Following on from last months Compass Point, Joolz has engaged personally with members from a few clubs to find their opinions on relays. Diverse experiences shape how orienteers think about the relay format. Please send your own personal and club feedback on relays to ONZ  Click here to share your thoughts

Llew McGivern (CMOC)
Relays are exciting and electric. The team element gives it more punch and pace, and the run throughs provide lots of action and engagement.
My impression is that some relays are too long, and you end up waiting for the second and third runners for a long time. If it is 50-60 minutes per run then overall you can be waiting 3 hours for it to finish. In the Rotorua Nationals we had a double loop and I’m not sure we needed the second loop. As it is the last event after several days running and you are quite knackered. 

They are a good opportunity to invite parents to come along and attend to see what orienteering is about. 
From an on-the-day operations viewpoint, in my humble opinion it would help to give out hired i-dents in relays, so the athlete can swap around but the number stays the same. 

Neil Murray (Nelson):
I feel really disappointed that people duck out of the relays. It is the ‘funnest’ part with everyone in a large group together and a great social scene.

Rolf Boswell (Waikato)
I like relays because it makes a nice change to be part of a team and experience camaraderie. Because my club has few that travel to championship events, we often cannot make up official teams so I am often in an unofficial team. For the bigger clubs, the relay is quite a competitive event and there is a fun competitive atmosphere. Relays work well at the school champs and the kids seem to really enjoy the team aspect. 
My experience is that relays can be quite a logistical challenge to plan and administer.  The course setting requires a good level of skill and the logistics of having a uniquely numbered map for each competitor is demanding on organisers.
Some orienteers don’t want to participate in relays because they do not like the pressure of having someone else relying on their performance. I don’t think any change of format will attract these people. One idea for future consideration at NZOC is to have a points system for the overall club of the year? 

Georgia Whitla (Nelson):
I like them but I’d like to see more equality in general. Currently with teams of 3 consisting of 2 men and 1 woman, it means you see more men on the podium. It would be nice to see teams of 2 men & 2 women, or separate gendered teams with different trophies for men and women would also provide a more even representation. 

Some choose the last day to go home, they use it as a travel day, so maybe it would be good to offer different options such as going out and doing an individual course etc. Perhaps we can have ‘make your own teams’. Or maybe they can be placed somewhere different in the long weekend with a sprint?  
Can we be clear in communication that this day is for everyone? Older people do not compete as much – it would be good to understand what they actually want or require?

I do like the club atmosphere, as not a lot of orienteering is done with others. One of the main things I like about relays is the team and club aspect. It can bring a sense of community to an event which is largely individual. If done right, relays can be a real focus of a club. 

Matilda Trowsdale (Auckland) 
There is nothing good about relays. I prefer to do my own course. I prefer to run for myself and not other people. 

Richard English (PAPO) 
I did a relay once over 10 years ago. I was put in a mixed team with a super fit young guy and a younger girl. Even though it was probably only an orange level course I miss-punched which disqualified our team. The young girl in particular was very disappointed. I’m not keen to create such distress again.

Diana Worthy (Nelson)
Relays can be a bit intimidating, but luckily my first time was actually at an informal club event organised by PAPO at Castle Hill. Everyone was doing it, and they put the teams together for you rather than feeling you need to organise someone to run with.   

Jeni Pelvin (Dunedin):
Quite fun, and having the opportunity to have a friends or family team would work well. We are often restricted as we are a small club and as you don’t often have three in the same grade. Sometimes people leave town before the relay (perception problem), or they do not want to be the last runner (logistics problem). There is no perfect format to suit all.  But familiarity with the event style and more flexibility in the entry system could help a lot.
Often I see the same planners such as Jenni Adams & Carsten Jørgensen or Jean & Al Cory-Wright setting relays over many years. Familiarity with relay structure could help club members be more enthusiastic about entering the one at the Nationals. So that means having more relay type courses run by clubs throughout the year.  These events are fun, can offer a technical challenge on a not-very-technical local map, and can make for a local event where controls are quick and easy to put out because they are not far away. 

