G'day Rogainers,

NSW Rogaining eNewsletter, 11th July 2020

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Compiled by Tristan White


Covid Update

We live in strange times. Just when we think that after being lost and directionless for months, that things are going back to normal, then with virus cases building up again, it’s hard to judge what will happen in our neighbourhood, state and sport.

At this point, our upcoming events will go ahead as planned in our revised calendar but, as we all know, things can escalate rapidly within days. The committee and event organisers are monitoring the situation closely and will follow any official advice from relevant authorities to ensure our events are as safe as possible. As with any public gathering, if you are showing any flu or cold-like symptoms, please stay home and advise the event administrator of your unavailability.


Woronora Pipe Dreams, Sat 1 August – Entries Close Tonight at Midnight!

Our first post-lockdown event, the “Woronora Pipe Dreams” 5/3-hour Night Rogaine in Sutherland Shire, will still be proceeding as planned next Saturday evening. Vetting is complete and the maps about to be printed, so we hope that you are getting excited to put your fear of the dark to the test! And yes, we have a Safety Plan to minimise risk of Covid transmission.

You can still register to enter on the website here and Final Instructions are also now available on the event page of our web site.

Nicole Mealing and Andrew “Brooner” Brown have been working hard to set an event that is challenging and fun for all levels of night rogaining experience. We have three options:

  • 5hr night rogaine (17:00 start)
  • 3hr night rogaine (17:30 start)
  • 3hr non-competitive day/night rogaine (15:30 start)


NSW Rogaining Champs 24/8-hr, Gundabooka NP, 5-6 Sept – Entries Now Open

Organiser Michael Watts is literally counting down the number of sleeps between now and his chance to show off one of his favourite spots, Gundabooka National Park, located about 80km south of Bourke. He assures us that it will be a trip that will be long remembered with scenery that is profoundly different to anything one would see closer to the Sydney Basin, introducing a very different navigational experience as well.

Entry is open at the event website. It takes significant commitment for you to participate in this special event, just as it is taking major effort from the organisers to create it. Hence the fee structure is different to normal, set to $100/$70 prior to 9th August, $150/$100 after that. This is to induce you to enter early and to give the organisers an idea of how many people will be inspired to travel that far.

It's important to confirm that your entry fees will be fully refunded if the event is cancelled due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

There have been some queries about NSWRA providing a bus to transport us to the Champs. Our straw polling and previous experience indicates that there is not enough interest in using such a service… not enough to justify the expense. With apology, we won’t pursue any alternate transport options.

In keeping with our Covid policy, we will not be having any catering at the event. As this is an added for such a remote, isolated event, Michael shares below some of his ideas for sustenance:

“If one is out on course and does not have the ability to heat anything - a sustaining (albeit not necessarily dietitian recommended) meal can be one or two Mars bars, ten or so of the smallish sour worms, a handful of nuts and one or two cups of water with a hydration tablet dissolved in it - personally, I like the blackberry flavour; and standard snakes I find too sweet.

If one can heat food but one is short on fuel – pour a commercial packet of pasta and sauce or diced tomatoes into two cups of cold water, add one or two tablespoons of dried minced beef, a tablespoon of dried peas and a tablespoon of dried carrots. Heat the mixture, stirring so it doesn't catch, until the water is just boiling, then let sit for 15 to 20 minutes wrapped in a tea-towel or something to insulate it, then reheat to the desired temperature and eat.

If one needs to eat and run, has preparation time in advance but not at the time of eating - then put the same ingredients as above in two cups of cold water. Let this sit for a few hours (preferably 6 or more), then boil. Let stand for a couple of minutes as well insulated as can be, then eat. The dried mince may still be a bit chewy, and the peas and pasta a bit mushy, but it will taste ok.

Dried mincemeat is not to everyone's taste. An alternative is a 100g sachet of tuna and sauce, or salmon (though it is not my preference with pasta)

If weight is not a concern and one has plenty of fuel and time - bacon, tomato, eggs, mushrooms and baked beans tastes great at any time of the day or night.

Obviously with these suggestions, I don’t have any special dietary issues. If you are a vegan/vegetarian, substitute dried mushrooms or a small tin of lentils, baked beans or chickpeas for the dried minced beef, and vegetarian sausages/bacon for the real thing. Haloumi cheese can also be used instead of the eggs.”

Also, if you haven’t already seen it, check out Michael’s article about navigating on flat terrain. Rogainers who profess to hate close contours may learn that the absence of hills makes navigation very difficult!


Get Into Gear No. 6 - Shedding Light on Headtorches and Night Navigation

I am massively grateful to have had the chance to go on several night rogaines with seasoned competitors in earlier years. In addition to allowing me to do night rogaines comfortably on my own accord, it has given me the confidence to do night-time hiking, trail running, orienteering and cycling, something that many of my friends think is crazy, but is second nature to me. I really love rogaines that have a mix of day and night in them, as it feels like two separate events. And needless to say, it forces one to be very careful with navigation, as being lost in the pitch black can be a very dark experience!

The main addition to the kit list for a night rogaine is a good headtorch and, with several night rogaines coming up, I thought it would be a bright idea get a handful of seasoned rogainers to share their experience on their own flashy lamps. You can read their reports and advice in our latest Forum posting here.


MapRunF courses from previous events here.

Find us on Facebook and Strava here.

Regards,
Tristan White
on behalf of the NSW Rogaining Committee
publicity@nswrogaining.org