Well the 2004 Metrogaine has now come and gone. Amazingly (given the 45 degree temperatures at Penrith the day before, the event was held on an overcast, and sometimes drizzling day with top temperatures of about 29 degrees. For a summer rogaine you probably couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions. The event was a great success. The mix of urban parkland and bush areas proved very popular and it seems that every single control on the course was visited by at least one team. Route choices were varied (so that you can compare notes we’ve put some of the routes on the NSW rogaining website and a blank JPEG for you to edit), with many going east to Pennant Hills Park, a lot going southwest to Lake Parramatta, and the remaining travelling around the state forests in the northwest. After expending many calories, a late lunch of pizza (we were after the hash house novel cuisine award), salad and lots of fruit and donuts was appreciated by all at the end. Many a family with toddlers or bubs in prams proved that it is quite possible and even enjoyable to take the kids out for a metrogaine. We even had Batman (how many of you noticed our caped crusader?) out on the course. The veterans and mixed categories were again particularly competitive. The mixed open team of Tom and Alina won the overall event with some funky route choice and some amazing fitness (they got to a fair whack of the east of the course and some of the big pointers in the west). The veteran mens team of James and Ian managed also to take out the open mens category in a close run event (from Wayne and Adam). This goes to show that the stereotypical ideas of age and sex don’t necessarily apply in rogaines. All three of the top teams did a big loop out the east of the course (cleaning up the four 200 pointers out there), but each had a different extension of it (either south, west, and northwest). One admirable course was from the mixed vets of Larry and Karin who got a very high score (over 3000 pts), but without travelling to any of the 200 pointers.

A big thank you to the following people for making the event possible: Michael and Cathy Watts and their family for taking on the big task of the pre event administration; Janet Morris and Andrew Pope for not only being extensively involved with vetting but for helping out throughout the day with various administrative duties; Paul’s and my parents and families for generously making salads and transporting food and tables; the helpers from the Macquarie University Bushwalking and Orienteering Club who helped with the course setting, at the registration desk and at the hash house. A big thank you also to Maureen Fitzpatrick for turning up on the day to help with anything and everything. Without volunteers like this a rogaine just doesn’t happen. At the metrogaine we trialled asking people to bring their own bag to take home their own rubbish. We also had bags to give out to those who forgot. Not only does this make the clean up easier for the volunteers, hopefully fruit scraps and pizza boxes that otherwise may have been binned were instead composted or recycled. The trial was a huge success. Thanks to all the participants who helped leave the grounds practically spotless.

On a serious front we had a complaint of two teams separating from their teammates during the rogaine. One team was identified, but the other refused to reveal their team number to a fellow competitor who was enquiring after the other members. Regardless of whether you are participating in an urban or bush rogaine, for your own safety as well as fair competition, the rule that all team members must stay together is of vital importance. A nice note is that a man from West Pennant Hills was very appreciative that his wallet was found by one of the teams in the event. The gentleman had had his car broken into two days earlier; his wallet, digital camera and other articles stolen. Though it no longer contained any cash all his cards and license were there. So thanks to that team for your thoughtfulness in picking the wallet up. The biggest thanks is saved for last. To my wonderful husband Paul for doing a lot more work on the rogaine than he necessarily expected. I took on the job of course setting the rogaine which somewhere along the way evolved into organising the whole thing. Paul put down as willing and able to do the hash house. He ended up doing far more than this though as I was quite ill in the weeks leading up to the 22nd. I think that his involvement really created the great event we had – perhaps the biggest map for a metrogaine we’ve seen (but one that provided a lot of fun course choices), a novel taste experience for lunch at the hash house and a great atmosphere all round.

Finally, if there are any of the mums and dads with bubs who went around on the course, if you get a chance I’d love to hear about your experiences of rogaining family style in a newsletter and I’m sure others would too (maybe they haven’t braved it yet and could do with some advice!). Paul and I are expecting our first bub if all goes well in late September this year so we might be joining the family rogaining scene in an upcoming metrogaine. The ins and outs of your experiences would be great to hear. We hope you all enjoyed the Metrogaine!

Bronwyn and Paul Batten (and Ellie the dog!)