All of PTOC and OK - thanks for the hospitality and the great meet. I really enjoyed my first Possum Trot!

Saturday night at Dick Neuberger's, Sharon Crawford grilled me as to what running shape I was in - partly to plan Sunday's strategy, but mostly to help her complete her entry into the predicted finish of herself and the 5 SLOC'ers crashing at Dick and Nancy's place. Clearly, I was the one she thought she might stay with. (Eric Buckley won the pool with the only perfect prediction - he edged Dave Frei and was sure pleased to see me come in before Sharon.) (Personally, I put too much confidence in Orlyn's improvement and underestimated myself - since Sharon had expertise and endurance over me, I gave her the edge!)

I started faster than Sharon, running the first 5 legs cleanly, still deliberating which controls to skip. I saw Orlyn leaving #2 - last time I glimpsed any of the first 8 finishers. 7-8 looked good to skip, but I wanted to be sure. So while taking the risky straight line route to 6, I was actually studying the map for 7-8 versus 27-28 - bad idea! "It's sure getting thick in here." Fortunately, I did match the shallow reetrant on the ground to the map, slowly came back into 6. Two 'white' (shirt) guys (Allyn A & friend) just punched and left. I intended to leave south, but went west instead - really thick!. I hit the wrong path ("Why is it going north?"), corrected, ran to end of that trail, fought to the creek, turned left to see a train of orienteers leaving 9, with Sharon last - she had passed me! At least I knew where #9 was! I gained on Sharon towards 10 and 11, keeping her in sight. On the way to 12, we were both above the cliffs, but I saw that the boulder field was below the cliffs, so I climbed down early and ran a nice plateau to #12. Sharon hovered above me, and had to scamper down as I went up. With the lead, I hesitated - somehow she passed me, punched 13 without me seeing her - how does she do that? I went left to 14, she apparently stayed higher right, and I was just behind her again. I aimed right to avoid the 'cliffs' and run the road to Mary Jones. Sharon went straight and slowed to scamper down again - I guess by Colorado standards, these aren't 'cliffs'. I'm 30 seconds at the water stop. I stop to socialize with Mary Jones and drink 2 cups of Gatorade. Sharon grabs one on the run (I can't drink like that!). I follow her to 15. She leaves high and right to 16, I'd already decided to try the lake route. Not as fast as I expected, but we meet at 16 again. Sharon leads into 17, I lead into 18 - the two white guys appear again. Two white guys are fast - first into 19 - Sharon, Dave C, and I are together behind them. Dave and I stay high to right - Sharon takes straighter route to 20. Apparently she silently hits it cleanly and leaves, I wander north toward lake, relocate accurately, back through yellow, Dave's still there and we both find the ride and control - thanks Dave.

Road to 21 and 22 - Dave asks about Zan's trip to Europe - we see Sharon doglegging out of 21 - 2+ minute lead - I'm tiring and ready to concede to her. Meet the white guys again at 22. They leave fast and go straight through the water and swamp - I took the road. Their leaving 23 helped me - they're running fast again. I run straight west to 24, but the two white guys are looking confused in the first reentrant. I wanted to hide or fool them, but all I could do was keep going straight to next reentrant, they followed me to the rock face.

They left 24 fast and stayed left, I curled right and got to 25 first, then hit the cornfield. I'm finally alone - they had gone south and east. I followed a mowed hay track east, then south, saw the trees in the reentrant and realized that the reentrant was a great pointer to 26. Found 26, with those white guys again - no Sharon. White guys open another lead, but slow as they near the control 27 and I gain a bit, maybe 30 seconds behind. I'm really tired, especially mentally - they stay left of red line but I go straight west through some really thick saplings and briars, but hit the creek well right and follow it south - a very safe, cautious route choice. I punch 28, turn north - alone again - hear voices above me. I later learn that the two white guys hit 28 cleanly and left fast going north in the yellow. "North, north, keep moving, I will hit the road". Suddenly Sharon appears! still on the way south to 28, I have a 2-3 minute lead! (I later learn that Sharon floundered in the creek well north of 26 - her only orienteering error let me regain the lead.) "North, north, I'm almost done, I'm alone, I'm sure glad that after 2 hours and 45 minutes of orienteering that I won't have a stupid sprint to the finish "

I hit the parking lot and not only do the two white guys appear on my right, but 'black jacket' guy is there too! I'd seen him only from 16-17 and 26-27. (Two white guys had wandered northeast out of 28, hit the trail, and corrected west to the parking lot.) Two white guys have crossed the fence, are in the woods, and they hesitate again - they don't see the ruin! The black guy and I see it, three steps up and over the fence, race to the ruin. White guy #1 gets there first, I punch second. Back to the fence - I see no low spot (I also don't see the gate!), three steps up and over, and looking for the finish. And the SLOC fans go crazy! I realize that I'm in a 'dumb' sprint to the finish. I pick up speed, but am nosed out at the finish by white guy #1 - he then takes a hard dive into the sidewalk - fortunately, he's fine. At least I do beat #2 and black guy.

Sharon's next, a couple minutes behind - very polite but really chagrined because she knew she had me beat - until #28 - the penultimate control! She made one orienteering error - I made two - but had just enough pace to finish ahead of her.

Sharon and the 'white guys' - thanks for the competition - it's a lot more fun than 3 hours alone. And I certainly would not have kept the same pace.

-- Rick Armstrong (rarmstrong@stlcc.cc.mo.us), December 05, 2000

Answers

The mad dash to the finish line was fun to watch. Especially with a cup of hot soup in one hand. PTOC deserves a big thanks for having hot food at the finish (Mike Edwards was the cook).

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), December 06, 2000.

With results being posted, I can identify the orienteers I encountered. Two White guys are Aaron Aaker and Jeff Brault whom I met after the meet and both participated in this year's Turkey O'. "Black jacket guy" is Keith Lay. Dave C is Dave Coziahr, who by the way is one of only 5 who have run in all 4 Trots.

-- Rick A (rarmstrong@stlcc.cc.mo.us), December 07, 2000.