Orienteering race 4:57:40 23.5 mi (12:40 / mi) +326m12:09 / mi ahr:120 max:178 31c shoes: Speedcross 4 - Navy
Nain Rouge 6 h Rogaine 2/45 OA 1 female
Great to get out in the woods! I planned a CCW loop, saving the long out and back section for the end. Based on my distance estimates and how flat it is in Michigan the course seemed easily clearable – especially with the amount of running we’ve been doing. Took off with a crowd to my first control (60). People slowly dropped off the pace until after ~45 min it was just Jens, Tony, and Jason following along. I kept up a steady trot on and off trail, only walking where the woods were too thick to run easily. I separated from the group after 76 when I headed S on the road to pick up 66. Caught back up at 81 where there were a lot of teams wandering around looking for the flag. It was missing. I reattacked once to make sure I was in the right place and then Jens called Steve to let him know. I took a photo of the few of us that were gathered to have evidence that we were in the right place and then continued onward.
My group of followers was starting to tire and after 93 I finally pulled away from Tony, Jens, and Jason. Legs were feeling a bit tired between 3-4 hours, but I ate a few snacks and by the time I made it to the last out and back section I was feeling pretty good. I picked up the pace and cruised along the dirt road. I did go down the wrong reentrant for 78, but it was a quick fix to trot along the marsh and go back up the correct one. The rest of the controls went smoothly and I was flying on the way back. Trail junctions never come up that fast during rogaines! I was really excited to be moving so quickly after 4 hours of orienteering. As I approached the finish, I saw Richard coming in from the opposite direction. We made eye contact and it was an all-out sprint to the finish box. I narrowly beat him, taking second place by only 2 seconds! Kevin had already claimed the winning spot :) So excited that training/navigating is coming together for him! Fun day in the woods. This is probably the fastest pace I’ve ever sustained for a rogaine, and it felt good. Great confirmation that training is going well.