Orienteering race (NOY 7) 1:00:55 [5] 8.5 mi (7:10 / mi)
shoes: Saucony Wave Blue
Exhausting run today! The map is aptly named. Only had 3 or 4 minor stuff ups!. Managed to exit 2 in completely the wrong direction, but luckilly was paying enough attention that I knew where I was when I reached the top of the hill. Probably weaved more from 3 through to 5 than my routegadget track shows mostly trying to avoid the thicker bush. I caught Glenn and Alex caught both of us as we were coming in to 7. Alex of course ran much faster than I, but I did a better job navigating to 8. So managed to hang onto the back of Alex all the way to 9. Glenn had the right idea from 8 to 9 by staying west and avoiding the deep erosion gully under the powerlines which both Alex and I scrambled through. I couldn't keep up with Alex coming up the spur to the S of #9. My first thought was to just run up the creek but decided not to and then got caught in some kind of thorny vine (I had already gotten a decent scratch leaving #2). This one really got me and tore my shirt up. As I should have run up the spur, Glenn caught up and he and I ran together to 11. From 11, he chose the more direct route staying low, but I just ran up the hill and used the tracks to drop in via the small cliffs to the N. I had managed to open a small gap, but doubt got the better of me on 13 and I went and checked on a control that was not on my course (Glenn caught me again). Managed to lose Glen on 14 to 15 as I took a more direct route (but through worse scrub). Did poorly on 15 to 16 as I just took off trying to get away. I was trying to stay high but went too high, all the way to the track, and then lost contact maybe 50m S of 16. Stopped and figured it out, then went really well to the finish.
I am probably the most scratched up I've ever been after orienteering. I also managed to puncture my shoe with the end of stick that was bigger than my thumb!