Victorians at the Easter 3 Day

There was trepidation on Day 3 as we returned to The Gumbles; would the km rates be as slow? The question was quickly answered as early finishers returned, and reported that the first half was in open or lightly forested terrain with scattered rock outcrops. After a fence crossing, competitors completed several legs in the previous day’s forest (which hadn’t become any easier with familiarity) before emerging into the open again. Winning times were far more in line with expectations.

Results

Notable Day 3 performances were wins to Torren Arthur, Milla Key, Philippa Lohmeyer-Collins, Warren Key and Helen Alexander, while Aston Key came in over  minutes ahead of Matt Doyle to win M21E.

But it was the overall results we were waiting for. Here’s the list of Victorian winners and placegetters:

First: Milla Key, Gary Buchan, Warren Key, Ted van Geldermalsen, Sue Key, Allison Radford, Alex Tarr, Helen Alexander

Second: Torren Arthur, Brodie Nankervis, Alan Kuffer, Melissa Gangemi, Bruce Arthur, Geoff Lawford, Jim Russell, Carolyn Jackson, Peter Prime, Ryan Cates

Third: Jensen Key, Patrick Jaffe, Leigh Privett, Liz Hatley

Overall Results

Our thanks to the NSW organisers who went above and beyond to put on a wonderful carnival under incredibly difficult circumstances. What a joy to be able to be part of it.

On Day 2, the action shifted to Gumble Pinnacles, originally mapped in 2000, and never used for a major Championship. Covering a much larger area than Day 1, the map certainly offered enough scope for a Long Distance event in very complex rock, complicated by thick vegetation in many places.

As a result, winning times were longer than expected on most courses, and many orienteers experienced a long, tough day. The attrition rate was accordingly high. One of those to pull out was Aston Key, fatigued by his extraordnary effort the previous day.  However that opened the door for Brodie Nankervis and Patrick Jaffe, who took first and second place in M21E respectively. Brodie was the only M21 to go under 2 hours.

Strong results also from Jensen Key, Sophie Taverna, Asha Steer, Milla Key, Gary Buchan, Melissa Gangemi, Bruce Arthur, Simon Rouse, Geoff Lawford, Philippa Lohmeyer-Collins, Warren Key, Jim Russell, Varolyn Jackson, Ted van Geldermalsen, Sue Key, Libby Meeking, Allison Radford, Alex Tarr, Ruth Goddard, Peter Prime, Helen Alexander, Ryan Cates, Liz Hatley and Will Meyer.  And kudos to everyone who survived!

Results

Day 1 of the Easter 3 Day was held at Noahs Ark Ridge, a small rocky spur that packed a ton of technical orienteering into a tiny area.  Spectators lined up along the finish chute got a good idea of what to expect, looking at lines of cliffs and boulders.  It was a great Middle Distance challenge to kick off the first day of bush competition.

Victorians hoping for more great results were holding their breath when the news came through that favourite Aston Key had made a large error, giving the lead to ACT’s Matt Doyle. We watched the GPS tracks and saw Aston correct the mistake, then reel in Matt over the later part of the course. Result – a dead heat! Even more exciting, Patrick Jaffe was only 9 seconds behind the pair, in third. The scene is set for two more days of dramatic racing in Mens Elite.

Our Women were not quite able to match that result, but the highly experienced pair of Kathryn Preston and Aislinn Prendergast had top 10 finishes.  We had some good performances amongst the younger elites, with Jensen Key taking second in M20 and Mason Arthur 6th, while Callum White and Torren Arthur had solid runs on M18. Sophie Taverna showed her consistency and versatility with another very strong second place.  It remains to be seen whether Australia selects a team for JWOC in 2021, but Victoria certainly has some top contenders.

In the age class categories, Warren Key, Sue Key, Alex Tarr and Gary Buchan all had wins.  Second places went to Mel Gangemi, Bruce Arthur, Carolyn Jackson, Ted van Geldermalsen, Leigh Privett, Sarah Love.  Third placegetters were Geoff Lawford, Jim Russell, Peter Prime, James Love, and Helen Alexander.  A number of other Victorians are poised and ready to move up the rankings after two more days of rock at The Gumbles. Stay tuned!

Results