Ryan Smyth’s affinity with sand continued at Pittwater yesterday when he won the open class at the Tasmanian middle distance championships from the JWOC team-mate Chris Naunton, with Lee Andrewartha third. University commitments reduced the field in W21, and there were no finishers in this class.

Paul Pacque had a number of the runners on course 3 carry a GPS unit, and whether by coincidence or the realisation that big brother was watching, most will be amused with the results. Nigel Davies, Peter Shaw, Greg Hawthorne, and Oscar Phillips had the Geckos on their backs for the first time, and for Nigel, Peter, and Oscar, possibly the last time! Uncharacteristic errors by Nigel allowed Greg Hawthorne a rare win in M55, and Oscar discovered that like golf, orienteering can be a cruel sport; after an excellent run on Sunday’s long course, where he was second overall on course 3 behind Nigel, the more-detailed terrain of Monday’s courses proved that staying in contact with the map at all times is the path of true orienteering enlightenment.

Cathy McComb’s reacquaintance with the Pittwater Dunes was relatively successful, as she followed up her win on Sunday’s long course with a win in W35 yesterday.