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Post date: Jul 13, 2012 11:58:45 AM
Three competitors from the Ballyannon Wood event have kindly written accounts of their runs on the night. Joe Bosonnet the Short course event winner recalls his delight with his super run. While our 2012 Summer League Mens and Ladies winners reveal their pre-race thoughts and describe some of the highs and lows of their runs.
Short Course Ballyannon Event Winner: Joe Bosonnet
"Very short course at Glenbower with a few hills. I did not have any problems on any of the controls[for once!]. I loved the barbecue after the course. It was delicious! I finished with a time of 11:17 and ended up coming 1st! Looking forward to the relay next week at Ballincollig! " by Joe Bosonnet (Team Bosonnet)
Short Course
2012 Summer League Mens Winner: Rob McEvoy
"It was another fine evening for orienteering at Glenbower on Tuesday evening, for the last individual event in the CorkO 2012 Summer League. I had a few good performances earlier on in the league, but in the last few weeks I had struggled to reproduce this form. Somehow, going in to this last event, I found myself on top of the league with 12 points. Looking at the maths it seemed that only Brian Corbett could keep me from winning the league outright, but that if I came 3rd or better at Glenbower I could put myself out of reach. So my task was clear - run as hard and as fast as I could! I had forgotten my watch so I had no idea of my pace out on the course. I just pushed hard on all the controls and my strategy worked - I was fastest around the course by 90 seconds. But orienteering is all about balancing body and brain - "you can only run as fast as you can orienteer" is a Danny O'Hare mantra. This is a lesson I must learn again and again. My glorious first place quickly changed to a DNF when I realised that I had mis-punched not one but TWO controls!The map around the first control was confusing as it didn't show the new path leading down under the bridge, but it was the same for everybody and the control was in the right place (crag foot). So I got this control and then got the next five (taking a dip in the river between 2 and 3), then back to the initial (butterfly) control. But when I got there again I couldn't see the control, so I figured it had been collected as I was the last person to start (I had been helping at registration). Of course, the control hadn't been collected at all, I just hadn't ran far enough along the crag foot to see it. DESPITE having been there before. The second mis-punch came immediately after; there was another control (edge of a turning circle) which I punched instead of the correct one in the nearby quarry. I just didn't slow down to check the control descriptions. So it was an unceremonious DNF for me, which was disappointing as with that 90 second margin on the others I would have finished first and finished the league in style. As it turned out, Danny O'Hare won the event and beat Brian Corbett by just 4 seconds, denying him the top spot that he needed in order to tie with me for top of the league. I actually feel a bit guilty about this! I'm Summer League Open Course Champion 2012, but with my recent results it doesn't feel like I've earned it. Strangely, all my good runs were back in May when I was in the middle of exam season. Looking back on those events I was much more relaxed and I was just enjoying the orienteering as a welcome break from studying. Later on in the league there was more pressure to run well and if I'm honest that probably went against me at some of the events. There's definitely a lesson to be learned from this for the future. But for now I'm going to sit back and relax! I'd like to say thanks to everyone who planned courses and helped out in any way at the league events; there are lots of jobs to do from map updates, getting maps printed, putting out and collecting controls, registration, etc. Thanks to Dave O'Donovan and Frances for being on hand week in week out in the Start box. And special thanks to Elaine Sheridan for once again doing an excellent job of co-ordinating the league this year, maintaining the results, the league website, photo gallery and news reports from week to week. Hope to see everyone in Ballincollig for the last league event next week (it's a fun relay and everyone can take part) and at the series of Autumn League events that will take place on Tuesday evenings from the end of August." by Rob McEvoy (Summer League Open Champion)
2012 Summer League Womens Winner: Ailbhe Creedon
"Arrived at the event feeling tired after my first day back at work after hols but was looking forward to running after a 4 week break. Chatted with a few people before starting, including my “Summer League Nemesis”! Then it was start-punch and away! Headed off along the road looking ahead on the map at where the course went (useful to remember if a map should disintegrate at a later stage!) Was hesitant coming up to the way into no. 1, which was just as well or I might not have spotted the teeny path into it, guarded by a friendly dog – I had expected the path to look more obvious but it hadn’t been trampled enough by orienteers/dogs yet! Took the path down under the bridge to 2. My next plan was to go across the bridge but no sign of it so waded across the river after a brief hesitation. Refreshing! Scrambled up the bank on the far side up to the forest road and towards 3. This route choice meant that I had more of a hill than if I had taken a possibly preferable drier and less hilly route on the opposite side of the river that I only spotted afterwards – but it would not have been as much fun! Was aware of another female competitor that I had also seen near no. 1 so decided I needed to speed up a bit, which didn’t last long with the hill! Long way to 3 and I was careful not to overshoot the cave, which was not hard as I was only going slowly up the hill anyway. Into 3, then back along the road and over the bridge to 4, but still not managing to shake off the other female competitor from no.1. Along the path from the hut to 5 and onwards again towards no. 6, which was familiar as it was also no 1. Spotted that same female competitor again, as well as a former male interfirm league champion, and having already made my route choice to 7, I sped away from no. 1 as quickly as possible to try to lose them, going back under the bridge again on the same path as I had taken to no. 2 but this time without the splashes. Kept going along the path and then over the bridge to no. 7 by the crag. No sign of either of the competitors that I had last spotted at no.6 and was happy to be in my own company again! Back over the bridge again, turned right onto the path and kept going to no. 8. Didn’t see the path junction so just cut across the forest run till I got to 8, which seemed further away than I had thought it would be. Then up and along the higher path to no. 9. Then the last control. Go! Headed back into the area of forest run but started looking for 10 too soon before realising that there were extra paths that were not on the map and that I needed to go further on. Continued on and the lovely forest run unexpectedly changed into forest crawl, with a mesh of tree branches. Turned back a little to look for a cleaner way through, but didn’t see one, so clambered forward through the branches and was relieved to see no.10 after a short distance. Then up to the road to run to the finish, dreaming of the yummy barbecue to come with a rumbling tummy. Not a particularly fast run but satisfied with a steady-enough and enjoyable one. And the barbecue was worth the wait!" by Ailbhe Creedon (Summer League Women's Champion)Long Course
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