Maximum Entries for World Championship

Current World Champions have entered in different teams

New countries represented are Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland and Wales. Plus we overlooked Canada in the previous summaries. 13 countries at a rough count.

With entries now officially closed the maximum of 400 people has been reached. Team composition is still changing however, as the inevitable injuries occur (or is it just the realisation of what 24 hours really means!!!)

More inside info on the background of those on the entry list, completely biased and unchecked. Unless otherwise stated, places mentioned are in NZ.

• Peter Watson has teamed up with Gillian Ingham after Maurice Lloyd pulled out. Peter has had some success in short rogaines, and Gillian was in the winning team in last December's Makara 12-hour. That's right, she beat all the men. Gillian is a former NZ orienteering representative and an awesome hill runner.
• Don't know what's happening with current World W45 Orienteering Champion Roz Clayton, her partner Greg Luxton has joined Joe Sheriff from Invercargill. Greg is the policeman in Hanmer, not far from the rogaine area.
• Michael Wood is one of NZ's most experienced rogainers, with the Awesome Rogaine in Alberta and WRCs 1-3 under his belt. However he has never done a 24-hour in his own country. His partner is orienteer Derek Morrison, the pair came 6th in the recent Omakere 12-hour event. Mens Vets.
• Malcolm Mack and Brian Bakalich drove 700km from Whangarei to the Omakere rogaine two weeks ago. Last weekend they drove 700km to a 2-day orienteering event in the Manawatu. While others are out all night in the rogaine, they'll probably nip home and back for a proper night's sleep! Mens Vets.
• Dieter Wolf from Switzerland is no stranger to NZ, having coached the orienteering team for the 1985 World Champs. On one visit he won a mountain marathon in Tongariro National Park. And he's still doing well, he was near the top if not a medallist in M50 in the WMOC in Denmark. Partner is not specified, wonder who could keep up with him!
• Tomas Vaclavek and Tomas Rusek are from the Czech Republic. That's where the following World Rogaining Championships will be. They are running Mens Vets.
• Alan and Mike Lowrie from Wellington have been rogainers from way back, well at least since we've had them in NZ, about eight years! They survived WRC2 at Mt Singleton. Open Men.
• Graham Frith has run outdoor education activities in Canterbury for many years. I'm not saying that he will know the specific area, but his general knowledge will be top. Graham will team with his 18-yr-old son Paul.
• Jason Markham, winner of two 12-hour rogaines this year, and sixth-placed in the Southern Traverse IS LOOKING FOR A PARTNER. Hope you sort something out Jason. (Contact details on the main rogaine page.)
• John Jacoby is a name I dimly remember in connection with the Coast to Coast multisport race many years ago. Is this Australian the same one? Teaming with kiwi Ian Edmond in open men.
• Here's an intresting combo. Jim Russell, winner of WRC1 at Beechworth, and no mean M35 orienteer. Teaming with Colm Rothery, who represented Ireland at both the World Orienteering Champs and the World Mountain Running Champs this year, Plus he is reputed to be still scoring PBs on the track! Watch this pair in open men.
• And the current world champions. Iiro Kakko from Finland is running (yes he probably WILL be running) with TBA. And Nigel Aylott from Australia will be running with Tim Sloan. Nigel won the Australian 100km road championship in October, and was in the second-placed team in the Southern Traverse multisport event early in December. We need to find out more about Tim Sloan, and that character TBA as well.
• Ulrich Aeschlimann may be the Swiss who is Austria's elite orienteering coach, and competing in WMOC in M40. His partner Christian Gigon is from Austria so it seems likely.
• Christine Brown from Tasmania is a pick for honours in the W35 class at WMOC. She'll be rogaining with Karen Cole.
• The happy laugh of Pam James is well known to NZ orienteers, the Canadian elite orienteer has been here before. She teams with fellow Canadian Catherine Hagen in open women.
• Jan Davies is a former NZ orienteering elite representative, and also a former President of the organising club Peninsula and Plains Orienteers. Her partner in open women is Mary Wadsworth, both are from Christchurch.
• Our only Swede seems to be Kajsa Gutestam (pronounced "Kaiser" I think) who is an elite orienteer from near Stockholm. Her partner is Lara Prince. I don't know much about Lara, but father Russell, mother Vivienne and brother Aaron all have impressive multisport credentials, so it would be surprising if Lara didn't share them! All four are in the rogaine. And some more Prince news is that Aaron was in the WINNING TEAM in the Southern Traverse multisport event three weeks ago! They won by six hours from the next team which included world rogaine champion Nigel Aylott.
• Big teams are not the norm, but Harriette Carr, Jenny Cossey, Sue Lyttle and Miriam Jones are all regular off-road and endurance runners. In fact Sue runs the annual Holdsworth Jumbo Trail Race in the Tararuas near Wellington, the next one is on 29 Jan, you should have recovered from the rogaine by then...
• Alice Bedwell from Wales is in or near the British elite orienteering team, although I think she may technically be a vet. She'll be rogaining with Mark Saunders in Mixed Open.
• Trish Faulkner and Bunny Rathbone (Christchurch and Dunedin) will be giving the Sharon Crawford/Judith Dickinson team a run for their money in womens super-vets. Both have represented NZ in age-group competition, and Bunny has medal potential at WMOC in W65.
• Vivienne Prince (of the Christchurch multisport dynasty) now lives in Australia and she will be returning to rogaine with Derek Morris and Robert Caldwell. I think Derek was near the top in M50 in the Aus Orienteering Champs this year.