Orienteering race 1:28:13 [3] 6.6 km (13:22 / km) +225m 11:25 / km
US Nationals Long
Bad route to #1, taking way too much of the green. Should have run the edge of it to the deer trail at the top of the hill. Spike next two and then made three errors to #4. Kean Williams "caught me" there (although he had started ten minutes earlier), but I realized that we were in the wrong, albeit unmapped, green and ditched him. Overshot #5 and he caught me again. Long slog all the way up the hill to #6 more or less with Kean, but again we separated in the circle and I got there first. He caught me as I drank and we were then togther, him a bit ahead, to #7 and #8. Angled to the trail to #9, hitting it just before the road bend. Spent the road trying to catch Rob Wilkison and Kean and sort of succeeded. A train of four of us attacked #9 and then took #10 in stride. Kean and I were somewhat together most of the way to #11, but I saw the depression to the right and dove in again and got it. Crashed out to the trail and took it to #12 living in fear that Kean - who had shown that he was moving faster - would catch me and that there was no more real nav. Fear is a great motivator as he got to the trail (so he told me later) only to find that I was out of sight. Slight bobble at #13 and in for a decent, low middle of the pack run.