The first event of the 2024-25 MetrO series was a whirlwind containing numerous routes for all courses, with lots of learning curves for our Course setter and MC, Riley McFarlane. Thankfully, he had a strong assisting team of his mother, Sharon McFarlane; Western Nomads Manager, Mark Lommers; SI Coordinator, Melinda Richards; Administration Officer; and Ekaterina Klyukina, Computer Operator.
Riley’s course setting is becoming notorious for having tricky route choices and physically challenging distances, with around 85 competitors able to take on the challenge. There were plenty of newcomers and returning faces, with some orienteers coming from Red Roos and Convergence; they were on holiday and wanted to Orienteer!
The men’s course winners and first prize winners managed quite fast times in their respective courses; Bee Barnes completed the Short Course in 16:42, Oliver Martin took the lead in the Medium Course in 21:18, and Liam Dufty crushed the Long Course in 32:37.
The women’s course winners, and first prize winners, was quite close throughout the results, with Helen Post taking a clear lead in 27:23 on the Short course, Amy Dufty flying through the Medium Course in 23:16, and Rachel West taking a close win on the Long Course in 47:19.
Quite a few competitors seemed to brave the snakes and take the easy navigational route around the lake. In contrast, more conservative and technically sound competitors worked out shorter routes, weaving through the surprisingly busy suburbs of Ashfield.
A big thank you to Helen Post and Sharon McFarlane for photographing the event, Mark Lommers, Melinda Richards for assisting Ekaterina in running the registration computer, as well as our control collectors and others who helped set up and pack away the arena; Matt Seward, Quinn and Neve Lommers, Rob and Lois West, Jack, Sue and Paul Dowling, Mike and
Nicole Sibbald, and Simon Windsor.
Results can be found on Eventor, detailed splits at the Metro Series Splits page and some photos from the event on Facebook. Some peoples' route choices are available on Livelox. If you are new to Livelox, why not have a look at our intro to Livelox article, and find out how to add your route next time!
If you enjoyed our first event of the season, we would love to welcome you to next week’s event at Yokine Open Regional Space on Saturday the 16th of November. If you would like to learn more about our sport, register on Eventbrite for our Learn to Orienteer coaching and skill development workshop hosted by our Western Nomads on Sunday the 24th of November.
Photo: At the finish, taken by Helen Post.
Ngalak kaaditj nidja Noongar Boodjar. Koora-Yeyi-Kalyakool.