6/7 March 2015

An 8 hour rogaine is always an awesome way to test your nav skills and get to know your team mate/s better. It’s fair to say that you should be able to get a fair way around the course in 8 hours and get lots of checkpoints. Except when its at nightall..

This race was held at Daisy Hill and my partners in crime were Dr Seymour and Mrs Lucas. Both of whom I have independently raced with for long races. After a lazy day and late breakfast we headed off to Brisbane from home at 7pm, the 2 hour drive was uneventful and we chatted excitedly all the way down, we got really excited when the policeman waved me down on the Blacksoil strip near Ipswich. Not sure if I had been speeding due to our nattering and giggling I sheepishly pulled out my licence sadly contemplating my first ever speeding fine. When the policeman approached my car and said “Ma’am I was waving the car behind you down – you are free to goal” It was a pretty happy moment..

We arrived about 9 and waited for our maps, which when we got them showed some fairly well spread checkpoints. We planned a route and prepared to set off dumping just about everything we didn’t need from our packs.

Now here is my first race at night tip you can’t see yellow highlighter in the dark..ha.

The first couple of checkpoints were pretty easy hits with the crowd leading the way. I was personally pretty keen to lose them and run our own race. We step counted like no-ones business and had it pretty down pat by the end of the night.

One after the other we ticked off the checkpoints, keeping moving, talking and laughing , eating regularly.

By about 4am things got a bit tougher as our lights started to dim and the air cooled in predawn anticipation. Note to self: run ayups on half to 3/4 and not full…

With not much light to show our way we intentionally walked past a couple of CP’s because we knew we would get lost in the dark with our failing lights.

Mrs Lucas was starting to be attacked by sleep monsters around this time and when she told me that she could see a horse and carriage I wasn’t quite sure if she was joking or not. (she wasn’t – she was positive she saw it).

Finally the sun came up around the time we went to the Daisy Hill quarry and it was nice to be able to see again without our lights.

We headed out of the forest and to the last points near the Hash House being past by the early morning bike riders, who smelled and looked fresh. I asked one guy if he would swap his bike for a gu and some panadol, but he didn’t get my joke.(perhaps being faced by 3 crazy eyed girls at 6am wielding a map and compass and smelling bad was a bit too much for him!)

Finally back to the Hash House, and the sleep monsters had come to carry Mrs Lucas away.. she was totally smashed!

We finished fourth in our category and then drove 2 hours home, chatting about nothing that I can remember.

A hot shower and bed were a magical experience that day!

It was an awesome night and as with all races we learned more about course setting and racing ..in hindsight we could have got double our points staying in an arc 5kms from the hash house..but well live and learn.

Thanks so much to my two race babes for the night..we had a blast! You are some of the best race buddies ever!

Thanks to QRA for continuing to put on such fun and affordable events.

 

Jo