Summer League #2: Currabinny Wood Results and Report
Post date: May 21, 2014 10:44:30 PM
Currabinny Wood was the destination for the second event in the Cork Orienteering Club Summer League and unfortunately for the 98 entrants on the day it was also the location for a rather large midge convention. There were swarms of these pretty aggressive little pests in the car park area which kept chit-chat at registration and post run analysis to a minimum. They seemed impervious to the nets, buffs and repellent we used to deter them and they feasted on orienteers for the evening. Thankfully, they weren't as noticeable once out on the courses and active in the woods.
We were delighted to see that the late afternoon showers didn't dampen participants orienteering enthusiasm. Once again it was great to see so may families out competing last night. We hope you enjoyed this terrain and didn't find the hills too demanding. For all the beginners out there be sure to check out our website before next weeks event for some further training videos courtesy of the Irish Orienteering Association which will help you learn the skills needed to orienteer.
The Long course last night encompassed most of the hillock and as a result there was no avoiding the climb. However, a little contouring may have helped with the gradient of these inclines at times. The course commenced with a fast down hill descent to the first control which meant that the only way was up after that. The foliage in the forest has really flourished of late and the vibrant greens and carpets of bluebells proved a wonderful distraction for much of the climb. For the highly focused competitors in the field these periods of ascents afforded them the opportunity to do some forward planning and select routes for the legs that lay ahead.
With controls in the Gazebo and by the Giant Grave the course planner ensured we all got to see some of the most significant features of the wood. Controls 9 and 10 on the Long course forced competitors into some of the runnable forest and it was in this area that some folks lost valuable time over their rivals. The stormy weather has also taken it's toll on this wood and numerous trees have been uprooted which provided a few obstacles to navigate around which may have pushed some off their desired route in this region. On the home stretch our big red club tent was like a beacon guiding participants back to the car park although it did seem to divert some en-route to the finish. Although the vegetation and fallen trees did encroach on some of the paths the majority were very dry and the going was fast and furious at times and this is reflected in the results.
The hills didn't slow too may folks down and the Long course was fiercely competitive again this week with less that a minute separating the top three finishers. The top honours this week go to John Scannell who completed the 4.3km course in exactly 30 minutes. Earning himself the title "King of the Hill" and the polka dot jersey...if we had one! Hot on John's heels was Kevin O’Brien who finished the course in a time of 30:23. Last weeks event winner John Chandler had to be content with third place this week. He finished in at time of 30:53 which gave him just ten seconds to spare over Jonathan Lucey in fourth.
It was very disappointing to see last weeks fastest lady arrive at the event with her foot in a cast following a misadventure over the weekend. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope she will be back winning events again soon. In Currabinny Deirdre Creedon made her 2014 summer league debut in style and was the fastest lady on the night. She completed the course in a time of 40:21. Second place went to Trishia O’Mahony with a time of 44:21 and Helen Stone claimed the final podium spot with a time of 45:30.
Matteo Sottocornolla took first place on the Short course punching all ten controls in a time of 23:21. The remaining two podium places went to members of the Kelleher family with Caitlin Kelleher finishing second in a time of 24:48 just narrowly edging passed Avril Kelleher who finished in a time of 24:50.
Congratulations to all who participated. Full individual results and with split times are available here.
Thanks to Sienna Bosonnet for taking some lovely photos during the event these not only capture the action but also the beautiful environs. You can check them out on the Gallery page of our website here.
We would like to extend a huge thanks to David Bosonnet for planning and organising this event and to the other key members of Team Bosonnet, Sienna and Joe for all their work on the night. Thanks also to Brian Corbett for controlling the event, John Scannell and Bobby O'Connor for their parking duties and Gerald Duffy and Rob McEvoy for helping with registration and starts respectively. As if John Scannell hadn't done enough with his parking duties and winning the Long course he also helped with control collection, so thanks again John.
Next week sees the summer league road show move north to Doneraile Park. The park comprises approximately 166 hectares and the terrain (you will be glad to hear) is relatively flat.There is an extensive network of paths which weave there way around several water features and a number of deer herds. The beautiful and majestic surroundings of Doneraile Park means this is a location not to be missed! Further directions and park info is available here.
Hope to see you there!