The finale of the WENT series will be in Lady Dixon Park (top car park) on Wed 16th December. After 6 rain free (but not entirely dry) Wednesdays, we are all set for the 7th and final WENT for 2015. After last year’s debacle, Santa has briefed his elfs (elves?) very carefully: 15 controls, bonus points available, maybe some Christmas lights and certainly refreshment and prizes afterwards. Hopefully the elfs can be trusted to carry out instructions correctly this year as Santa may be too busy to supervise; whatever the result, a good time is guaranteed for all those that Read More …

The year’s colour standard achievement and the history of the same can be found on the web site by following the links “contact us>documents>Public documents>Colour Standards” or by clicking here .  In the history listing those folk who have gained their first colour or have improved on their previous are indicated by a capital letter in the 2015 column – congratulations to all of them – keep aiming for a “A”!

After the high speed thrill of Jonny Smicka’s loops around Botanic Gardens and QUB last week, WENT changes gear this week to take on the darkness of Hillsborough Forest Park. Alan Elwood has devised a series of challenges for every standard, so it will be worth the effort to travel out to Hillsborough. As usual we meet by 7.15 pm for a 7.30 pm mass start. The time limit will again be 45 minutes and we will be back to having the chance to pick up bonus points by revisiting a central control. This time, however, you will have to visit Read More …

It has not proved possible to identify a suitable site for a Night TempO cluster alongside the final WENT on wed 16th so the results published after the PreO and TempO events at Hillsborough are the final standings for 2015.  Congratulations to Stephen Gilmore (PreO) and Frazer Howe (TempO) on usurping Declan McGrellis’s double champion standing from 2014.  The final standings can be viewed in the IntrO folder here.  Mind you, it wasn’t much of a usurp for Declan finished a very close second in both disciplines. My thanks to the small posse of TrailO devotees for making my efforts Read More …

**** PLEASE NOTE: NO DOGS ALLOWED THIS WEEK *** Last week saw another very enjoyable session planned by Lyle Fleming, ably assisted by Richard McCourt, in Antrim Castle Gardens. This week we move to the interesting contrasts of Botanic Gardens and the Queen’s University campus in Belfast. Jonny Smicka has planned an excellent series of loops for all; those that trained here last year reported it as one of the best sessions they had managed all year, full of fun and surprises. Meet in the main QUB car park by 7.15 pm for the usual 7.30 pm mass start. The Read More …

Regular WENT goers as well as a few very welcome guests enjoyed an excellent evening’s running last Wednesday at the Jordanstown UU Campus thanks to Billy Reed’s imaginative planning. Despite the forecast and an early evening downpour, the heavens remained dry for the duration of the training. The runners certainly didn’t though, as the grass and pitches were sodden, leading to wet feet and muddy legs for all. The enjoyment of the evening was infectious, with much laughter – so again, many thanks to Billy. This week we meet at the car park in the middle of Antrim Castle Gardens. As usual, Read More …

The results of the PreO and TempO competitions and their effect on the respective championships can be found in the IntrO folder  The PreO results show that some folk were still too gullible at the first control and fell for the parallel feature ruse, with the kites on a different path from that circled on the map.  In the TempO competition everyone still takes a long time trying to relate map to terrain without considering how a rapid answer could serve them better, particularly with the reducing penalty rate.  That map/terrain relation was hard to pin down on Saturday, what Read More …