Sprint Orienteering Championships at UUC

A number of elite competitors travelled to Coleraine for the Irish Sprint Orienteering Championships at the University of Ulster campus.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th Apr 2010, 15:45 BST

Updated 30th Apr 2010, 16:19 BST

Unusually the competitors started indoors where they picked up their maps.

The elite men’s 2.3km course was won, as expected by top seed Nicolas Simonin from Bishopstown in Co Cork in a time of 15:35minutes, but the women’s course was taken by the number seven seed Susan Bell from Belfast, running for Lagan Valley Orienteers.

Susan, who recently travelled to an event at Cambridge University in preparation, ran the 2.1km 23 control-point course in 18:43 minutes and admitted she had slowed down at critical points on the course to establish the best route to the next control.

Colm HIll from Co Kidare said that the sprint event was ‘one of the best’ he had run.

The North West Orienteering Club will now be able to use the new very detailed map at introductory events on Thursday evenings scheduled for May 13, 22 and 27.