Maximum score achieved for the second time in the 2023 City Legends season

Original publication date: 24.05.2023

The third stage of the Rogaining series “Pilsētu leģendas” was held in cooperation with Riga City Council, supporting the shopping center “Spice”, Intervals.lv, Isostar, Garmin,
Kokmuiža, Magnesia, Traveller, Red Bull, Merrild, Orthomol, Wellmann. According to their abilities and wishes, the participants competed in the 6h Garmin, 4h Kokmuižas and 2h “Spice” rogaining distances, or individually in the 3h MTB and 2h Isostar rogaining race. In addition, the children were offered a two-hour walk, learning roganing skills. After the first two stages in Baldone and Liepāja, “Pilsētu leģendas” moved to the capital, taking place right next to the shopping center “Spice”, where the competition center was previously six years ago. It is significant that for the first time the stage of the rogaining series
took place on Sunday. This stage was given the name “Rīgas lidostas rogainings”, because the race course was around the territory of “Rīga” International Airport. In the Garmin 6h distance, there was great intrigue as to which of the strong teams would win. This time it was won by fast long-distance runners with orientation skills - the 2018 Latvian champion in trail running and the 2017 world vice-champion in rogaining Andris Ronimoiss, who had won the marathon distance in Germany a week before, and the 2020 Rīga-Valmiera winner and record holder Pēteris Grīviņš, who visited all checkpoints and collected the maximum, or 200 points, in 5:45:30. Ten points less for those who dominated in 2022 and won the bronze medal of the 2020 European Championship Zigmundam Bīberam and Albertam Jasānam (Let us have luck there), who won the last stage in Liepāja. In the very intense fight for the third place in the overall standings, Nauris Spalviņš and Toms Bergmanis (T&N) with 161 points were one point ahead of the winners of the first stage, Jāni Ķemeru and Valdi Čunku (Riga adventure team). With 152 points, Edgars Jurjāns and Evija Abiļeva were the best for the mixed teams, Madarai Apsalonei and Aleksandrai Fjodorovai achieved the same with 143 points in the women's competition and the Kremer family with mother Ilzi and sons Krišjāni and Ričardus in the family competition. In the 4h Kokmuiža distance, the two best teams - “Ādaži city” (Eduards Pāķis, Sniedze Brakovska) and B3/Bez kompas (Ieva Godiņa, Aiga Kalniņa) - collected the same number of points - 109, but Eduards and Sniedzi had spent two minutes less in the distance, so they were crowned as the stage winners. making it the second stage in a row. However, Godiņa and Kalniņa, one of the leading Latvian orienteers of their age, also deserve praise, because it is very rare that a women's team is able to enter the top three in the absolute rating, but Ieva and Aiga did it for the second stage in a row. The third place was won by Artūrs Veiss and Artūrs Kančs, with 106 points, but with 82 points in the family competition, Precinieki (Fadejs, Zelma, Everts).

Rubens Šulcs and Mārtiņš Bergmanis (“Supervaroņi ekskursijā”) dominated the 2h Spices course with 66 points, 22 ahead of their closest rivals, the two best mixed teams. Reinis and Anete Zābers (“Šurpu-turpu”) finished a few minutes ahead of Kalvis and Lilija Bricis (“Begemots un kaķis”), who scored the same number of points and had won the previous round in Liepāja. “Susliki” and “LV bārdas” missed the top three by just one point. Roberts and Marts Treijs (“Noskrien ziemu”) won the family category. In 3h MTB, European Ski Orienteering Championship participant Toms Veits had to settle for second after points from his last checkpoint were removed because he visited it too late, handing victory to Eduards Rēns. There was also a new women's winner: Dina Zobena beat Liepāja round winner and last season's top woman, Inese Kauķe. In the men's 2h rogaining run, only one point separated the top five. Jānis Dūka won with 47 points, spending one minute less on the course than Uldis Kleinbergs, who scored the same total. Anita Užule, one of the leading orienteers in her age category, claimed her third women's victory, convincingly ahead of her closest rivals. After several leading women's scores were reduced for visiting their final checkpoints too late, Anete Dārta Rožkalne earned her first individual-run podium finish, following two fourth places.