It all started in the late 70s when along with a few other classmates I started rock climbing and hill walking. One of them, became one of Scotland's premier rock and ice climbers (Mark Garthwaite aka Dr Death). I loved reading the excellent Karrimor Technical Journals which came out each year and had articles on that year's KIMM (also the Norwegian and Swiss KIMMs). I decided that this would be an excellent sport and decided to enter as soon as I was old enough. At that time my uncle Jim Young of LOC introduced me to orienteering and our family went to Trossachs '79.
1. 1980 - Isle of Arran (C, 29th, William Shepherd)Age 16, I entered my first KIMM with my school geography teacher. Since I was doing well at maths at school, I agreed to go on a week-long Maths "camp" for students from all over Scotland, venue to be announced. Imagine how horrified I was to find the date was set for the week before KIMM which was to be held somewhere in the South of Scotland. A few weeks beforehand I discovered that Arran was to be the venue for the KIMM and by an amazing coincidence the maths camp could have been barely more convenient had it been in Glen Rosa itself: the venue was Ardrossan! I did however get some strange looks arriving with a rucksack plus tent at the Maths course.
2. 1981 - Langdale (C, 88th, Alex Dowdalls)Since Alex was only 15 and I was 17, this partnership stretched the KIMM rules of both over 16 and one over 18. I phoned Gerry Charnley and discussed it with him and he agreed that orienteering age would be good enough for him since both Alex and I were in the Scottish Junior squad and had our next birthdays 2 weeks and 2 months later.
3. 1982 - Dartmoor (C, 42nd, Willie Hunter)4. 1983 - Strathyre (C, 1st, Rob Fleming)After winning the Saunders Wansfell Backpackers ("boots") class and the Mournes B class that year already, St Andrews University Orienteering Club partner Rob Fleming and I felt we had a good chance in the KIMM C and were over the moon when we actually won.
5. 1984 - Peak District (Score, 71st, Colin McKenzie)Rob ran with Richard Speirs (who was to become my SLMM partner for a few years) so I ran with Colin who was another St AU runner. All was going well day 1 and we were equal 2nd overnight behind Manchester Uni pair Julian Birkenshaw and Julian Morgan, but then we threw it all away by being over ambitious and spent too long on Kinder.
1985 - 1987 
Disaster! I had an accident in a health club (wet floor - tile wall - broken tile). Result was a broken kneecap and severed patella tendon: I was told I'd probably always walk with a limp and wouldn't be able to run competitively again. This was partially true, I still run with a limp and my thighs are of different circumference, but as long as the contouring is anti-clockwise they seem to do the trick (this isn't a joke, my best results below had more anti- than clockwise contouring!).
6. 1988 - Cheviots (B, 2nd, Simon Thompson)After a year getting back into exercise with some swimming, cycling, shinty and hockey, I was ready to hit the mountains again. Lying
4th (approx) overnight and seeing the leaders disappearing into the clag at the start of the long leg we decided on an alternative route
that took us back through the camp. We hit the next control in the lead but lost it just before the finish.
7. 1989 - Howgills (A, 7th, Simon Thompson)Like the year before we were around 4th and overtook other teams to become leaders through the first few controls, but then lost time to the chasing pack.
8. 1990 - Glen Lyon (E, 17th, Simon Thompson)9. 1991 - Arrochar Alps (Score, 19th, Andy Hauser)10. 1992 - Northern Lake District (E, 15th, John Britton)Plan in 1992 was to try and win the first LS, but we didn't get an entry so we persuaded Jen to let us run Elite instead! I was coming down with a stinker of a cold so JB carried both bags for large portions of both days.
11. 1993 - Upper Nithsdale & Queensberry Hills (LS, 1st, John Britton)All went to plan in 1993 and we had a very happy carfull going home since Mark and Paul had just won their first KIMM.
12. 1994 - St. Marys Loch & Manor Valley. (E, 10th, John Britton)13. 1995 - Brecon Beacons National Park (E 1st, Mark Seddon)8 weeks to go and no partner. John Britton having moved with work to Oregon for a few years. Paul cannot run with Mark who has been unable to find a good enough partner so we agree to give it a go. There was some pressure, Mark was on a hat-trick. Winning with me must have been one of his most impressive victories since I was way slower than his previous and subsequent partners, although as we had previously run together (MMM E 2nd, Irish Lowe E 1st) so he knew what he was letting himself in for.
14. 1996 - Galloway Forest Park & Hills (E 5th, Nigel Bunn)Mark sensibly went for a stronger partner again, but at least Nigel and I were only 2 mins down on him at the camp after day 1. We went swimming on day 2 at the entrance to Loch Dhoo and ran all the way up the to the following col to try and warm up ... we failed.
15. 1997 - Kielder Forest (E 23rd, John Britton)16. 1998 - Howgills North Pennines. (E 25th, John Britton)1999 - 2001 Living in SwitzerlandI moved to Switzerland in 1998 with the aim of going for a top position at the Swiss KIMM (after several 2nd and 3rd, this was achieved in 2002) and doing well in the World Marathon Orienteering Trophy which was just being set up (7th, 2nd and then 1st). I was therefore away from the UK MM scene for a few years.
17. 2002 - Cheviot (E 11th, Nigel Bunn)2003 -18. 2004 - Brecon Beacons (LS 8th, Dieter Wolf)Running with KIMM and O legend Dieter Wolf was a highlight; his was the name that featured in those early Karrimor Technical Guides as the man to beat. He was the first person to win both UK and Swiss KIMM (Ifor Powell was the last, and my money is on Tim Higgenbottom to be next). Exercise for the reader: how many others have achieved this feat?
2005 -19. 2006 - Galloway Hills (MS 182nd, Andy Creber)What some may have considered a pot-hunting attempt was an unmitigated failure to get many points at all on day 1 and then lose them all (and more - did you know you can go -ve?). So we just walked to finish on day 2 taking the compulsory controls. Highlight was getting to the last control just in time to high-5 my Swiss MM partner Ifor Powell storming to a well-deserved win in Elite (finally!) with Alun.
2007 -20. 2008 - Borrowdale. (C Cancelled, Olly Kewley)So. my 20th OMM/KIMM and what better way to do it than like I started, back in the C class; this time with my 16 year old son Olly. We were told at Honister that event was off so we returned home.
21. 2009 Back in the C class with Ollysee you there
