Orienteering race 50:34 [3] 6.5 km (7:47 / km) +168m 6:53 / km
shoes: VJ Bold 2013
Couldn't wait to run on Spice Brook! Driving in, the flowers lived up to expectation and they continued to be spectacular through the run - best of the carnival. The weather was shocking with rain all day, pity the organisers and helpers as it really was a worst-nightmare situation there.
Started 2 min after Jenny, was a bit wayward going to 1, lucky the track saved me. Sloppy direction going to 2 but got it fine and had to turn the control on, thought that was a bit weird. The same happened at 3 and I worked out I must now be in front. I could feel Jenny mowing me down on the long uphill drag to 4 and sure enough saw her head pop around the corner just as I punched - a pity as I could have made some time there with the tricky WA control placement - virtually in a convenient blackboy. We leap frogged each other for 5 and 6 then took different routes to 7, arriving at the same time. Stuck together going to 8 but she was edging ahead. She got to the circle first and has heading away but I called her back, I knew it had to be the right place and again my local knowledge paid off as the control placement was another WA special. She got a gap on the hill up to 9 but I took a better route to 10 and punched just behind her. From here I knew I had the win as we had a track run up to the finish and she could not get the 2 min back. I was stuffed and had to walk a fair bit of the way. Happy to win on such a nice area. I felt strong and confident with my orienteering most of the way just need to be physically fitter and stronger.