Urban Orienteering race 40:50 [5] 5.5 mi (7:25 / mi) +235m 6:33 / mi
Brighton City Race - 2nd, 40.50
Always a great event this, really enjoy this one.
But my word it was tough on the legs.
A bit like parkrun in that you get people flying off at a pace they can't sustain, I was left well back on the beach section.
Should have stuck to my instincts and carried on along the prom but followed onto the beach halfway to #1
Loads of lights everywhere event after the massive drag uphill so no way of knowing whether I was doing well, my feeling was there were people ahead of me and maybe I was racing for 3rd?
Possibly oversimplified the buttefly loops to avoid all the annoying gates - but clearly missed the countouring round route #17-18 and for some reason dropped down and back up.
The final downhill controls let me get some pace up which I was really glad of, but then the crucial moment came when I went the wrong side (N) of the hedge at #27, as speed it looked to me like the circle was centered N of the hedge and didn't check CDs, even then coming from the south I should have seen it but was planning ahead. Then as I reached it, the other chap came flying past with his contactless card and I proceeded to leg it after him, we took different turns to #28 and I got there first, but in a great demonstration of the benefits of new SIAC, he sped straight past whilst I was punching. Caught him up again to #29 but again he shot straight past the control, I (pleasingly, at speed) made the decision to go N then W to give me the chance to cross the road to the N side not at the junction, gave it full sprint but was still beaten by contactless man by the smallest of margins, 2 seconds.
Nothing against contactless technology really but if the event uses it, should be available to hire and I didn't read in the instructions or see on the day they were available to hire. I could easily argue that cost me 90s.
Only complaint is I thought #29 - F was bad planning, to have the finish the far side of a road at (what seemed to be) a busy junction is asking for trouble, certainly on course 1, don't know where the others came from.
The rest was good fun even if I spent the first half crawling uphill!