The 2011 Sydney Sprint Series kicked off under grey skies at Manly Dam yesterday.
But the cooler than normal weather did not deter the 70 runners who turned up for the first event. There were some notable participants for the 2.7Km run including current Australian Mens elite champion Julian Dent, and another Canberra resident women's elite orienteer, Shannon Jones. The competition was made even more interesting with the Blatchford family making the drive down from Newcastle for the event. The field was also given an international flavour with a number of Swedish orienteers also competing.
The uphill start for the first few controls might have slowed some competitors but the path network around number 5 appears to have caused most problems. With a long leg from 6 to 7 to the NW limit of the map, competitors then made a dash to the finish picking up the last 4 controls along the edge of the dam. It was a close race with Julian winning in 16 minutes, getting the better of Josh (Blatchford) by 2 minutes. Shannon Jones came in third a further 1 minute 26secs behind Josh.
Thanks to Terry Bluett for the first event of the Series. Next week sees the 2nd round being competed in and around Bicentennial Park at Olympic Park, Homebush.
Results and splits for round 1 can be found here .
