I would just like to thank everyone for watching my live tracking over this weekend. I had a lot of fun in very different terrain.
The sprint was a little disappointing and I was having a really good run up until I missed the first control on the butterfly. I partially realised on the way to 15 as the angle was completely wrong, but I only picked it up when I punched 18 on the way to the finish.
The middle was a really rough race with many different route choice options through the green. Sometimes this actually forced you to take the more dangerous option just to stay in contention. I didn't have such a bad race but I just didn't feel as fast as I should have been.
Tomorrow I will be going to watch the relay and run in the "mass" start at the end. We are allowed to keep our SI cards (with world games 2013 on them) which is pretty cool.
Due to a minor manager mishap my camera SD card has gone missing with all of my photos. Hopefully I find it before I leave, but for the moment unfortunately I won't be able to add any more.
I have had a great time here and I have learned a lot. I will probably post a more detailed race report on attackpoint at a later stage.
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Everyone has arrived
So finally everyone has arrived at our hotel. They seemed to be taking the security "issue" quite seriously and so they all went off together to run up the river. I think that some people were going to run up the mountain that it quite close. I decided not to until I am finished racing as it seems to be at least 400m of climb.
It has cooled down a bit today, but with the clouds overhead it is still very humid. At this time of year it doesn't rain in Cali and so although there are often clouds overhead, they usually make way for the sun sometime during the day. I ran my final track session today, just some easy strides and I am hoping to rest before the competition actually starts. I have been having a few problems with my right calf (just a knot) but my main problem has been my left foot which seems to be compensating for it. Some K tape and it seems to feel a bit better although I didn't feel it while I was running with my sprint shoes this morning.
It is rather inconvenient that we have to travel half an hour to get food for lunch and supper. It might mean that we miss the gymnastics tonight where Bianca will be competing again. She had a solid second place in the qualifier today, so she should come away with a medal.
Being part of team South Africa certainly has its perks. On friday (and saturday) I will have a physio travelling with me. The plan is just to cool down well and have an ice bath in preparation for the race on saturday. Definitely nothing that I have ever experienced before, so I am looking forward to it.
Start Lists and all other tracking etc can be found here: http://wg2013.orienteering.org/
It has cooled down a bit today, but with the clouds overhead it is still very humid. At this time of year it doesn't rain in Cali and so although there are often clouds overhead, they usually make way for the sun sometime during the day. I ran my final track session today, just some easy strides and I am hoping to rest before the competition actually starts. I have been having a few problems with my right calf (just a knot) but my main problem has been my left foot which seems to be compensating for it. Some K tape and it seems to feel a bit better although I didn't feel it while I was running with my sprint shoes this morning.
It is rather inconvenient that we have to travel half an hour to get food for lunch and supper. It might mean that we miss the gymnastics tonight where Bianca will be competing again. She had a solid second place in the qualifier today, so she should come away with a medal.
Being part of team South Africa certainly has its perks. On friday (and saturday) I will have a physio travelling with me. The plan is just to cool down well and have an ice bath in preparation for the race on saturday. Definitely nothing that I have ever experienced before, so I am looking forward to it.
Start Lists and all other tracking etc can be found here: http://wg2013.orienteering.org/
Ultimate Frisbee between USA and Japan
Jujitsu
World games plaza
Group gymnastics [Hardcore!]
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Rugby 7's, some new sports and the Finns
Today I woke up just before six to go and have a shortish run with the physio along the river. The idea was just to stretch the legs and get used to the temperature here. It isn't that hot at that time, but it's still good practice.
We waited at the hotel until around 10 o clock before setting off with the rugby guys to their training area. The management team here didn't really have a track organised for me so I decided to travel with the rugby guys in the hope that I could use the fields for my session. There was good news as there happened to be a tar track (with marked distances) right next to their training area. I warmed up by running around the entire area and happened to notice that there was a really nice tartan track just over the fence. Not wanting to damage my legs on the tar, we set off to find our way in. This didn't prove too difficult and I ended up completing a good final track session before the races on friday.
Tania and I decided to watch some of the other sports and so we took a taxi to the stadium. Some nervous moments followed as we watched the number on the taxi tick up (to 70 at one point), we thought that we might not be able to afford the trip. Turned out that this wasn't the value in Pesos :). Ultimate frisbee between USA and Japan was a really great game to watch and then we went to watch some Jujitsu. I am still not quite sure of the exact rules...
Coming back to our hotel we found Minna and Maria sitting around waiting for the bus. They needed to go to the catering center which is 15 minutes away. We have spoken to Jean and she said that we may be allowed to just have our meals at the hotel with the rest of the SA team. It doesn't make sense to rely on the official bus system here and travel so far away for food.
