rogaining race (SA Champs Oodla Wirra) 12:00:00 [3] 43.0 km (16:45 / km)
shoes: Asics GT-2000
The previous (2009) incarnation of a rogaine on this area was called Knackered at Nackara; this one, although even more alliterative, would be a hard title to fit on a trophy: Railways, Ruins, Ranges and Rarely Running Rivers.
Anyway, pleasant assembly area and my parents (who have now been advised that among the camping gear they take on the plane to Alice Springs it will not be possible to include a powerboard, bucket and pair of binoculars; I honestly don't know how we fitted everything for 3 of us plus water/chairs/table for Susanne & Plaxy, and two trophies, into my little Impreza) & I had managed to find a campsite tucked away in the mallee on Friday night, and make a hearty pre-rogaine breakfast of porridge on Sat before Zara's carload with Susanne/Plaxy, Tyson/Ryan (roving 12 hour champions) arrived. While Zara & I were planning, I ate pasta for lunch and decided that unlike everyone else who was trying out spinifex-proof shoes in advance of the WRC in Central Australia, I would wear my oldest runners where my little toes have worn holes in the outside. This decision being based on the fact that I didn't want my feet to get beaten up by shoes twice in 2 months - and in fact it seems possible that I am not going to lose any toenails afterwards, thanks to the freedom my toes were afforded.
What we did lose, though, was about half an hour on the 4th control we went to - following a creek upstream, completely missed an indistinct but essential junction and carried on the main creek which eventually turned too far west, so we had to strike out back east, and got rather confused along the way with which were mapped creeks vs gullies that we were crossing. Think I just hadn't got my head around the 1: 50 000 scale yet, or remembered about the concept of pace counting - which came to be our friend later on, in the night. Next leg wasn't the greatest either as Zara had to stop to do repairs to her heel out of which her shoes had already taken a bite, and I stepped on a stick which went right through the softer midsole of my shoe, through my orthotics and did in fact puncture my hobbit-like foot.
After this we decided to get our act together, and not even stop for water because it wasn't necessary only 2 hours in on a cool afternoon. Headed up to the NW corner of the map, gradually getting the impression that basically NO other teams had decided to go the same way as we were going - a route chosen to minimise the likelihood of getting lost in flat vague stuff between midnight and dawn because at that time we would be going up & over Nackara Hill.
Anyway, some longish legs but mostly good visibility of contour features, we got to water about 5:30pm, got out our torches and it was dark straight away. Now for the fun navigational stuff through the centre of the map in the moonlight. We took this very slowly, breaking each leg down into bite sized pieces and discussing exactly how we were going to do it, reciting the mantra "distance and direction are our friends" because I'd lost so much confidence in my night navigation after the Capertee debacle. It turns out that I actually enjoy pace counting, because it gives me something to do on an otherwise boring leg!
We added on 3 extra controls in the inner southeast because we still didn't need water yet, saw Susanne & Plaxy going the opposite direction just after the water drop at 11:45pm, then about 15 min later Zara said to me "Happy Birthday" which was nice of her to remember given that she was in absolute agony from her feet and we'd just started the rocky ascent of the shoulders of Nackara Hill.