The format was slightly different to the usual this year; instead of a single mass start, competitors started in four groups at one minute intervals, although there was still splitting and forking of the courses and multiple loops (two for the women, three for the men).
Nicki Taws took command of the womens' race early and never let it go. Despite starting in the last of the groups, she was the first to reach the end of the first loop, with only Jo Allison and Cassie Trewin within seven minutes of her. Allison broke away from Trewin on a route choice late in the first loop as the two youngest members of the field made a very promising start. As might have been expected, experience came to the fore as the race went on. Natasha Rowe and Emily Viner had both made significant errors on the first loop, but made considerable ground late in the course; in particular, a very wide route choice by Rowe on a three-kilometre leg proved to be a very good one and she made up two to three minutes on the field. By the second last control Jo Allison was in sight, which was enough given that she had started one minute earlier, but Taws was too far away and won by four minutes. Viner's fourth place, narrowly beating Nicola Plunkett-Cole, was a particularly meritorious effort, as it transpired that she had been bitten by a snake during the course. (This is the first known instance of an orienteer being bitten in competition in Australia ,but she was not seriously injured).
The mens' race was closer at the front, with five completing the first loop within thirty seconds of the early pace set by Jock Davis. Tom Quayle, from the last group, had replicated Nicki Taws' feat of being the first out on the long last loop, and appeared to be taking control of the race, although the margins were still relatively small. Apart from stumbles by Jon McComb and Paul Liggins, nothing really happened until the very long leg, halfway through the final loop. This proved to be doubly significant; it was the scene for several who had hitherto been in contention, such as Eric Morris, Jim Russell and Bruce Arthur, to hit the wall, and it allowed Blair Trewin to make up ground lost on the second loop and form part of what became a pack of five with two kilometres to go. Of these five, Quayle and Trewin were the only two from the last starting group, and were therefore the only two who could win as long as the pack stayed together. That particular battle was settled when Trewin slowed with cramp approaching the third last control, and Quayle eventually won with something to spare to make amends for a disappointing Easter. Trewin held on to second, Andy Hogg won a sprint finish with Jock Davis for third, and despite being the first of the pack to finish Rob Walter, as the earliest starter, was relegated to fifth. Nearly half the field failed to finish in one of the toughest races held in Australia in recent years.
Women Loop 1 Final 1 Nicki Taws ACT 34.05 108.24 2 Natasha Rowe VIC 42.57 112.34 3 Jo Allison ACT 35.50 113.24 4 Emily Viner VIC 44.15 120.03 5 Nic Plunkett-Cole NSW 41.40 120.58 6 Cassie Trewin ACT 37.46 123.21 7 Tracy Bluett NSW 51.12 124.17 8 Karen Staudte VIC 42.20 126.07 9 Belinda Allison ACT 42.30 127.41 10 Cathy Liggins NSW 44.10 128.18 Fabrizio Andreoni VIC 192.44 (unof) Natalie Smith WA DNF Carolyn Jackson VIC 63.55 DNF Clare Hawthorne VIC 55.46 DNF Luke McNeil 64.00 DNF (unof) Max Scherleitner VIC DNF (unof) Men Loop 1 Loop 2 Final 1 Tom Quayle ACT 29.40 59.46 144.04 2 Blair Trewin VIC 29.48 63.36 144.38 3 Andy Hogg ACT 31.00 62.42 144.55 4 Jock Davis NSW 29.35 60.56 144.58 5 Rob Walter ACT 30.00 62.00 145.54 6 Eric Morris NSW 31.10 66.05 156.59 7 Jon McComb SA 32.38 73.55 184.39 8 Bruce Arthur SA 30.00 63.30 198.48 9 Jason McCrae VIC 31.42 66.35 206.00 David Jaffe NSW 49.41 DNF Anthony Scott ACT 36.08 DNF Leigh Privett VIC DNF Jim Russell VIC 30.35 62.38 DNF Paul Liggins VIC 31.15 75.10 DNFReturn to results page - miscellaneous national events.
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