P-Max #4, Wainui Trail Park, 28 Mar 12

Course Planner with assistance on the night by Michael Wood.

Time 1 hour, with setting such that the top people could just reach all controls. 100% daylight. Cool but dry evening, trails firm after a week of nice weather. Max score 275. 50 participants.

Coordinator Michael Wood writes...

A nice course for the last P-Max in the series, At least some of you hadn't been here, the story is that a teacher at the nearby college ran a mountainbiking club and they began making trails, a group of supporters was formed with orienteer Jason Markham as secretary, they designed a track network and organised volunteers, and Hutt City came on board with materials, carpark, bikewash etc. Compared to Makara Peak its less technically challenging (although I can't ride Beeline, the original trail) but it offers much more for the beginner and intermediate rider. The carpark was already full of bikers' cars when I arrived!

This was Brian's first course and it went really well. The only hiccup I found was the "raised manhole" #13. Brian described it to me as sticking right out of the ground, but the ground has since been raised around it and it was hard to see any writing on the concrete! As always, if the question isn't obvious, write down something else and carry on.

YOU also went really well, pretty much using up the maps, and three teams cleaning the course. Nick Hann's time of 48-40 is impressive and Nick is still at school. Jamie/Liam and Greg might be twice his age, but they also did well. There are always some awkward controls which the slower among us can just leave out, but the idea of a do-able course is that you have to decide early on whether you are going to HAVE to get those awkward ones. It's not the way normal rogaines are set but I think it's an interesting challenge.

The "normal" 3-hour afterwork rogaines start next week. And daylight saving will be gone, so dust off that headlamp. Jamie Stewart is just finalising the start point which will be in Karori.

P-Max #3, Korokoro, 15 Mar 12

Course Planner and Rob Smith with help on the night from Michael Wood.

Time 1 hour, with setting such that the top people could just reach all controls. 100% daylight. Beautiful evening, just beat the southerly change:-)) . Max score 255. 39 participants.

Coordinator Michael Wood writes...

The course was planned by Keri Devine and Rob Smith who live on the map. It was their first planning, and they did a fabulous job, in the middle of parents visiting, house alterations and job changes! They also found time to get 5th in the Little River rogaine in Canterbury on that "weather-bomb" day!

Elite orienteer Jamie Stewart cleared the course in 52-36 tonight. This is the aim of the 60-minute format, and it means more of the field gets more of the controls. Teams praised the bush tracks from Percy Reserve up to Sugarloaf, and the fabulous view from the start at Frank Cameron Park. Meantime Greg Thurlow started late after doing the last course at Totara Park (in 54min) However darkness foiled his attempt to get all the Korokoro controls.

Next time we'll be in Wainuiomata, mostly in the Trail Park which has been created by mountain bikers. This is a lovely bush-clad valley, but you might need to think about planning to be out of the bush during the last 15min or so, the nights as they say are "drawing in". There will be a few controls in the streets as well.

P-Max #2, Totara Park, 28 Feb 12

Course Planner with help on the night from Michael Wood.

Time 1 hour, with setting such that the top people could just reach all controls. 100% daylight. Fine evening with scattered cloud. Max score 295. 38 participants.

Coordinator Michael Wood writes...

Some of the teams worked hard to get there, after a truck fell over near the Haywards intersection and blocked SH2. Alternative routes included returning to the Kennedy-Good Bridge, and the windy Moonshine Road. Planner Bruce who lives in Totara Park was quite happy to give late arrivals the full hour.

Bruce had controls on both sides of the Hutt River (which was out of bounds) including California Park, Harcourt Park and the duck pond. He used the curved streets with many connecting lanes to good effect, and no-one managed to get them all. Though Graeme and Ian came close.

Next time we'll be in Korokoro on the western hills of Lower Hutt. You'll be going into Percy's Reserve, but could also explore the tracks above the waterfall and Galbraiths Gully to the west. There will be some street ones as well. Remember to fill in the online form (or send me an email) 48 hours prior for the cheap rates. We order the maps two days ahead of time to allow for any glitches. If you don't have a team when you register you can specify your team-mates as "TBA" and we'll suggest some hookups on the night. And get the word out to your non-running friends. Fun runs have more walkers than runners these days, why not rogaines?

P-Max #1, Petone, 15 Feb 12

Course Planner

Time 1 hour, with setting such that the top people could just reach all controls. 100% daylight. Fine evening after a drizzly day, light breeze. Start 17min after low tide (more on that later). Max score 275. 50 participants.

Planner Michael Wood writes...

I wanted the fastest runner to get all the controls in about 40min, but the shape of the area led to the shortest route being about 12km - a tall order. Greg Thurlow was first back in 56 minutes, but he later realised that he'd missed #21 on the riverbank. Pity, as it would only have taken 2-300m more to pick it up between 12 and 13. Then right on time as I recall (he didn't write his time down) Alister Perkinson came in with a full card. Rob Collier was also close, missing just three of the 5-pointers near the start, which he had wisely left until the end.

But rogaining is team orienteering, and these guys have had the traditional 10% penalty applied. Which puts Andrew Riddle and Mark Staples in the lead with 250 out of 275. They also left the 5-pointers until the end; of the nine close ones they chose 1, 3, 4 and 9. The next team Nick and Stuart Engleback did very much the same, just two fewer close ones.

I hope you enjoyed the points, my favourite was #21. The long thin arm of the river is crossable at low tide and I've been waiting for a chance to put a control on the point opposite. With low tide just before the rogaine start it was perfect! And I like the boatsheds near #24 which are delightfully ramshackle. And did you know there were all those clubhouses at the end of Jackson St (#15)? Or that Hutt Park has been transformed from its previous life as a trotting/greyhound track? Or that Petone isn't entirely flat?

Come back for more. There's another flat one beside the river in Upper Hutt, then we've a got a couple with bush and hills. Remember to fill in the online form (or send me an email) 48 hours prior for the cheap rates. We order the maps two days ahead of time to allow for any glitches. If you don't have a team when you register you can specify your team-mates as "TBA" and we'll suggest some hookups on the night. And get the word out to your non-running friends. Fun runs have more walkers than runners these days, why not rogaines?