation?
G. G. - I am happy with my
preparations. I know I don't train as much as many other athletes,
but I try to 'train smart'. The most important thing for me is
consistency – staying injury and illness free. This winter has been
fairly good – some small problems before Christmas, but otherwise I
have been able to train as I wanted.
What are the most important
intermediate steps towards Strömstad’s great journey?
G. G. - The most important was
to get selected, and now I have done that. I am looking forward to
EOC (where I will run long and relay), and then I will have two
training camps in Strömstad with the GB team and IFK Mora.
What are your goals for the WOC
2016?
G. G. - There is a strong
feeling in the GB team now that we should put more emphasis on the
relay, and I am in favour of that. I love running relays, and WOC
relay is the pinnacle. I want to win another relay medal, and I
believe that we can do it – maybe not this year, but soon. I also
want to improve my middle pb – I haven't managed to crack the top
10 yet, although I have been very close several times. Most important
though is to get to the start line healthy, and do strong
performances that I can be proud of.
You are a person deeply involved
with Orienteering, both as a high level athlete, as a coach in your
Swedish club IFK Moras or even as a map maker. Want you tell me about
this global passion?
G. G. - I am elite coach for IFK
Mora, and I am also coach for the Elite Sprint Group in Great
Britain. I do some coaching for my club as well. Mostly I work making
orienteering maps. Generally there has never really been a plan – I
have just made the most of different opportunities that have
presented themselves. I never wanted an office job with regular hours
– many of my contemporaries have a lot of money but hate their
lives – where is the fun in that! People know me in orienteering,
so it is easy to get work doing that I enjoy doing and that doesn't
control my life. The main challenge is turning down work now!
I am passionate
about orienteering as well, and I think it is possible to make some
money whilst developing the sport in a good way. That is my target
with Sprint Scotland (sprintscotland.co.uk), which is a
professionally organised sprint training camp with two World Ranking
Events that I am organising in Scotland in July with Kris Jones and
Fanni Gyurko.
What's your perception on
Orienteering's current moment? Are we going in the right way?
G. G. - It is a difficult
question. I believe that orienteering's soul is in the forest, but
then I also love sprint orienteering when it is done well (by which I
mean it should be a constant technical challenge, not a running test
or a competition about who can make the best map during the
preparation). I was very sceptical about Mixed Sprint Relay, but
having watched a few and taken part in a number of GB team training
events I can honestly say I love it (again, when it is done well).
I can see in the near future that there
will be an almost distinct split between forest orienteering and
'urban' orienteering with different athletes (and different national
teams) for the most part. At least then people can participate in
whatever they enjoy.
One element I don't think works at the
moment is the World Cup. I have run 50+ World Cups over 12 years and
I think the current format is as bad as it has been. That is not to
say the individual competitions are not fantastically organised, but
the structure is such that many top runners cannot afford to
participate, despite the fact that there are no races outside Europe.
Many rounds only have the 'big nations' in attendance, with a one or
two runners from other countries (who don't have coaches and are
generally self-funded). I really enjoyed the format that existed
around 10 years ago, with week long World Cup events (sometimes with
split venues) in the spring and autumn, combined with EOC and WOC. As
a member of a team with very limited funding, the current World Cup
has no appeal to me at all. The races are overpriced - with
accreditation you might pay 150 euro or more for one race (not to
mention travel, accommodation, transport, maybe paying for coaches to
be there).
I also think the current World Ranking
system is ridiculous. When it was changed a couple of years ago, the
statistical element was entirely removed. To be in the top 50 of the
current system, the only way to get enough points is to run World
Cups and international races. It has killed the importance of other
World Ranking Events for the best runners. It also means it is very
difficult for younger runners to 'break in' to the system. This is
compounded with the use of the World Ranking for WOC start lists
etc... More advantage for the 'big nations' who can afford to send
large teams to all the World Cups to get their runners' rankings
high. I am really looking forward to EOC where runners can earn a
good start place in the final by doing well in the qualification race
- that is a fair way to do it.
How long are you going to see you
competing at the highest level?
G. G. - As long as I keep
enjoying it.
Finally, I would ask you a wish to
all orienteers around the world?
G. G. - Enjoy your orienteering
in whatever format you like. Keep making awesome maps and putting on
awesome races in awesome places.
Joaquim Margarido
