Mayor Bob Harvey Confirmed Starter for Eco City Challenge

Mayor Bob Harvey is a confirmed starter in the Inaugural Waitakere Eco City Challenge.

The Waitakere Eco City Challenge is a 4 hour urban navigation challenge (rogaine) exploring the the extensive track network joining the parks and other greenspaces of Waitakere city.  Waitakere City Council has commissioned the event to show off this new track network (including the Twin Streams Project) and the the public transport available in the city. 

Teams of 2 to 5 people will navigate their way (staying together as a team), using the provided map, to as many checkpoints as they can by either walking, running, or traveling by bus. Checkpoints are visited in any order, with checkpoints being allocated differing points.

Event organisers, Lactic Turkey Events, say it's great to have Mayor Bob Harvey entered with a mayoral team, "he has done one of our bush rogaines in the Waitakere Ranges before so will know how it all works".

It's going to be great unique event for the area and a real challene with the added option of taking a Go West Bus (using the sponsored day passes that everyone will get) just making it even more interesting.  Will you wait at the bus stop for the bus, which is due in 5 minutes or sneak off to get that checkpoint just down the road, and risk missing the bus.

WHAT IS A ROGAINE?

IN SUMMARY - Rogaine is the sport of long distance cross country navigation in which teams of 2-5 members visit as many checkpoints as possible within a given time limit (just 4 hours for this event).

Teams travel entirely on foot (or by bus for our event), navigating by map and compass. Checkpoints may be visited in any order, with checkpoints being allocated differing points. The highest score wins. Teams may return to the event centre as many times as they like and do not have to stay out for the entire time allowed. Penalty points are deducted from a teams overall score for a late return.

NOW..PRACTICALLY - HERE'S HOW IT WORKS
You turn up to register 1 hour before the start and pick up your race pack (9am) and start planning your route. Included in your race pack is a map to plan where you are going to go. On the map there are lots of checkpoints, each worth a different number of points.

The object is to get as many checkpoints in the time allowed (4 hours). So in the planning time (1 hour) you have to decide if you will go far away from the event centre to get a few of higher points or stay closer and get lots of lower points. The catch is that you have to plan to be back on time, because for every minute that you're late after the 4 hours you lose 10 points (a big incentive to get back on time) and if you are more than half an hour late you get "timed out". You may find that you change from your planned route as you go because the tracks are faster than you thought - that's fine, you don't have to stick to your original plan. And you can come back to the event centre as often as you like.

So at 10am everyone heads off in lots of different directions - its a crazy start!. The teams of 2-5 people must stay together at all times.

Then at 2pm everyone should be finishing all at the same time. When you finish you add up all your points.

The navigation is very easy as all of the course is on a sort of road map but with more details (like small tracks, parks, playgounds etc). Checkpoints are on features like seats, tracks, buildings or other obvious features. Below is an example of what the map will look like - just like a street map aye!

Usually these are really social events with teams comparing where they went afterwards and debating the best route. The teams thing is great for the competitors too because you have to get along and take turns at navigating.

This event is open to teams of every type - business teams, social teams, family teams, schools and sports clubs. We're setting up the event centre in Henderson Park and offering tent sites to those that want to set up for the day.

EVERY ENTRANT RECEIVES:

1 specially prepared colour map with checkpoint locations marked
1 b/w map with checkpoints marked - for planning, 1 plastic map bag,
2 Leppin squeezies c/o Leppin Sport,
an all day bus pass from Go West to use to get around if you wish
and a challenging, interesting, and satisfying 4 hours activity!!
a chance to win some great spot prizes inlcuding New Balance shoes and two LCD/DVD combo TVs!

Check out the Eco City Challenge website (www.ecocitychallenge.co.nz) for information and to enter on-line.