British Relays Mens Premier Winners 2026, Edinburgh University, photo: Edward Lines

Edinburgh University took both relay trophies at the British Relays on Sunday. Sort of, it was the Alumni club Auld Reekie (AROS) who took the win in the Womens race.

The place was Margam Country Park, South Wales, and it was St David's Day. The racing was organised by South Wales OC, led by Laurence Snowden, the planner was Mark Saunders and the controller Simon Thompson.

Daisy May McNamara and Euan Tryner, British Champs Winners 2026, photo: Rob Lines

First year senior Daisy May McNamara and second year senior Euan Tryner are the winners of the British Orienteering Championships for the classic long distance. The racing was on Saturday on Carreg Goch, South Wales moorland, put on by Swansea Bay OC. The organiser was Niall Reynolds and the planner Megan Mitchell. Ben Mitchell was the mapper (and a few other jobs too.) The controller was Alan Rosen, with his brother David the IOF Event Advisor.

A section of the M21 course from the British Night Champs 2026

Graham Gristwood (Forth Valley) and Megan Mitchell (Swansea Bay) won the open classes at the British Nights in Egypt Woods west of London on Saturday 7th February.

British Nights Results Page at Happy Herts O.C..

Picture: Racing in narrow passages in Genoa in 2024, from the IOF TV Broadcast

This year for international racing it's sprint racing the first half, and forest formats the second.

The World Championships are in the sprint disciplines in 2026, in Genoa in July. People will no doubt be looking back at the World Cup Round there in 2024.

Our News Report on Genoa 2024.

Start of Women's Final in the Knockout Sprint, just before the forking, photo: Silvan Schletti

At the end of September the 2025 Orienteering World Cup was decided in Uster, Switzerland. As it worked out, both Aebersold siblings, Simona and Fabian,were main players.

Sunday was the last day, and it was Knockout Sprint. The women's race was won by Simona, who had already secured the World Cup by winning the individual sprint on Friday. She has run well in all this year's races, and ran the knockout finals from the front. Grace Molloy was a splendid second, her first medal in a World Cup Race.

The men's World Cup was much closer, and was decided in the final moments of the Men's Knockout Sprint Final a few minutes later. Fabian Aebersold, although not himself in contention for the overall World Cup win, played a key part as he led the field at the decisive point, the penultimate control.

IOF Eventor for the Competition.

Emily Gibbins in the Sprint Relay at the World Cup Final 2025, photo: Rob Lines

The third and final round of the 2025 World Cup had a Sprint Relay on Saturday 27th September, sandwiched by the individual sprint and the knockout sprint days.

IOF Eventor for the Competition.

All the GB athletes ran, twelve in three GB teams, and the others in mixed nation teams. There were over 50 teams in all.

The GB first team was Grace Molloy, Freddie Carcas, Eddie Narbett and Cecilie Andersen. They came 7th nation (11th counting multiple teams per country.)

Official Results in IOF Eventor

part of a previous Uster map

The Senior International season finishes with sprint races in Switzerland at the end of September. It is the third round of the World Cup, and known as the World Cup Final. On Friday 26th there is a sprint race, which also serves as qualification for Sunday 28th's Knockout Sprint. In between the individual races, on Saturday 27th, is a Sprint Relay.

IOF Eventor for the Competition.

The GB Team of seven women and seven men has been announced. It is similar to the team that attended the recent European Champs in Belgium, with 11 of the team having run there. Additions are Mairi Eades and Jim Bailey, both of whom ran at the World Games in China in early August, and Rachel Duckworth, a second-year senior making her debut at this level. Mairi made her senior debut in 2023. In China she did better in the forest race than the sprint but just a couple of weeks ago she was second (behind Alice Leake who is now retired from internationals) at this year's British Sprint Championships, and in the winning Sprint Relay team. Jim is also a second-year senior; he was 12th at the World Games Sprint and 8th at the Junior World Champs Sprint in 2023.

Team Announcement at British Orienteering.

James Ackland, photo: Wendy Carlyle

This year's British Sprints were held on the beautiful campus of the University of East Anglia (UEA) on Sunday 31st August. It was the usual format of qualification races followed by finals. Thanks to the East Anglian Association.

The elite class winners were Alice Leake and James Ackland.

Runners from Chigwell and Interlopers at the Sprint Relays at RAF Honington, photo: Wendy Carlyle

This year's British Sprint Relays were held at RAF Honington on Saturday 30th August.

The elite class - the name for the open two women, two men class - was won by the Interlopers Team of Ellie Bales, James Ackland, Thomas Laraia, Mairi Eades.

Not all teams running were competitive. Fastest were a non-competitive combined team from Roxburgh Reivers (RR} and St Andrews Glasgow (STAG). Southern Navigators had a strong eligible team and they were second behind the RR/STAG team after three legs. Their last leg runner was quick, but at the end she was missing a punch. We understand she was at the control but it was not registered.

Second were West Cumberland and third were South London.

Routegadget - British Sprint Relays 2025

Results - British Sprint Relays 2025

Nathan Lawson at the European Champs 2025, photo: Rob Lines

The 2025 European Championships were for the sprint disciplines, and they were 2025 World Cup Round 2. They were at Hasselt, Geel and Lier in Belgium, with all races accessible by public transport..

There was a 14 athlete British Team, six women and eight men. The team included Isobel Howard. Imogen Pieters and Emily Gibbins, all juniors making their World Cup debuts.

The medals were more spread than is often the case, with the French team and supporters exuberant with two golds:: Norway 5, Sweden 4, Switzerland 2, Finland 2, France 2.

Grace Molloy at World Champs 2025, photo: Rob Lines

The 2025 World Championships were for the forest disciplines. They were at Kuopio in central Finland.

There was a 10 athlete British Team, five women and five men. The team included Alison Smithard, running the long which she had previously done 19 years ago. Ben Mitchell, Simon Harden and travelling reserve Isobel Howard had not previously run a World Champs.

The medals were won by the big countries: Sweden 7, Norway 6, Switzerland 4, Finland 1.