Minna didn't have any idea of the terrain or even where the sprint will be held so I am certainly at an advantage. Most of the athletes should arrive tomorrow and wednesday. I'm fast and over any remnants of jet lag that may have remained after the long flights.
Bring on friday and saturday!
We waited at the hotel until around 10 o clock before setting off with the rugby guys to their training area. The management team here didn't really have a track organised for me so I decided to travel with the rugby guys in the hope that I could use the fields for my session. There was good news as there happened to be a tar track (with marked distances) right next to their training area. I warmed up by running around the entire area and happened to notice that there was a really nice tartan track just over the fence. Not wanting to damage my legs on the tar, we set off to find our way in. This didn't prove too difficult and I ended up completing a good final track session before the races on friday.
Tania and I decided to watch some of the other sports and so we took a taxi to the stadium. Some nervous moments followed as we watched the number on the taxi tick up (to 70 at one point), we thought that we might not be able to afford the trip. Turned out that this wasn't the value in Pesos :). Ultimate frisbee between USA and Japan was a really great game to watch and then we went to watch some Jujitsu. I am still not quite sure of the exact rules...
Coming back to our hotel we found Minna and Maria sitting around waiting for the bus. They needed to go to the catering center which is 15 minutes away. We have spoken to Jean and she said that we may be allowed to just have our meals at the hotel with the rest of the SA team. It doesn't make sense to rely on the official bus system here and travel so far away for food.
Minna didn't have any idea of the terrain or even where the sprint will be held so I am certainly at an advantage. Most of the athletes should arrive tomorrow and wednesday. I'm fast and over any remnants of jet lag that may have remained after the long flights.
Bring on friday and saturday!
Colombian Coffee
Sevens training session
Monday, 29 July 2013
Pulling for bronze and a touch of the good life
This morning started off with the entire SA team colour coordinating in order to support the tug of war team. Some of the management staff apparently didn't get the memo. The seven's guys seem to control much of what goes on here [although their manager actually seems to have all of the power].
We travelled to the local university and then popped out just after the tug of war started to do some running on some google maps on the area just next to where the sprint was held [right outside the embargoed area]. I have a very good idea of what to expect now. I will probably try and run another session there later this week.
This afternoon we went to the local market with Dayron (our new local friend). He is a really great guy. He runs his own language school here so his english is amazing and he is very keen to show us around the city. We walked back to our hotel and stopped for some good Columbian coffee along the way. An artist stopped us along the way and did a "raffle", which was free, to give away some of his books (which detail his work). I managed to "win" one, which was awesome! Tania also "won" one, so the orienteers seemed to have one up on the aerosport guys. Wallets now much lighter we chatted as we walked along the boulevard and stopped (frequently) for photos with the locals. The people here are amazing and very friendly. They stop to say hi and are always there to help you.
I've had an amazing two days in Cali and still have a week left!
We travelled to the local university and then popped out just after the tug of war started to do some running on some google maps on the area just next to where the sprint was held [right outside the embargoed area]. I have a very good idea of what to expect now. I will probably try and run another session there later this week.
This afternoon we went to the local market with Dayron (our new local friend). He is a really great guy. He runs his own language school here so his english is amazing and he is very keen to show us around the city. We walked back to our hotel and stopped for some good Columbian coffee along the way. An artist stopped us along the way and did a "raffle", which was free, to give away some of his books (which detail his work). I managed to "win" one, which was awesome! Tania also "won" one, so the orienteers seemed to have one up on the aerosport guys. Wallets now much lighter we chatted as we walked along the boulevard and stopped (frequently) for photos with the locals. The people here are amazing and very friendly. They stop to say hi and are always there to help you.
I've had an amazing two days in Cali and still have a week left!
Watching the medal ceremony for the lifesavers after they won two bronze medals.
The South African ladies pulling their way to a bronze medal in the tug of war.
Colombia beating Switzerland in the inline roller hockey.
The artist that stopped us to look at his work.
Walking to the hotel along the boulevard.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Arrived in Cali
The long trip to Cali started on Thursday evening at around 16:00. Tania and I met the sevens and Chris (and his wife) from Aerosport and we checked in together. The efficiency of the sevens' managers was absolutely amazing, definitely showing how many times they had done this before. A list had all of our luggage on it (with the luggage barcodes) just in case things were misplaced. They also helped to boost moral with the regular fist bump in the airport after each flight.
Accreditation was rather uneventful with the odd person smoking in the courtyard but we received some awesome free stuff (although at that point we were in dire need of sleep). The rugby guys posed for a few photos and then we were off to our hotel. I'm staying with the aerosport guy and Tania is staying with his wife next door.
