The elite orienteer on discovering a love of running through orienteering

Ralph Street was born and raised in London and admits that finishing among the world’s elite in a sport that has its origins in the Scandinavian wilderness is probably quite unexpected.

He first competed for Great Britain in 2007 and since then orienteering has become an increasingly important part of his life. After graduating from college in 2012 he moved to Scandinavia to really pursue his orienteering dreams and last year he finished 13th in middle distance at the World Championships which is his best individual result. nowadays.

Ahead of the World Orienteering Championships in Norway in August and as part of Global Orienteering Week, Street shares insight into his sport and how it intersects with running.

Weekly athletics: What was your career in orienteering? Were you first a runner or an orienteer?

Ralph Street: I first participated in an orienteering race because both of my parents were involved in the sport, so I started competing when I was young. Orienteering gave me the love of running, especially cross country, so I took that to school when it was offered.

AW: What do you like most about orienteering?

RS: I like the challenge of orienteering: it’s always different. The forests vary as well as the routes; sometimes there are short straight legs or longer routes which are more complex. You have to keep thinking and focusing all the time, so the key is to match your physical abilities with your mental alertness. I like the sense of adventure in orienteering, it is no exaggeration to say that you are heading into the unknown and even in a big race you can find yourself completely alone on the ground.

AW: How are you preparing for the big championships? Do you have an “average” week of training?

RS: At the start of the year, I sit down with my coaches and we make a plan for the year by completing races, training camps and key sessions. I’m generally a single, cutting edge World Championship focused periodization plan where, like all other athletes, I try to be in the best shape possible both physically, technically and mentally. On a physical level, I’ve found that focusing on threshold training is the best way for me to reach my peak, so it’s a key part of my tapering. For mental and technical training, I try to determine what types of challenges I am likely to encounter in the forest and how I can overcome them in the best possible way.

As I am based in Oslo, my training varies a lot from winter to summer; I do a lot more cross training (mainly cross country skiing) and gym when the snow is there. In an average week without snow, I will do two hard sessions, two gym sessions and a long run. I then fill in the rest with as much running and orienteering as my body can reasonably tolerate.

AW: Can you talk about the crossover between the two sports and the skills needed?

RS: All the best orienteers have to be great runners. The main difference is that orienteers have to prepare for a wide variety of terrain: hills, swamps, forest, rocks, so we learn to be more efficient on rough terrain. Even running on a forest trail can be different from a tartan trail. Another big difference is that most orienteering competitions take place in the form of a time trial, which means that you are alone in the forest and you have to judge the pace and the effort yourself; there is no lead pack to hang on to.

AW: What are your main goals for 2019 in running and orienteering?

RS: My main goal this year is the World Championships in Norway in August. Before that, I hope to go to Finland in June for a few World Cup races and I will also be competing in the big Scandinavian club races (think national road relays, but with around 20,000 other orienteers at the most. great race), which is good for dealing with pressure. but also great fun. The key for me now is to manage the transition to high volume running after a winter mostly on cross-country skis to avoid any setbacks from injury.

AW: What are you most proud to have accomplished so far in your elite career?

RS: Fourth place in the World Championships relay when held in Scotland in 2015 was an excellent result in front of a local crowd.

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