Orienteering race (Harvester Trophy, Rushmor) 1:20:45 [4] *** 8.3 km (9:44 / km) +175m 8:48 / km
spiked:15/21c
Harvester time again! Bed at 1030 after two glasses of red and a fitful sleep, including a trip to the portaloo, before I am woken (really!) at 3.45 by Neil who says we are a bit behind schedule and Will should be about an hour on leg 4. I lie in till my alarm goes at 4 then pull on shorts and t shirt to walk through the wet grass to the car where I spend 20 mins sorting out lenses, running kit, shoes, water/banana, etc. It is still very very dark in the trees due to the heavy cloud and I have to go back for headtorch just in case and whistle which I forget. Will comes in at about 4.55 and we’re off again. All the overheard talk has been about the undergrowth but I soon make out an easy path route to 1 and race the FVO girl who is running for first place but oblivious that her previous leg runner has mispunched. There are fallen trees on the way to 2 and 3 and deep brambles around 4 but we’re ok. At 6 I fall victim to the map corrections we’d been advised about at the start but could not possibly have been expected to remember. The cleared area is much greater than mapped and I am confused. After losing 3 mins I play very safe for 7 and 8 but get a bit reckless around 9, find the wrong ride and depression and lose 3 more minutes. I bungle the route to 10 but find it among the nettles ok and am now conscious that I’m likely to be outside my predicted 70 mins, even to the spectator! Nothing looks that difficult but it is damp and misty and I am rushing and overshoot the large depression in the deep gloom at 14, so double back for it but there is no flag. The cds do say ‘southern edge’ which is where the flag really is, but checking these means unfolding the map and I have just been using them to check codes. I’m at the spectator in 72 mins but round the last (easy-ish loop) in 8 more so not too disappointed. I hand over to Stanley at about 6.15am. After getting changed and attempting to freshen up I wander back to the handover and am surprised to see Lu in the tent. Has she not been out yet? She’s back! She went out at about 5.25 and took just over an hour, anchoring her ladies team to victory by overtaking the SN leader at control 12 and not even realising. Wow, that makes it all sooo worthwhile. The club has been struggling with good junior girls for a few years now, but it has certainly had some great ones in the past. Lucy’s record in relays is quite amazing.