A short refresher online workshop from someone very experienced in complex style Condes relay courses could be helpful. Perfect for experienced planners, who want to offer more events like these in their club. I plan them so seldom, I have to re-learn how to do them every few years. I lay out all the S.I. boxes in my lounge and do a dummy run, to make sure it will work. Or, I run my plans past someone else, like Dwayne Smith, to ensure that it will work ok on the day, eg: for a one / two / three / four man relay. 

The further away nationals is from the base club, the harder it is to get a team together. So it is hard to compare results year on year. It could be fun, for example, to have a M/W50 or Juniors Y9-13 South Island team option to offer more flexibility, and different regional set-ups. 
I was wondering if you could enter your preferred team category in EnterO, eg:  tick a “competitive” or “non-competitive” box.  The “competitive” category would be as it is now. Those who tick non-competitive would make up the more versatile team combinations. Then more teams could be formed that are not club-based.  

Dale McDonald (Nelson):
The only place we get exposed to relays is at Nationals. I would rather watch. I did do a couple as third runner and I missed the prizegiving and everything, so I would rather not miss all that. Also one year my son was in a team with two other students from our club. Being a small club – nationals attendance-wise – it’s a feat just to be able to enter a team. They won the Open Short but were not acknowledged for winning, and did not get to go on the podium. They were very disappointed. It was a bit rough for them.

Relays are great for spectating, and as an older orienteer I’d rather watch, and not miss out on seeing my son and our other club youth compete, and be there to see the podium presentations.

Susan Edwards (Hawkes Bay)
The last one in Canterbury I didn’t go myself as there were not many Hawkes Bay people, and I had to get back to work the next day. I sometimes miss them out depending on the terrain, and the rest of the family’s interest.

I am often not a useful club member on the day, as I am not the right gender or age to add to a team, and I don’t want to run an orange level. One of my favourite runs was as a last addition for an M21E team with two Aussies. I warned them how long it may take, but we all talk about that time on a fabulous course set by Lizzie.  

What makes relays is the larger number of people waiting, watching, cheering and socialising. You tend to see the same winners most years from clubs like Wellington, PAPO or Auckland, as they have the numbers. But relays are important as they have always been part of the international fixtures, so how will our athletes get experience without them?

Richard Greatrex (Nelson):
Relays are great, everyone is together, there is good energy, a fun atmosphere, and they are great to watch.
I have set one as a club event at the Nelson Lakes for the club. It was a simple version, and you wrote up your own time. It had three A,B & C variant courses, easy, medium etc. It was a fun club day. Some people showed-up and just ran all three legs themselves.

Val Fletcher (PAPO)
After 3 days of events I’m happy to have a rest day. The event is enjoyable for participants and spectators. It’s important training for elites and juniors who participate in these events at international competitions.

Jane Herries (Hawkes Bay)
I find its too much stress running for a team, so I don’t do relays. I don’t enjoy them at all, and a lot of people are like me. I’ve noticed for the last few years, just prior to the close-off date, Nationals organisers have gone on social media and asked for people to register because of low numbers – if the majority liked relays organisers shouldn’t need to press it. It’s the worst event to administer because: (i) a lot that register don’t want to abide by the criteria (i.e. they wish to run lower grades) and (ii) getting volunteers on the 4th day of a 4-day weekend is difficult. If the aim of relays is to find the depth of the clubs, finding the “top” club could be done by another method like point-scoring in the Sprint + Long.

Lani Murray (Nelson):
It’s way more interesting than sprints and the long distance, as it is usually a very detailed course. You get to team-up with other people who you wouldn’t normally talk to. 

Malcolm Ingham (Red Kiwi):
Relays have always been at the world competitions, and at the moment only the elites will experience sprint relays at international events. The number of NZ teams that get disqualified shows that we need more of them. There is divergence on social and competitive orienteers in relays. For some reason the older grades see relays as more of a ‘race’ and there is also a certain type of person that is perhaps not interested in relays.

We have them in training camps, but at the moment I see no call for a national sprint relay. 

You can set relays as difficult or as easy as you like. Oceania relays in January had multiple splits, but you can do courses with smaller variations. Condes will help with variations, people may see them as difficult but they are difficult as you make them. The hardest part is people moving around teams – we need harder deadlines.

