As last time he was well clear of the bunch, who all took a similar route around the rim of Stokes Valley with minor differences on the way out and into the start/finish. But Edwards was the only one to spot that Pinehaven offered a reasonable haul of points without huge climb. After cleaning up the northern part of the map he returned past the landfill to climb the pylon road, mop up some of the high-pointers at the top including the 90, and get back to Tui Glen School with less than two minutes to spare.
Behind Edwards, six teams scored between 580 and 630, headed by James Ivey and Greg Thurlow, who also finished closest to time. The pair were also second last time. All of these teams circled the valley rim from Holborn to the pylon road although not all in the same direction. Among these Jerry Shepherd and Jill Westenra comprised the first mixed team on 590. Teams who could manage a partial circumnavigation including the pylon road came next, and a partial circumnavigation including the lower Holborn ridge was least profitable.
Or most comfortable, as the occasional drizzle which fell during the day turned into steady rain shortly before the 6:30pm kickoff, and lasted until just after the 9:30 finish. Fortunately there was little wind and temperatures were warm. The turnout of 13 teams, 27 people was pretty good in the circumstances.
Results have been posted. The next Wellington Shoestring will be in the hills above Eastbourne on 13 Nov.
This page written by Michael Wood, installed on 30 Oct 03.