Monday Night Fun Running

Tonight's Course-Setter makes a Run for it

This evening's course-setter makes a break for it after spotting someone getting warm tar and bags of feathers out of the back of a car. While he had noticed that several of the laneways were not as clear as they should have been (read invisible), he hadn't thought people would mind too much.

As he headed into the finish - only seconds before time was up - Geoff noticed a huddle of people discussing the map. 
 

Believing that attack was the best form of defence, he tactfully pointed out that he - like most of those present - had run this area heaps of times and thereby knew where all the alleyways were anyway.

When it was obvious that this opening gambit had fallen on stony ground, Geoff tried pointing out that anyone that had looked at the sample master map would have noticed that the alley-ways were highlighted. Some young wit remarked that this would have been fine if Geoff had circulated the sample map more than 30 seconds before the event commenced.

Oh well - sincere apologies for not noticing this. I have little doubt that the presence of laneways in strategic positions would have affected people's route choice. Tonight's event has flushed out a bunch of mapping issues that we've fed back into the master copy of this map - so the improvements will flow back into the approaching Summer Series.

Other Items of Note

• Barry Giles arrived late - and either unable to fathom the combination lock or unwilling to spend the time unlocking/relocking, he grabbed a piece of cardboard and scribbled a 5 by 5 grid on it - very clever...
   

• Marta's (as usual 5-5-5-5-5) score-card was caked in mud (or at least, I hope it was mud...). I'm not sure if this is because (a) she face-planted and the card took the brunt of the fall or (b) Fitz tried to bury the card. Perhaps she could let us know what happened.
   

• It was interesting to note that Johanna and Neil went over the road to get 13 and 3 - although they subsequently ran out of time for #16 as a result of this. Nonetheless, a good effort - I was only expecting the top runners and perhaps Ian Greenwood to head over there.
   

• Oh yes...it's Ian pounding time.... Ian is currently in downtown Hobart organising a traffic survey involving a number of local car-parks. He's just got back from Perth and expects to be there again in the ensuing weeks. Suffice to say that while his running opportunities have been limited, he's found no shortage of golfing and chocolate mousse at either location.
   

• Then of course there's Mark Jarvis - although there's not much one can say about someone recently red-carded by the ASX for naked shorting other than the fact that we're exceedingly grateful that he comes to street-orienteering fully-clothed.
   

• Thanks to Katherine for acting as official photographer this evening - she even took the camera out on her walk to take a number of photos as people ran past her.

Feedback

• From Geoff - A few of us had dinner at nearby Michelangelo's after the run. Good food, a glass of wine and good company. As the weather gets warmer, we'll probably do this on the final few Monday evening's. Why not bring a change of clothes and join us?
   

• From Marta -

Hi Geoff

 You were enquiring as to the reason for the brown coating on my card.  You missed a few possibilities:

c) I took out a brown crayon and artistically coloured in a few squares on my around the course in order to generate discussion after the course, and take notice away from your well-hidden laneways :-).

d) I  had left over fudge and smeared this over my card so you could have a tasy treat while doing the scoring.

e) I participated in a spot of mountain climbing on the way down from the alleyway next to #13 towards the path running alongside the creek.  Sadly, I forgot my climbing ropes, and so when Eric (who was right behind me), suggested we might have to slide down  through the scrub and mud, I took him literally in rather an abrupt fashion.  I didn't KNOW you could descend a hill that quickly :-).  I  had the choice of either grabbing the card or the dog for support.  As Fitz's tail wasn't within grabbing distance, the card acted as my braking mechanism.

 Great course tonight - lots of route choice available.  I like that part of the map, and as my mother lives near #22, there was always the option of stopping for a bit of tea on the way around.  My course was as follows:

 2 - 4 - 18 - 20 - 15 (didn't notice the alleway to 12, so around by the road, but it made little difference) - 21 - 9 - 1 - 11 - 22 - 14 (now, I don't know if this was the best route, but my aim all evening was to run down the nice hill on Burwood Hwy to 16, so that's what I did!) - 16 - 6 - 17 (should really have got 17 later, on the way from 24 to 8) - 7 - 23 - 10 - 3 - 13 (down the mountain) - 19 - 5 - 24 - 8 - 25 - 12.