Orienteering/Adventure Running race 5:11:00 [5]
Wow, what an event.
My Sunday started off with the usual wake up call, followed by the drive to Ancaster. All of that was uneventful until I got to the venue.
I met up with my teammates, Henri and Diane, and immediately got down to business by studying the maps provided to us. After the captain's meeting, we got on the bus and got transported to the startline.
The race started without a hitch. The first thing we had to do before heading over to CP1 was get to six checkpoints - 3 on the North Loop, and 3 on the South Loop. It was muddy and wet as we also had to travel through a tunnel under the railway tracks that was host to a stream with running water. Luckily for us, we were able to get through it without ending up waist deep in water.
After clearing those loops, we proceeded to CP1 and 2 prior to following the "Urban Route" for a portion of the race before heading into Warren Park and Dundas Valley Conservation Area. Within the Dundas Conservation Area, we were faced with some knarly hills that were made slick with mud and leaves. However, Diane and Henri's skills got us to all the checkpoints and we were making good time. At the matrix, we had to split up and I was given one checkpoint to get. Of course, I hit the wrong checkpoint and had to navigate myself to the correct one, which I did with ease. Once the matrix was complete, we re-enacted Sulphur Springs and ran a portion of the race course. Gettint to Checkpoint 13, we were able to conquer the correct checkpoint without having to repeat a loop and we got the Mystery Map. The Mystery map was a portion of the course known as Walk the Line where we had to navigate to each checkpoint following a precise route. We were able to complete the entire route without using the compass at all. All we did was follow the map's contours and features to get to each checkpoint.
After completing the Mystery Map, we returned to CP 16 where we decided to take a 2 hour time penalty instead of doing the Advanced Orienteering section. The rain was starting to come down and dampen our spirits a bit. We were within the time limits up to that point but we knew that we'd be cutting it close if we decided to continue.
A good time was had by all, and there were a few comical moments but the support received by the volunteers on the course made me realise why I like these endurance events, even though I grumble during the actual event.
Bring on Sleepy Hollow 12H! I will be ready :-)