Relays 2020

Sunday, 15 March 2020 

St Johns Collage

Gauteng Relays 2020

Relays are not exactly my favorite and with this year’s relay being at my not so favorite map, I was contemplating putting my name down for a little. With the Raco ladies leading the events this year, I knew that I was needed, to have a strong team.

I was paired up with Sarah and Tania Wimberley and was happy to be running the first leg. I knew that all I needed to do was try concentrate and not get disqualified. The first leg is my favorite, it is the mass start and I find that I push a bit harder and my concentration is better, despite other people around.

I did a morning run of 1 hour and my left leg was feeling a bit twitchy with my left foot (fascia) tight, so I was going in with excuses already – but luckily working at registration I didn’t actually get to talk to my teammates, so I didn’t voice my excuses.

The way the relay works, is the first leg has a mass start, does their course and then hands over to the next leg runner. There are 3 legs and different courses, so some controls are the same while others are different, for example I might have control 1, 2 and 3 the same as another leg 1 runner but then control 4 is different but in close proximity. So, its important to not follow and read the control numbers.

1. I got a good start and was in the front until I started looking at the map, trying to find the start and first control. We set off across the field and headed towards a pass. Turning left through a carpark, across the road and left through a passageway. Straight to the control by the tree
   
   
   
   
2. Turning right, from the control, left round the building, up some stairs and followed the passage, turning right when I reached the open area. Immediately left (to the left of the wall), left again by the stairs and then right down the staircase to the control by the tree
3. Turning around, I continued down the stairs – it might have been quicker to just carry on straight and come down the ramp. On to the field, heading towards the paving to the left of the building. After the building, cut across towards the end of the benches (stairs). There were quite a few of us charging across the field at this point, with Stephanie Mulder just ahead of me
4. This control was easy to see, just headed straight across the field to it. The control fell over from the orienteer before Steph, so she had to pick it up. I held onto it and basically passed it to the person after me
5. Down the stairs, to the left of the astro, turning right at the end of the fence, at the top of the bank. As I got closer to the control, I went down the bank to path, to the control. It might have been quicker to just turn at the path instead of following the bank, If I read that the control was at the bottom
6. Straight across to the control. This was a good chance to read ahead and memorize control numbers – I was trying to do 3 at a time. The actual control was very busy, and my punching is slow.
7. Followed the fence, went around the wall, through the gate and turned right down the path towards the control
8. Followed the path back, through the gate and up the hill. Right up some stairs and into the playground area. This was also a very busy area with orienteers going in and coming out
9. Followed the same route out except not going down the stairs but continuing straight to join the path. The control was in a small enclosed area, so I turned right at the wall to the control
10. Just followed the path to the control
11. Followed path to the control
12. I ran past the first court and slipped right between the fences and up the hill. I did consider coming from the other side as well, this might have been quicker, and the path was quite narrow and difficult to run. Once at the top, I just followed the path to the control
13. Went up to the paved area, across and then dropped down to the stairs. Followed stairs up, to the open area and across to the control
14. Turned right, left up the staircase, across the grass to the control
15. Followed the steps up. There were some benches/ staircase in the path, and I couldn’t see anything on the map that indicated not crossable, so I crawled under them. Turned right, through the passageway, through the passageway on the left and then left to the control. At this point I passed Brian Courtnage
16. I went diagonally across to the passageway that would take me to the road. Turned right, keeping the carpark on my right, through the path in the middle of the hedge, turning right and then left towards control
17. Turning back, I followed the path, going left, right, left, right, across the road, heading to the right of the hedge, following the path to the control. I saw Gary de Klerk had approached from the other side, so my goal was to try close the gap
18. Following the path, turning right, right at the end of the building and then right again at the end of the building, across the grass to the control
19. Leaving control, turning left towards where I had come from, I could see Gary ahead. I was looking for a passage to the right, which came a lot sooner that I expected, and Gary had missed it, so he was turning around. Turning right through the passageway, the control was just on the other end
20. Across the grass, to the passageway in the top corner, through the passage, turning right in the paved area towards the control
21. Going through the passage at the bottom, left at the circle, to the road, turning right around the carpark paving, keeping the building to my left. Through the opening in the wall, down the steps to the control

Finish - Across the Field to the end - I had a nice dice with Gary who caught up to me. Afterwards he told me he didnt want a girl beating him.

My team finished 1st in the Open Women category.

Overall, I was happy with my performance, trying to remain consistent and keep concentration until the end – It would have been so easy to follow Brian and Gary, but then I would not have passed them. I did battle to see certain parts of the maps, where there were steps and passageways – I felt like I needed a magnifying glass to see where I was going. My calf and legs felt good, but I think I was just slower than I would have liked. A lot of people complained about all the stairs and hills back, but I must laugh because I don’t remember them being that bad. My teammates and I all did roughly 16 minutes for each of our courses.

I have a big week of training ahead of me but hopefully I will be a bit quicker next weekend at the Leewkop Night O.