Scottish orienteers showed real determination to ensure that the 2026 Jan Kjellstrom Festival Long race went ahead, and were rewarded as 33 of their countrymen (and women) claimed overall medals after two days of hard racing.
A deep coating of overnight snow greeted the volunteers who were on hand early to set up at Rannoch Forest, and the arena looked like something from the recent Winter Olympics. The medium range weather forecast was for blizzards (and blue skies!) and those with long memories were reminded of the 1998 JK in Wales, where the Elite courses had to be abandoned due to the starts being cut off by snow.
Event co-ordinator Jon Cross and his team worked wonders to ensure the courses were ready for action, and had everything licked into shape to start on time and without a hitch, and it’s to their credit that the race was able to take place.
The 2026 Jan Kjellstrom International Festival managed to dodge the worst of Storm Dave to deliver a quality Middle distance race at Rannoch, with Scottish-based athletes coming away in 30 overnight medal positions, right across the classes.
The Junior girls were to the fore, as Ingrid Edenbrandt (ESOC) leads W10A in 14.12,with clubmate Kirstin Tinsley 2nd (19.02), and Freya Carter (INVOC) is placed 2nd in W12A (30.04). W14A also has two Scots at the top, as FVO’s Hannah Inman leads overnight in 19.45, from Emma Daley (ESOC – 25.21). Carl Selmer Duguid (TAY) is in provisional bronze medal place in M14A, after a run of 24.41, and INVOC athletes hold 3rd in both under 16 classes, through Cora Comisso (24.14) and Henrik Borrowman (24.53).
All roads will lead to Perthshire this Easter weekend, as the largest event in the UK, the Jan Kjellstrom International Festival returns to Scotland for the first time in 14 years
Although the festival moves around the twelve regions of the UK on rotation, Scotland had its slot moved by two years to accommodate the World Championships in 2024, and today’s JK Sprint in Perth City Centre was a welcome return to big-time competition for the largest region in terms of overall membership.
Scottish athletes were prominent across the races, as they came away with no fewer than 35 Sprint medals, including 11 titles. Grace and Peter Molloy made a small piece of history, as they became the first siblings to win the JK Sprint in the same year, and also the first pair from the same club (FVO) to simultaneously hold the titles.
On the 14/15th March, university orienteers from across the UK travelled to Wales for the annual British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Orienteering Championships. With competition spread across two days – individual races at Merthyr Mawr and relays at Clevedon Court Quarry – Scottish universities delivered an impressive set of results, alongside plenty of memorable moments. Teams from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Heriot Watt and Stirling made the journey down.
Thanks to both AUOC and EUOC for contributing the words for the article below.
Well it’s that time of year again and World Orienteering Week will soon be upon us. Any event between 16th and 24th of May can be registered on the WOW website.
Throughout March, Scottish Orienteering has been excited to host three successful adult beginner “Learn to Orienteer” coaching days in Inverness, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen. These sessions were designed to introduce newcomers to the sport in a friendly, supportive environment, giving them the skills and confidence to go on and attend their first orienteering event.
Each day brought together a diverse group of participants, many trying orienteering for the very first time. From runners and walkers to complete beginners looking for a new outdoor activity, the sessions highlighted just how accessible and inclusive orienteering can be.
March has been a busy month for the Scottish Orienteering development team. Our March has been busy running taster sessions for educators and teachers to increase awareness of orienteering amongst educators.
