Night O #1: Curragh Wood, Midleton FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3RD Results and Report
Post date: Nov 05, 2017 12:15:51 AM
Well done to all who ventured to Curragh Wood on Friday night to take part in the first event in our NightO series.
We had 28 entries on the night with some participants opting for safety in numbers and chose to stick together on the course. Special mention must go the two families who competed on the night. They seemed very enthusiastic and certainly weren't afraid of the dark. So well done to all of them.
There was a little drizzle on the night but in general the fine fresh evening was ideal for our evening orienteering adventure. There were two technical courses on offer on the night with only minor difference between them.
The flashing light on the start kite may have fooled some into thinking there would be similar flashing lights on all the controls. Sadly, all other controls weren't as obvious to spot in the forest in the dark. The courses began with a steep ascent to the first control.
With restricted visibility competitors needed to pay careful attention to the map detail to keep on track. In some instances the longer routes via paths proved quicker than the straight line options. It was difficult to relocate in the dark.
The sounds in the forest are more pronounced in the dark and the gentle flowing of the Leamlara river was at times a reassuring reminder of ones location on the map. Furthermore, the sound of cracking branches and occasional flashes of fellow competitors head torches was a comforting sign that you weren't alone in the woods!
Control 139 proved the most difficult on the night and many competitors spend a lot of time traversing this hill top in search of the boundary between the
forest and the rough open terrain. Following the event the controller elected to eliminate this leg from the courses by treating it as a road crossing so all time spent in this area was eliminate from the final results.
On Course A the event winner was Zak O'Sullivan Hourihan. He didn't let the darkness impede his progress and he completed the 3.3km course in a time of 32:30. There was some fierce competition for the runner up honor on the night with two Midleton natives battling it out for the title. Cathal Lane narrowly piped Dan McDonnell on the night. Cathal finished in a time of 44:34 and Dan was a mere 53 seconds behind him.
On Course B Mike Hallahan was first home finishing in a time of 47:51. The runner up was Darragh Hoare who completed the testing course in a time of 50:54. Third place went to Elaine Sheridan who finished in a time of 59:47.
Well done to everyone who participated on the night especially those who competed in their first ever night orienteering event. We hope everyone enjoyed the challenge of Night Orienteering and will join us again next week. Full individual results are available here and amended splits can be viewed here.
Our NightO series continues next Friday November 10th when we return to Curragh Wood for another night time orienteering adventure. So charge up those head torches and join us on the night.
