Orienteering: Surrey 5-0 Regional Event
I had made up my mind ages ago to compete in at least some of the Surrey Five-O events. I thought it was time that I moved beyond local and the occasional district events to try “the real thing”. I was encouraged that the M45S course was only 3.1km – well within my stamina range – and I already knew many of the likely officials, who would know I was new to this sort of thing. I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect, and the “big day” atmosphere in the world cup arena, plus the 30-minute delay built the tension. I was glad to get into the start queue and start the process of clearing the electronics, checking, getting the control descriptions and then starting, picking up the map and heading into the forest. Heading off at the same time as six other people threw me a little, especially when several of them ran off quickly after a 2-second glance at the map.
I made a bit of a mess of the first control. I should have paused for ten or twenty seconds longer to orientate myself, but took a crude bearing aiming at an area of open with small buildings below the control. In fact I found other small buildings, before the open, but was not quite sure how things were mapped. This meant I approached the control far from the optimum direction and had to cast about a bit to nail it. This sowed the dreaded uncertainty, which it took a while to lose.
The terrain was far more complex than anything I have been used to. It was very hilly, but in a complicated way. This meant that contours were critical – with plenty of detail for navigation but huge potential for confusion. Alongside this, the army have spent decades changing the landscape, with strange buildings and shelters (many unmapped), bizarre tracks and paths, extremely deep pits and trenches and so on. I found it very hard to simplify at first. There was so much going on.
It was also rather physical, with very steep slopes and deep gulleys and re-entrants, as well as army-type barriers of fallen trees, corrugated iron and such. With the high temperature, I was sweating and my heart was pounding within seconds.
I did the sensible thing after control 1 and slowed down to avoid mistakes (not that I was fast to start with!). This did not stop me having to change plans half-way through going from 1 to 2 and again doing 2 to 3 and 3 to 4. I was seeking safety – obvious handrails and checking features to try to avoid getting lost. I knew that if I lost map contact I would be in real trouble. Control 5 was one of those nightmares. I was in the circle quickly and confidently and knew the control was in one of the many deep pits. Why I did not spot the obvious form line that told me it was the pit on top of the small hill I had gone round several times without realising there was a pit on top, I will never know. I covered that ground several times, looked at the map for the eighth time and knew instantly I was a complete idiot.
This seemed to shock me into paying MUCH more attention to the map and I felt, at last, that I had a feel for the terrain and how it was mapped. I was very pleased with the way I executed the next four controls. If I had run like that all the way round I would have been in contention.
I made a bad route choice from 9 to 10. I opted for safety and went around to follow obvious features, but this took ages and the features turned out to be more complex than they first seemed so finding the path that seemed obvious on the map and checking it was the right one took ages. I did something similar for the next two controls. I played safe but this meant I was very slow.
The penultimate control was another experience of very quickly being in the circle, but taking ages to find the control. This was another area riddled with deep pits, one of which contained the control.
I did manage the run-in at a tolerable trot and looked reasonably convincing, though no-one would mistake me for an athlete!
Not surprisingly, I was last except for the chap who had missed a control completely, and at least fifteen minutes behind the next competitor. I was delighted to have finished, and pleased with the middle of my run. I learnt a huge amount that I will need to think through very carefully. The skills required for this course were a whole level above what I have needed so far. I know all the theory – the need for rough then detailed orienteering, the need to simplify, the need to identify clear attack points and pay attention to checking and catching features when making route choices and such basics as pace-counting, as well as the overwhelming importance of the map – but I have a long way to go to apply it and get things to hang together. The fact I did find all the controls (even if I took ages), and had a decent bit in the middle, shows some hope, and I am looking forward to having another go on Tuesday at Leith Hill. The most encouraging thing was chatting to Les Hooper on the way out who said, “You will improve quickly now”. I felt like I saw, for the first time, what orienteering is really all about and the challenge is to raise my game to respond – bring it on!
Great event, great terrain and map and excellent course – it was just me who needed to improve.