Katie Malthus (Nelson)
I haven’t done a relay recently, the last one I ran was in 2023 in the Foxton area. There are a lot of people out in the same place running short 2-3km legs.  I remember one participant didn’t want to be in a team, so they ran all the legs.  I did help set one up for our club, but to be honest I still don’t know how it all works.

Murray Hughes (Wellington) :
It’s chaos out there in relays with people running everywhere. I did one, but I haven’t done another for 10 years or so now. It is high pressure, and nobody told me much about it before I ran it. I didn’t know there would be clusters of controls – it is easy to get it all wrong.  

Jack Trowsdale (Auckland) 
The pressure is fine. I like being in a team with all of my friends – that’s the best part of a relay. I don’t like the fact that the courses are pretty easy, and if one person miss punches the whole team gets disqualified. It is boring if the team gets nothing.

Michael Croxford (Nelson)
We don’t have enough relays! I enjoy the banter and the challenge of relays – especially how you have to focus on running your own course with all the distractions around you. 

Ideally we would do some analysis on who is attending relays at the Nationals and who isn’t, and try out different formats before we scrap them. Orange course level is a significant gap not catered for at the National relays. What is missing is an open recreation level that is a more relaxed and social course. There is space for dressing up with the best costume rewarded, and having lots more fun with it.  

What is also missing in the current format at the National Champs, are races for our junior orienteers in the 13 to 18 year bracket, who aren’t ready for the open grade and don’t want to run in the Mixed Short. I like what I have seen in Australia and Oceania with many age grades for the younger orienteers. It would be good to have them competing alongside their peers. If there is not enough from individual clubs then perhaps we can have regional grade teams like the Australians have state teams. 

Splitting the forest and sprints into separate national events would be a good idea if we want to reduce the burden on clubs hosting our premier competition. They’d only need to plan for three events and the smaller clubs might then be interested in hosting the sprint champs with help from other clubs.

Aiden Ellmers  (Hawkes Bay)
I’m inclined to keep the relay. I have done many nationals over the last 20 plus years and have entered the relay every time logistics have allowed. I am about to go into my 40’s so I don’t mind which team I am in as I’m not really a competitive orienteer, and I’m actually looking forward to the masters grade. It is hard for our club to get an elite team together in the current format as many young people do not stay here, they tend to go away for university. The social aspect adds a different sort of pressure, and I find following the top teams exciting. In the old format I used to have to run on the first leg amongst all of the fast elites which was also fun, adding a different dynamic. As a country we have limited opportunities for running a relay. I imagine those heading overseas to represent NZ in international relay teams do get some benefits from running in our national relays. 

Bryce Brigham (CMOC)
Relays are really a bit of fun, and very chaotic in the beginning. The first leg runner really has to concentrate on what they are doing and ignore everyone else.  

They are a bit more to set-up with the computer and entries on the day, especially with all the last minute changes. Really we need the team sorted a few days before. It would be good to make them more simple and not over complicate them. In a team of 3 there will be a variety of runners, often for school teams the second runner can be a white course, but maybe it is simpler to have all 3 courses at yellow level depending on what the map is like. information on how they are set-up and different formats would be good to share. 

One of my recent favourite relays was Oceania at the start of this year. I was in the ‘leftover’ grade, but enjoyed the big competition with lots of grades.  

Rob Garden (North West):
I can usually find a team but many people and clubs struggle to find or fill teams especially smaller clubs. 
I have done a sprint relay and think sprints are less scary for the majority so it could be a way to get more people attending, but it is true that I prefer the forest.  

Keep the elites and juniors doing relays as they need it as experience for Aus or European races. I suggest staggered starts for grades but keep the head-to-head for elites. Different grades and different start times could be offered for those without teams or not wanting to let team mates down. 

