Chris Forne, Matthias Retter and Hamish Keneally won the Marlborugh Rogaine in the Awatere Valley at the weekend by the size of the smallest control - 10 points. The team was one of the three pre-race favourites, Christchurch-based Forne having placed second in the World Rogaine Champs last year. Another favoured team, Phil Wood and Darren Ashmore (Auckland) was second, while Rob Jessop and Mark Lawson (also Auckland) finished early after exertion-based sickness out on the course.
The winning score of 1650 of a possible 2790 showed that the event could easily have been a 24-hour, but the 18-hour timespan from 4pm had many advantages. It provided approximately equal night and day navigation, it fitted in nicely with ferries from the strong rogaining area of Wellington, and in the event of possible high daytime temperatures would have reduced the problems of heat. (Marlborough often gets the NZ record for sunshine hours.)
Ironically it was Wellington which had (on the Friday) the hottest November temperatures since records began, and the conditions in the Awatere were ideal for athletic competition: warm and overcast and some rain on the higher parts of the course. For most competitors, as soon as parkas were donned they had to come off shortly after, as the temperatures were quite moderate even in the night.
The area round the hash-house at 400m elevation consisted of rolling farmland, although the Medway River has carved high cliffs in parts which meant that cross-valley travel was considered with care. To the south and east of the hash-house the hills rose to 1200m with the highest controls and likely routes at 1000. Although farmland this was sprinkled with patches of scrub including the prickly matagouri, and at night when you couldn't see to how to avoid them travel was best along the farm tracks if you could.
The map was a 1:50,000 topo, amended for significant cliffs and new farm tracks, and a hash-house service was provided during the night and after the finish. Although the specially-made control flags were smaller than usual, a nice touch was the piece of reflector on each one. Some of the control placement came in for criticism, but this reporter found every marker using the classic technique of going to an irrefutable attack point, and heading in for the right distance (almost always further than you think). With the flags hung on trees or bushes as normal for rogaines, part of this process is to look over your shoulder during the final approach. Overall it was a great effort from Blenheim organisers Alan Holdaway and Susan King.
The Blenheim area provided 15 of the 70 teams, with the best-placed being Tony and Warren le Sueur. The brothers have done a number of the Wellington rogaines and a lot of mountain running. Their 1480 points earned them 3rd place, ahead of the first Veteran team, Michael Wood and Dave King (1400). Wood has been behind many of the lower North Island rogaines over the last 10 years and King was a key figure in the old "Ridge Runners" off-road running club; he has recently added orienteering both on foot and MTB to his repertoire. There was a novice category too which went to Wellington multisporters Al Cross and Nigel Corry (1340, 6th).
Peter Squires, Bill and Ann Kennedy were possibly the most experienced team in the whole event, and even as mixed super-vets have been known to place in major Australian rogaines. In spite of Squires' knee trouble which had him using a walking stick, their score of 1250 was 8th overall as well as top for any mixed or over 55-year team. Des and Duncan O'Regan from Lyttelton had a great trot to win the family class with their 1100 points (16th overall), while Annie Sanderson and Nick Collins (New Plymouth) were the top Mixed Vets (750 points, 27th overall). Collins won the Terawhiti 12-hour event in 1998. Other categories were Veteran Women, won by Pam Whitla and Kathrin Mueller from Christchurch, and Junior, won by Frith Dollimore, Ben Irving, Steph Kerr and Sam Reed from Blenheim.
Full results have now been loaded.
Written by Michael Wood
and installed on 3 Dec 01