Open Adventure Kick Off 2013 in North Yorks Moors

Nicki Barron - Open Adventure / 14.01.2013

Race Report: Open Adventure Haglofs Open 5 – North York Moors. Sunday 6^th January 2013.

Adventure racers headed over to the North York Moors for the first Open 5 for 2013. Sunday January 6^th brought unseasonably mild conditions and plenty of sunshine to the start at Scalby on the outskirts on Scarborough. Conditions underfoot had been of concern to the event planners, as recent flooding had affected many of the paths & bridleways, turning some into full on rivers, while others had become quagmires. A few checkpoint alterations, allowed for a more ride able course, but also resulted in some high scores.

Course planner for this event was Simon Walker who designed a course to take in the quaint river valleys and villages as well as the higher forested areas around Broxa and Wykeham, which provided some stunning views of the North York Moors.

There were 2 clearances of the course - Alex Pilkington competing in and winning the male solo competition, visited all 30 controls gaining 600 points but adding a further 60 points for making it to the finish in under 5hrs. The male pairs winners – Tom Gibbs & Chris Hope went one further in not only clearing the course, but having a full 37 minutes to spare, giving them the highest score of the day with 674 points.

In the female solo event Sally Ozanne gained 540 points beating her nearest rivals by 10 points.

The mixed pairs team of Shona Robertson & Dave Spence, came close to clearing, missing only one 10 point control, and bringing them home in 1^st place. The female pairs event was won by Rowena Halliday & Jessica Tullie who gained 575 points.

Results:

Female Solo:

Female Pairs:

Male Solo:

Male Pairs:

Mixed Pairs:

Full race results can be found on the Open Adventure website www.openadventure.com. The next event in the Open 5 series is to be held in the Mendip Hills, south of Bristol, which will incorporate the stunning Cheddar Gorge. Entries available online.