Today we met a really nice Colombian volunteer. The Admin staff here have found a few locals that are driving us around and showing us different places. It is really great because you get to see parts of the city that you wouldn't otherwise get to see. Today we went to look at some of the residential areas and park areas to try and get an idea of what the sprint and middle distance will be like. On our way we went to Saint Antonio which is an old colonial part of the city where the original houses from the 1600s still stand.
Now we are off to watch the life savers compete and hopefully we will get a medal!
San Antonio
The Stadium where the opening and closing ceremony will be held.
Ju jitsu (right next to the stadium)
Accreditation [Spot the rugby players :P]
Saturday, 21 July 2012
WOC week culmination
Final day of WOC.
After a week of orienteering the WOC week has come to an end.
The relay today will see Jeremy leading out the South African team followed by Nicholas with Michael listed as the final runner. Starting at 13h30 Jeremy hopes to better Michaels' performance from last year before handing over to Nick.
live coverage is available at http://www.woc2012.ch/en/live-centre.html from 13h30 SA time.
The long qualification saw good runs from both Nicholas ad Jeremy. Jeremy achieving his best ever result in the long distance and Nicholas happy with his run. The points allocated no longer attract an additional 5% for being a WOC qualifier, and therefore some of the results appear not as good in comparison as they were on the day.
The middle distance however was a disaster for all three runners. The third of the qualifying races in consecutive days, Jeremy was battling with fatigue, and the terrain was much tougher than anticipated. Even the winning times were longer than the organizers had predicted. 'This is my worst world ranking run in 8 years.' says Nicholas Mulder. Perhaps a longer training week in the terrain would have improved things ponders Mulder. Jeremy finished outside the points, but inside the overtime, and Michael scored 55 points, which he is very dissappointed about after 1145 in the sprint qualifier and 918 in the sprint final.
Michael is now the top ranked SA orienteer at 310 in the world. http://iof.6prog.org/WR_Athlete.aspx?aid=RSA32
All South African Runners are viewable here: http://iof.6prog.org/WR_Aths.aspx?how=F&fed=RSA
After a week of orienteering the WOC week has come to an end.
The relay today will see Jeremy leading out the South African team followed by Nicholas with Michael listed as the final runner. Starting at 13h30 Jeremy hopes to better Michaels' performance from last year before handing over to Nick.
live coverage is available at http://www.woc2012.ch/en/live-centre.html from 13h30 SA time.
The long qualification saw good runs from both Nicholas ad Jeremy. Jeremy achieving his best ever result in the long distance and Nicholas happy with his run. The points allocated no longer attract an additional 5% for being a WOC qualifier, and therefore some of the results appear not as good in comparison as they were on the day.
The middle distance however was a disaster for all three runners. The third of the qualifying races in consecutive days, Jeremy was battling with fatigue, and the terrain was much tougher than anticipated. Even the winning times were longer than the organizers had predicted. 'This is my worst world ranking run in 8 years.' says Nicholas Mulder. Perhaps a longer training week in the terrain would have improved things ponders Mulder. Jeremy finished outside the points, but inside the overtime, and Michael scored 55 points, which he is very dissappointed about after 1145 in the sprint qualifier and 918 in the sprint final.
Michael is now the top ranked SA orienteer at 310 in the world. http://iof.6prog.org/WR_Athlete.aspx?aid=RSA32
All South African Runners are viewable here: http://iof.6prog.org/WR_Aths.aspx?how=F&fed=RSA
Sunday, 15 July 2012
First ever Qualification to WOC Final for South Africa
Team South Africa got their 2012 World Champs programme off to a brilliant start on Saturday, when Michael Crone became the first ever South African to successfully qualify for a World Champs A-Final.
The Champs, being held in Lausanne, Switzerland started off with the Sprint distance qualifications in the morning, with Michael and Jeremy Green representing the country. The qualifcation area, which comprised the Lausanne Polytechnic University campus and his surrounds, perfectly suited Michael in his Men's C-Heat. The course of 4.0km and 16 controls was very fast and not too technically challenging, very similar to conditions back home. An easy start allowed Michael to get into a smooth tempo which he maintained throughout, only making about 25 seconds of mistakes in total. This was good enough to place him in 11th position on the heat, with the top 15 going through to the final. Michael ran a time of 13:56, 35 seconds down from heat winner Frederic Tranchand of France and only 7 seconds before the 15th place cut-off.
Jeremy, competing in the B-Heat in the Sprint Qualification, placed 25th in a time of 15:31, some 2:08 down on the heat winner, Mattias Merz of Switzerland, and 1:04 behind the 15th place qualification line. Jeremy was still very happy with his performance, which was a personal best placing for him at a World Champs.