Bill Edwards (Hawkes Bay)
I really enjoy them. The format is quite different in NZ to what I was used to in the UK. The British champs have 10 year age grades, and now in the UK they have handicapped events with men and women in age classes together. In Ireland, they have similar numbers and are also handicapped with women and men in the same team getting points together. Scandinavia have a range of relay formats from age grades to the all nighters so they get a lot of experience running in teams. In France I remember every single age class running at the same time and it was about 500-600 people all running together. 
The relay legs suit different types of runners and there are various tactics. The first leg is often a fast run and you have to know if you can follow and when to concentrate more as there are so many more running together and it is quick-paced and fast on the speed. The first runner will often need to be able to stay with the pace to keep in the competition – it can be a bit tactical. The second leg is my preferred leg as you adjust to running more on your own and it becomes more technical. The third leg is again often  a quicker leg as they race to return. 

For club members the school’s relay events can be a bit boring and we know why – that they are to include more people. Sprint relays are fun, there is a risk of running too fast and miss punching, but they are fast, quick events and finish the day sooner.

Overall, relays give you the chance to be social and to talk to people, but the reality is that some leave sooner and miss out. It is a different discipline and requires different skills. 

Mondo Kopua (Marlborough)
They are great fun, but I am aware of all the work and detail required to plan. The few times I have done them I have been in a MOC team or with the family. The atmosphere of the event and the buzz of everyone running off, splitting up and the handover area is exciting. Having some music adds to the atmosphere too. Having everyone from all the clubs in their club colours and tents is like a festival event feeling with clubs hyping up their members. 

When it is on its own on the last day, people are wanting to get away. Maybe having the Sprint in the morning and the Relay in the afternoon, both on the last day might be something to consider. Day 1 the Long, Day 2 the Middle and Day 3 Sprint and Relay. This would allow better travel options for getting home.  

Ollie Egan (Nelson): 
I love watching the overseas relays, seeing the tracking and watching the results is exciting.They are the best ending to Nationals with spectators and everyone cheering each other on. It feels a bit different to other races, even if you are not in a top team – as you are not racing for yourself.  

The only negative thing about them is sometimes things do not come together well on the day in the organisation, but most of the time it works out pretty well.
It would be stupid not to have a relay as many will need the experience before they head overseas to compete. 

Antonia Wood (Dunedin):
I am for relays as they foster team & club spirit that we don’t get with individual races.
I know relays overseas are a big deal and I have experienced the camaraderie of travelling to Jukola with a Swedish club and being part of the team and club togetherness which was awesome.
I realise we have a different set up in NZ but I still think it’s worth trying to work towards building this team spirit. Maybe it will take some thinking out of the box/sponsorship/free entries/incentives/changing the order of events at nationals etc I think it’s worth pursuing.

Fleur Murray (Nelson):
Getting to run with my kids in a relay as a family team was so cool. What other sport can you do that in?Alan Moore (PAPO):
I love forest relays as everyone is there (apart from those that don’t turn up) and there are loads of spectators which creates a great atmosphere. In the individual races people often turn up, but then run and go.  

Jen Waite (Nelson)
I like to take my time. With a relay there is the pressure to be speedy. It is a great spectator sport, and it is a highlight, especially when you are watching with a commentator giving you the background. You feel you are part of it, and it is enjoyable to see their progress as they do their run through. 

Hugh Forlong-Ford (Hawkes Bay)
I would be loath to bin relays. I do enjoy them but I must be honest, I haven competed at Nationals in the last 4-5 years. This is mainly for personal reasons, as my partner is not an orienteer so on the last day we go off to do something else. I do compete in club relays and am trying to increase my frequency at Katoa Po.

I have been a controller on A-grade relays 3-4 times and I enjoy setting them. They do have their own set of rules, their own quirks and challenges.
I’d like to see more inventive formats. We have certainly made progress so far and the four different levels now make it easier to pick your category, but if someone does not feel there is a category for them, then the event will not suit.

We could make it more exciting/inclusive(?) by trialing other ideas. I have experienced a score-like relay or Rogaine relay at World Schools. Teams have a map of controls and must divide it up into zones. Planning is part of the exercise for efficiency and it doesn’t have to be just the fastest time. The coaches race did the same format and it was mixed with other countries so it is very social.

(Hugh kindly attached two descriptions on how this type of relay could work – we can forward this information onto those interested in the format he has proposed).