World Masters Mountain Bike Orienteering a great success

Keith Dawson, the SOA former Chair of the Board/ avid Mountain Bike orienteer and Event Coordinator reflects on the 2026 World Masters Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships held in Moray:-

So WMMTBOC26 in Scotland is a wrap! A vision of three years ago became a wonderful reality this week in the beautiful and varied forests of the Moray coast. It was also the finale of the World Masters Series. Over 300 competitors from 29 nations enjoyed the September sun in Moray. Thank you so very much for all your kind and immensely enthusiastic comments about the races and your wonderful smiles.

Thank you to all the fantastic volunteers and organising teams and the landowners for their fantastic cooperation and support. Four varied courses starting with a Middle in the complex dunes of Roseisle planned by Arnis Saltums and organised by Tony and Angela Brand Barker. This was followed by the Sprint in the small complex track network of Sanquhar Woods, planned by Richard Oxlade and James Stewart and organised by Tim Evans. The third day was a return to the coast in the ancient raised beaches of Lossie Forest planned by Bob Cherry and organised by Kevin Pickering. The final day was the long Long planned by Emily Benham Kvåle and organised by Alistair Powell in Darnaway forest. This was 50 years, almost to the day, that the World Orienteering Championships was held there. This was followed by a great ceilidh organised by James and Elizabeth Stewart.

It was wonderful to hear your stories about how much you enjoyed the efforts we put in to make your  “beep to beep” experience “one of the best ever”. Thanks to SOA and BMBO for their support and to Tiago Fernandes our great SEA. Special thanks to Steve Smirthwaite for all his superb efforts on maps, controlling and a thousand other jobs over the last three years. Thanks also to Bob Cherry, Karena Hanley, Mark Stodgell and Linda Cairns for their immense efforts in key roles.

There were some great successes by GB Masters with Ian Nixon, Nick Dallimore, Karena Hanley, Charlie Somers Cocks and Mary Williams winning gold. Karena Hanley, Charlie Somers Cocks, Mary Williams and Todd Oates also won gold in the World Mssters Series 2026. Alistair Powell, Mark Stodgell and Kevin Pickering claimed WMS silver with James Stewart and Bob Cherry getting bronze in their classes.

Two things made me happy this week as Event Coordinator. The first were all your smiles and enthusiasm and great compliments for our race and forest efforts. Great to see so many Brits competing, hopefully this will spur them on to organise more events in England. The second was the obvious and enthusiastic adventure tales you experienced and told of in our wonderful Scottish landscape and the cultural experiences you enjoyed and relished. Some of them were here for the first time and others discovered Scotland anew on the Sunshine Coast of Moray (and also their whiskies and Highland coos). I told them the weather would be good here.

I am glad they experienced such a wonderful mix of MTBO and Scottish landscape and Welcome. Thank you to all the competitors for making the huge effort and expense to journey across the cold North Sea to the Warm Welcome and Sunshine of the Moray Coast. A safe and easy journey home to your 29 nations. You are welcome Anytime and Always our MTBO Family.