This year’s Rogaine provided a few different challenges with the new area, building the map in OCAD, and adding electronic controls. The course was laid out like a rectangle sitting on the southeast corner, where the event center was located. To accommodate the layout, we incorporated a food cache with sandwiches and sodas at one of the four scoring watered checkpoints. 

 

In the OUSA Rogaining Subcommittee, we have had questions on course design and the optimum distance considering terrain, elevation, and conditions. The 2012 Dakota Rogaine might be as close to ideal as possible. The only thing lacking (or not) for our event was a full moon.

 

There are so many stories to share, with numerous memories of friends reacquainted and made. 24 teams attempted the Rogaine, with four teams in the short event and a single 12-hour team. Participant ages ranged from 13 to 75 years and came from as far away as Austria.

 

The map was accepted fairly well. Logging skid tracks confused some as attention to features and distance contributed to optimal route selection. Printing of the 1:30K scale map caused some paths and tracks to appear similar and teeth on the cliff symbol were not visible, but it was otherwise very readable and useable. The MyTopo paper was waterproof, rugged, and appreciated. Future enhancements will include the 200-foot incremental contour lines and suggestions are appreciated.

 

Funny You Should Ask challenged the 12-Hour Intermediate event. Murray commented he liked the placements with the options of direct and alternate lines of travel to the checkpoints. He was using the Dakota Rogaine for World’s training and joined a couple of ultra goats who blasted through 25 checkpoints for a net score of 1610 points. They chatted with us until 02:00, napped, then beat feet to the airport and home at sunrise a few hours later. Kudos to those three gents who never touched a course together – Nathan and Phil being Rogaine rookies. Well done, gents.

 

The 24-hour competition lived up to my expectations – with a fast course, ideal conditions, and a solid physical test. The Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park provided a multiple environments across varying elevations. The course had numerous lines of travel in both clockwise and counter clockwise rotations with various loopback options possible. Signatures of my test pieces include vistas, varying terrain challenges, and abundant wildlife. The Dakota Rogaine is a unique experience.

 

My compliments to MM. Platt and Poole of Team P2 for the awesome effort, as they cleaned the course – sweeping the 49 checkpoints for 2820 points. I hope there is a recap from P2 to share. Your kind comments and participation are very appreciated.

 

Participants had a healthy appetite after the competition. The awards dinner included French dip beef au jus with bakery buns, calico baked Beans, cole slaw, Saratoga chips, and more. Canyon Lake Chop House, thanks for that service.

 

So many memories… Thanks Gavin for sharing – your sunrise checkpoint selection sounded fabulous. Mike and Jason, your wildlife encounters ranged the gamut – and substantiated the Park’s safety briefing by Ron Tietsort. Babbie, your sincere thanks are appreciated. I could go on and on. Listening to your recaps and seeing your smiling tired faces makes my day.

 

This year’s event added a few organizational challenges. I am enjoying the mapping, as I love technology. But, oh joy – another living, breathing, and unending project… Regardless, running the Rogaine is too fun for me – to successfully tune practices and efficiencies on the organizational side. Thanks OUSA for helping with SPORTident and mapping. Greg Lennon provided DEM contours for the base map and Valerie Meyer coordinated the electronic scoring for our use. It was nice to be able to send athletes home with their splits. 

 

Our volunteers were great, with a smooth kitchen, timely restocking of the remote cache, and a quick setup and takedown. Randy Ericksen did an excellent job on vetting and provided Wi-Fi at the event center. Look for his pictures on the flickr stream or Facebook. Jon Machacek, our Registrar, was invaluable and makes my job easy. Jay and Ellen Erickson, your additions to the team are way appreciated. Thanks for your efforts and initiative. Even our medical staff, Dr. Vicki Koebernick, was able to contribute - treating a tweaked ankle, split finger, and foot contusions. Bill Bernhard, thanks for jumping in when possible. Birdie, thanks with the door prizes – and saving folks a few steps after their experiences. An example of dedication – one volunteer even returned from the ER after passing a kidney stone to help with teardown. Heck of a way to celebrate your birthday, Tim Brumbaugh. Bridget, so many thanks for all your support. Your efforts are perhaps unseen by most, but greatly appreciated. We have our memories of hash house fun – including the flying awning that tried to bean us… Running a Rogaine is a team effort for all.

 

Sponsors included Zanfel, TankaBar, South Dakota Tourism, Scheels, Roam’n Around, RoadID, MyTopo.com, Custer State Park, and Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country. Our thanks to each and all for their generous donations. My special thanks to Roam’n Around for going aboveboard with the SWAG contributions. Every participant was able to receive a door prize. 

 

My favorite memory – too many to say. Seeing happy Rogainers like Rainer, our Austrian visitor, after he paired up with a local team when his partner and spouse couldn’t participate due to illness. Kudos to Team Flying Jaye Hawk and the Sloths for being so hospitable. The Norman family of four surviving the six-hour event – and smiling afterwards. Their accomplishment as rookies illustrates why I distribute medals to all who attend our event.