Michael's qualification meant he was the 15th starter in the 45-man Sprint final on Saturday afternoon. A tough start saw Michael loosing time early on, with two additional mistakes further on in the course. "Running in the Sprint Final was a good experience for me. My goal was qualification into the final. I didn't really have a plan for it once I got there". Michael's final position was 43rd, with a time of 18:41, about 3 minutes behind the winner, Matthias Kyburz of Switzerland. South Africa's best performance in a Sprint remains Martin Terry in 2003 in Rapperswil, Switzerland. There Martin placed 32nd, with Qualifications in Sprint only being introduced a year later in 2004. Since then, South Africa's best performance has been a 21st place in a Qualification.
Michael is aged 21 years old and is only competing in his 2nd World Champs. Last year, in Aix-Les-Bains in France, he placed 25th in the sprint qualification race, over 4 minutes off the final qualification place. His improvement in the last 12 months have caught many off guard and his qualification into the final in 2012 has surprised most of the orienteering world.
"In the future I can do better in the Final. I made the final, even though I had mistakes, so I know I can repeat this qualification performance. It wasn't a fluke." says Michael. His split times in the final back this up, indicating that a top 30 position is very possible if he reduces the number of mistakes. "Next time I will prepare for both qualification and final!" he says.
Michael's team mates and the South African spectator contingent at World Champs are ecstatic with his performance. Jeremy Green notes: "We always knew he'd make it into the Sprint Final. We were just expecting it to be next year in 2013 and not this year! We thought he would have needed just a little more experience before he broke through, but we're thrilled to have been wrong."
The South African Team at WOC 2012 comprises of Michael Crone, Jeremy Green and Nicholas Mulder. The next race is the Long Distance Qualification on Sunday afternoon, with Nicholas Mulder and Jeremy Green competing. On Monday, all three South African men will run in the Middle Distance Qualification.
The Champs, being held in Lausanne, Switzerland started off with the Sprint distance qualifications in the morning, with Michael and Jeremy Green representing the country. The qualifcation area, which comprised the Lausanne Polytechnic University campus and his surrounds, perfectly suited Michael in his Men's C-Heat. The course of 4.0km and 16 controls was very fast and not too technically challenging, very similar to conditions back home. An easy start allowed Michael to get into a smooth tempo which he maintained throughout, only making about 25 seconds of mistakes in total. This was good enough to place him in 11th position on the heat, with the top 15 going through to the final. Michael ran a time of 13:56, 35 seconds down from heat winner Frederic Tranchand of France and only 7 seconds before the 15th place cut-off.
Michael Crone in the Sprint Qualification
photo by World of O / Photo Gallery
Jeremy, competing in the B-Heat in the Sprint Qualification, placed 25th in a time of 15:31, some 2:08 down on the heat winner, Mattias Merz of Switzerland, and 1:04 behind the 15th place qualification line. Jeremy was still very happy with his performance, which was a personal best placing for him at a World Champs.
Michael's qualification meant he was the 15th starter in the 45-man Sprint final on Saturday afternoon. A tough start saw Michael loosing time early on, with two additional mistakes further on in the course. "Running in the Sprint Final was a good experience for me. My goal was qualification into the final. I didn't really have a plan for it once I got there". Michael's final position was 43rd, with a time of 18:41, about 3 minutes behind the winner, Matthias Kyburz of Switzerland. South Africa's best performance in a Sprint remains Martin Terry in 2003 in Rapperswil, Switzerland. There Martin placed 32nd, with Qualifications in Sprint only being introduced a year later in 2004. Since then, South Africa's best performance has been a 21st place in a Qualification.
Michael Crone coming down the finish chute in the Sprint Final
photo by World of O / Photo Gallery
Michael is aged 21 years old and is only competing in his 2nd World Champs. Last year, in Aix-Les-Bains in France, he placed 25th in the sprint qualification race, over 4 minutes off the final qualification place. His improvement in the last 12 months have caught many off guard and his qualification into the final in 2012 has surprised most of the orienteering world.
"In the future I can do better in the Final. I made the final, even though I had mistakes, so I know I can repeat this qualification performance. It wasn't a fluke." says Michael. His split times in the final back this up, indicating that a top 30 position is very possible if he reduces the number of mistakes. "Next time I will prepare for both qualification and final!" he says.
Michael's team mates and the South African spectator contingent at World Champs are ecstatic with his performance. Jeremy Green notes: "We always knew he'd make it into the Sprint Final. We were just expecting it to be next year in 2013 and not this year! We thought he would have needed just a little more experience before he broke through, but we're thrilled to have been wrong."
Jeremy Green punching the 8th control in the Sprint Qualification
photo by World of O / Photo Gallery
The South African Team at WOC 2012 comprises of Michael Crone, Jeremy Green and Nicholas Mulder. The next race is the Long Distance Qualification on Sunday afternoon, with Nicholas Mulder and Jeremy Green competing. On Monday, all three South African men will run in the Middle Distance Qualification.
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