The Story of Labour Weekend Orienteering and Rocketman Ross

Hawkes Bay's pint-sized super hero Ross Morrison leapt mountains in a single bound, survived scrubland infested by rabid bill goats, wooed the damsel in distress and eventually demolished a quality orienteering field to establish himself at the top of the orienteering food chain in New Zealand. The king of his castle.

It didn't start off so well. In the opening event on the famous "Slump" map inland from Puketapu Ross was held to 3rd place by wily veterans Carsten Jorgensen and Darren Ashmore. The steep broken farm landscape with pockets of native and exotic vegetation, eroded gully systems and rock outcrops required careful navigation and rewarded consistency rather than outright pace especially early in the course where Ross, and plenty of others, lost time to the top two. In fact much of the field was out of contention after the first two controls, a difficult diagonal downhill leg across a series of gullies with eyes trying to adapt to the map and brain not yet in gear, followed by a dangerous leg into an area of low visibility forest with much confusing detail. For those that came through the start unscathed the race then went into overdrive, choosing routes through fast open farmland checking into the occasional control generally located in patches of contour detail. Ross came unstuck here overrunning a couple and losing his lead for good. As the race settled down and aerobic rhythms were established less mistakes were made and gaps were maintained until the hour mark when athletes began to tire and the course headed uphill again back through the difficult area to the finish. Jorgensen proven athletic ability came to the fore as he pulled away from Ashmore up the steep hills to the finish, winning by 30 seconds at around the 83 minute mark. Ross was a minute further back in 3rd.

In the womens races the hyped showdown between the established elites and top junior Greta Knarston did not eventuate, with Knarston still suffering the effects of a nasty fall in Australia two weekends ago that left her unconscious. However, another junior was waiting in the wings, Wellington's Lizzie Ingham was determined as ever to prove that she could mix it up in the open grade. Ingham doesn't rest easily in Knarston's shadow and the absence of her rival perhaps took off some of the pressure and allowed her some mind space to take care of business which she did well in the first race taking the lead off Rachel Smith around the halfway mark of the course and finishing strongly to win by a minute.

On Sunday morning the event moved to Whanawhana station at the foot of the Ruahines where the Ngaruroro pores out of the Ruahines. The middle distance races started high up on the dominating landmark known as "The Fort" and wiggled their way through and around some steep gully filled with rock and kanuka stands before beginning a fast slalom style descent down the back of the hill to the finish far below. It was a descent made for the rocketman, starting the downhill in 3rd place Ross boosted down the hill, navigating skillfully and quickly overtaking those ahead. He kept control into the finish turning the tables on Jorgensen, taking the race by 45 seconds. In the womens race Ingham paid the price for early mistakes gifting Rachel Smith a 2 minute lead which she was never likely to relinquish.

The scene was set then for a ferocious sprint race held amongst the pubs and parks of Havelock North Village. Socialites, shoppers and families with small children could not believe their eyes as orienteers swarmed the streets, diving in front of traffic, tearing up pedestrian arcades and appearing out of hidden alleyways. The women were away first, Ingham setting a fast pace for a start and getting away to an early lead. This lead was threatened first by Piret Klade, the Estonian charging in the middle of the course, then as the speedsters tired Penny Kane began eating away at the lead, but it was too late, Ingham triumphed again in 16.18 with the next two within 20 seconds. In the mens race local boy Ross was overwhelming favourite but with Jorgensen in the field you can never be sure. The early pace was set by Jamie Stewart in 13.19 and when Jorgensen eclipsed this by running 13.00 a close race was in the offering. However Ross blitzed it, 12.23, smashing Jorgensen by 37 sconds and leaving the rest of the field pondering their misfortune and planning some speedwork regimes.

Onto Monday and tired bodies and minds were dragged out to Whanawhana once more for another long race, this was the real test of the toughest with gale force winds and steep rugged terrain adding to the difficulty of the 12km course. Ingham finally cracked. In the difficult native gully section of the course which involved a very technical downhill descent she lost plenty as did many others. This allowed Rachel Smith and Penny Kane to battle it out with Smith again coming to the fore. In the mens race it was a no contest, Ross demonstrating his superior form and fitness against a tired mens field, handing out an 8 minute thrashing to Jorgensen again his closest rival. Another highlight of the course was a very long leg where competitors could choose from numerous routes sidling either side of The Fort. Ross's domination was such that he won just this split by a clear 2 minutes, showing his superiority over the field.

It was a great weekend of orienteering organised by the Hawkes Bay Orienteering Club and was well attended by over 250 orienteers of all ages from around New Zealand. This was the last major event in the North Island before the Waitangi Summer Carnival in February, with the focus of the orienteering community now switching to the Canterbury Champs to be held next week in forests around the outskirts of Christchurch and then a very exciting South Island Championships in November revisiting Canaan Downs on the top of Takaka Hill (former home to the Gathering and Orienteering Nationals 06) and the glacial moraine terrain of Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park. Further information on these events can be found on www.maptalk.co.nz/events