It’s late summer, the Scottish 6 Days are over, it’s time for Urban Race Season in the UK! As people return from holiday, and with the forests remain overgrown, late August and September are the peak time for races taking place in the cites rather than the countryside.
Four weekends of interest for those in more southerly parts of the UK:
Harwell Sprint Race – Bank Holiday Monday 26 August
A sprint race around the nuclear technology and particle accelerators of the Harwell scientific research campus! Watch out for your compass, magnetic field line distortions may occur during the race. Details.
Lincoln & Sheffield Double Header – 31 August/1 September
Both Lincoln and Sheffield have put on solid and varied urban races in previous years – with Lincoln’s historic centre, “Steep Hill” (a street name) and lower commerical area and university campus, combining well with Sheffield’s varied urban nature. Details (Lincoln). Details (Sheffield).
Bristol City Race Weekend – 7/8 September
The BOK Blast – urban orienteering comes to Bristol, with university campus sprints on the Saturday at UWE, and a full-on city race on the Sunday. Details.
London City Race Weekend – 21/22 September
Already the biggest standalone urban orienteering race in Britain, the Sixth London City Race combines with an Ultrasprint in Victoria Park the day before. This year’s City Race takes place in Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs. Senior courses racers will take the Docklands Light Railway to the start line and then race the length of the island, through docks and around skyscrapers, to the finish line overlooking Royal Greenwich. It will be the best race yet! This might be your only chance to orienteer this fascinating area. Details.