10 Dec 00
A day of sitting in the sun on the banks of Catchpool Stream was too much for Epo Challenge Rogaine organisers, who awarded the 12hr Mixed prize to the wrong team! The win should have gone to Southern Traverse competitors Rob Harrow and Jo Forbes (Wellington), instead of Marlborough pair Susan King and Barry Hope, who in fact finished 4th. This mirrors the 1998 Makara Rogaine, in which Blenheim brothers Tony and Warren le Seuer were wrongly given the overall win on the day instead of Gillian Ingham and Nick Collins.Harrow and Forbes collected 1010 points from a straightforward route through the Orongorongo Track, upriver to the East Whakanui Track, around the top of the Whakanui and Turere Streams and down over McKerrow (700m), with enough time for a trip up Mt Grace at the end.
Mens winners Ted van Geldermalsen and Ray Pratt (Wgtn/Chch) scored 1200 points by dropping off McKerrow into the difficult controls in the Boys Brigade and Sunny Grove areas instead of climbing Mt Grace, although they did their circuit in the opposite direction.
However they were nearly beaten by Derek and Geoff Morrison but for a problem with a late control which brought them into lateness, and third place. The Hawkes Bay brothers headed up over the 370m Mt Grace and up the road to the Boys Brigade area, where they covered similar controls except for the one in the Nikau Creek. The second-placed team, Alan Holdaway and his two sons from Blenheim followed a similar route to the winners without so many controls at Boys Brigade.
There were two outstanding performances in the 6hr category. Lacking a partner, Greg Thurleigh of Wellington went out with a course planner whom he "ran the legs off"! His scoring rate per hour of 860 was nearly 150% of the 12-hour winners, using a downriver route not unlike the old "tramper's marathon" with the addition of a Mt Grace circuit. And second overall was the junior team of Victoria Glover and Chris Ingham (Wgtn), whose scoring rate on a trampers marathon-type circuit beat all but the top two mens teams!
However they had a long wait at the finish for Ingham's mother Gillian, who began with a southern loop which should have been profitable according to the "run-rates" above. With Hawkes Bay multisporter Hamish Goodwin they were well into a northern loop when Gillian "hit the wall", and they finished over two hours late. Organisers were prepared for this and worse eventualities, with SAR experience, radios including two repeater stations on high points, and torches for night work. (It's just that they can't add!)
There were 34 teams entered in the Hutt Valley OC's tenth rogaine, which covered an 80 sq.km area between the Orongorongo River and Coast Road, from Wainuiomata right to the coast. Checked results and pictures are now available.
Report by Michael Wood on 10 Dec 00, pictures added 11 Dec.