Starting late in the day, Lower Hutt's Michael Wood squeaked ahead by 7 seconds in the mens section on the 15km MTBO course at Waitarere Forest on August 15. He beat Jason Markham (NZ Army, no fixed abode) who has the distinction of winning the last two 12-hr rogaines (long-distance orienteering on foot) in New Zealand.
Last year's women's winner Camilla Cox from Wellington repeated that effort ahead of New Plymouth's Jacqui Sinclair. There was also a 9km course, and a schools category. Full results are now available.
The tracks include circuitous paths made for motorbike races as well as the forest roads, and as usual following winter they were firm and fast. The map, drawn last year especially for MTBO covers the south block of the extensive Waitarere Forest, and the first 4km of the north block. It is the first map in NZ to use international conventions for "rideability" of tracks, enabling the bike-orienteer to make route choices based on likely speed as well as distance. Courses were set by Brent Hoy for "Muddy Trails".
And we hear that Michael Wood has got the contract to map Hanmer Forest for the first
NZ Mountainbike-Orienteering Championships, to be held next September. At least that
should be one less rider to beat!