2009 Monday Night Fun Runs

Really Mean Score Course - by David Prentice

In keeping with his pro economic rationalism stance, David squeezed the most he could out of Monday Night's map. Why have a map with a freeway bridge on it if you're not prepared to use it? Look, he thought...there's another complete set of hills on the other side...it would be wasteful not to use them. Times are tough - and street-O courses should follow suit - why...current economic theory suggests that "less is often more - so scoring less than usual could actually prove to be quite satisfying to those that take it in the spirit that it's intended.

Many of us headed around to control #13 from the start - probably a mistake as it was uphill and a long way around. Leaving #13 and heading towards #1, several runners went up to the main road, but on reflection Mark's approach from the South seemed to be 100-200m shorter. The order of the next few controls varied widely - I'm not sure that any two runners actually took the same path through them - and as a result we continually criss-crossed past other runners.

Ian Whoops Lauris!

The competition between husband wife teams hots up - Ian was enthusiastic about beating Lauris for the first time this season...certainly something to celebrate! Congratulations Ian - it just goes to show that a solid running effort combined with judicious route choice (and an absent wife) will often come up trumps.

I wandered into the middle of Ray and Dale's discussion on the evening's course - only to hear her yell out (quite vehemently) "That's disgusting!". This was clearly an assessment of Ray's route choice for the evening - although I looked at it and it didn't seem all that much worse than his normal efforts in this regard. Remember criticism seldom helps - if you see Ray on Wednesday evening please be encouraging and supportive (before the event) or if talking to him afterwards a sympathetic response is always appreciated.

Street Orienteers help Organise the Aus Champs

Congratulations and thanks to those of our normal attendees who went along to Westerfolds Park and helped to prepare maps etc for the Australian Bush Orienteering Championships - to be held in the next few weeks. While we missed your company at our Monday night run, we're all grateful for your efforts in this area. Schon reported back later that evening (around midnight) - that Peter and Ilze, Debbie and Ian, Janet Johnson, Lyn and Derek Green and a number of other street-O folks had pitched into to help out.

Where's Ian?

Ian Greenwood (known hereafter as "The Claw") had an operation on his hand a few weeks ago. Sensibly, he's backed off a bit from running so he doesn't cause more problems - although recent events seem to suggest that the head is more at risk than the hands....

David Beard was Unescorted...

We noted that David Beard was not being escorted around the course this week....apparently, Marta has calmed down ... (something to do with a powder that David puts in her breakfast each morning) and is prepared to let him go out alone...although she's strapped a beacon onto him and she keeps a sniffer in the car just in case he goes missing. David cranked up the pacemaker and trounced Pierre soundly....although he's now confirmed that there's no truth to the rumour that he's put an external socket on the device so he can listen to music when his iPod goes flat.