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On Saturday 22nd March, 13 brave Mountain Clubbies set out for Lake Manchester with no idea of what was in stall for them. The name of the game was rogaine. And by the day’s end some us would have scaled mountains and run back for our lives. Others bled out and battled to the end with spear grass and barbed wire. While more still discovered secret hidey-holes and gullies, places to find lantana and log cabins in equal measure. But hold on, what the frick is RO-GAIN-ING?
Much more than just an excuse to clock some mad stats on Strava, rogaining is the ultimate sport of long distance cross-country navigation, in which teams of two to five people visit as many checkpoints as they wish in a set time period. Teams start and finish from a central location called the “Hash House” and are given their maps only a few hours before the race starts. The event tests competitor’s fitness, map and compass navigation skills, team work, and ability to strategically plan high point scoring routes that can be executed in a limited amount of time.
On this particular Saturday, UQMC facilitated three teams of members to enter the Rogaining Queensland 2021 Mermaid T(r)ail 8-hour event. Team Scrub—lead by Vice-Scrub Ruth and powered by the engine room that is Wen, Yimin, and Michael—made an early appearance at the Hash House ready to rumble. The highly professional Team Wizard, consisting of Emily, Nalana, Hannah, Robyn, and Nick, assembled soon after. Team Spinach (Jacob, Miranda, Eric and Georgia) were nowhere to be seen, but materialised just in time, sleep deprived and running on the fumes of Eric’s enthusiasm alone.
The teams received their maps at 10am. The race would start at 12 sharp. Looking at the map it very quickly it became apparent that the word of the day was going to be gains, elevation gains. We all strategized and schemed. Would it be faster to go around the lake or swim over it? Would we be best to do the section along the road first or last? Is that 100 pointer going to be worth it? These were all the questions the team weighed up when faced with a map full of more checkpoints than we could get to in an entire weekend, let alone 8 hours. Each team set out its route, prayed one last prayer to the rogaining gods, and then the gun went.
Along with 65 other teams we were off and we barely saw each other again. Team Spinach had opted to take the route straight up the guts, ticking off the points along the lakeside first and hitting the hills early while they had the energy. Team Scrub was taking the mother of all routes around the other side of the lake with no option to bail and their sights clearly set on the holy grail 100 points sitting on top of Mt Mermaid. Such a plan demanded a minimum 2km non-stop uphill trek and 300m elevation gain if they got the nav right.
And Team Wizard? They’d kept it a secret but were waiting until no one was looking so that they could teleport to the bottom of the map, picking up points quickly along the road to start and saving the pleasure of a moonlight stroll by the lake for their trip back when their magical powers would be strongest.
We all met again 8 hours later with plenty of stories. The 100 points had been a slog but well worth it! Team Scrub covered an impressive 30km over the course of the race in order to snatch it. Team Wizard had been treated to a spectacular sunset at one of the course’s highest points. And Team Spinach seemed chill with it all. But who won?
The Rogaining Gods, of course. No one wins at rogaining. You just get a great time being a scrub in the scrub with friends, seeing cool things that you’d never see if you didn’t step off the beaten track and do a little suffering on the side. New friendships were formed. The D&Ms flowed. In-jokes about smelly feet were made. At least that’s what I would say if Team Wizard hadn’t won. The sensei never dies. But good on the other teams for trying. We all had a good time, I think.
Written by Nick van Buuren
