Maximum score achieved for the second time this season in extreme weather at Riga Rogaining

Original publication date: 04.11.2024

Riga Seven Dwarves rogaining was held in cooperation with Riga State City Municipality and shopping center “Ozols”, as well as with the support of Intervals.lv, Isostar, Garmin, Gerble, Kokmuiža and “Magnesia”. According to the participants' abilities and wishes, the organizers offered the usual team distances - 6h Garmin, 4h Kokmuižas and 2h Isostar rogaining distances, as well as individual 3h MTB and rogaining run 2h (O-Run) and rogaining walk for children.

From TC “Ozols”, a large part of the participants in the longest distances reached the extreme northern points near Ulūpije and Upeslejām Ropažu in the district, going through Ulbroka and Saurieų, the role of the Great Points also had to cross the river Mazajai Juglas, reaching the Saurieų reservoir, where the peninsula had to be on a steep embankment. Of course, how can we do without the summer cottage village Rūkiši in Salaspils county, after which this section got its name and where the postal address is “Sniegbaltīte”.

Already in the evening and night of the previous day, the participants realized that the weather would be extreme - strong wind from time to time “talkā nāca” also heavy rain and hail. But that didn't deter adventurers like Rogainers. A rather strong line-up had also gathered for the last stage.

“GARMIN” in the 6h distance, where around 90 teams and 200 participants competed, a convincing victory was celebrated by Zigmunds Bībers in a new tandem with Valdi Rozentālu (Laid mus tur laimes diet), who reached all 50 checkpoints, thereby collecting the maximum amount of 200 points. The next team was already 30 points away. Second place went to Gatis Čirka and Arnis Grasis (Others), who managed to win the season overall. The trio with 164 points was completed by a pair of orienteers and the best MIX team Salvis and Ilona Daģe (Dejavu). Not starting on Saturday prevented “Riga adventure team” from taking first place.

Meanwhile, the sixth result for the best women's team in the stage (158 points) and also in the overall standings for Madarai Apsalonei and Aleksandrai Fjodorovai, who arrived at the finish with the end of the time limit. 119 points were won by “Klinšu ērgļiem” – Ilze and Ralfam Slaidēm and Edgaram Klintim. Although this time there was not such a rich harvest of points, occupying the 13th place in the overall standings, still Aigaram Šuvcānam and Zanei Grubertei (Bebri nesnauš) the overall title for the mixed teams.

“KOKMUIŽAS” 4h distance had the largest representation, with more than 100 teams competing and over 200 participants. The expected victory in the stage with 134 points and also taking the lead in the absolute rating and in their MIX category was provided by Sandis Zukulis and Elīna Petrovska (Cascade of Mistakes). The next six were very similarly fought men's teams, of which Aivars Hemmelis/Sergejs Briedis (Retreat in the Forest) and Māris Heinols/Armands Broks (ExValcenians) were in the top three in the absolute ranking. Both of these teams collected 129 points, but Heinol and Brock overshot the time limit, so they separated by four points, the second place in the overall standings and the best status in the men's category went to Hemmel and Briedi. On the other hand, the best men's team of the season was Valters Veiss and Artūrs Kančs (Necūko meža), who took 6th place in the stage.

Before this stage, the leaders Eduards Pāķis and Sniedze Brakovska (Adaži city) at the end took the third place in the absolute rating and the second in the Mix, but were eighth in the stage. On the other hand, in the women's competition, Aiga Kalniņa and Ieva Godiņa (BR3) were unstoppable both in the Riga stage and in the overall standings, which were the only women's teams to score more than a hundred points on Saturday. In the family competition, the best with 61 points was the Baloži family from Đadaži - Sandra, Mārtiņš and Emīlija.

“TC OZOLS” In the 2h distance in the competition of 50 teams, the superiority of the Lithuanians “Sakas one” (Vladas Kutiavinas, Mantas Pocevičius) was manifested, who only exceeded the 60 point limit (61 points) and also won the overall title, relegating the leaders until this stage Uldi Pormeistaru and Gunāru Ozoliņu (LV Beards), who tried the 4-hour distance this time, entering the top ten. In this stage, two men's teams fought very hard for the second place with a point difference (56 and 55), “Ērgļiem” (Guy Sabo, Edgars Tiltanovs) ahead of last year's O-run leaders Jāni Dūku and Kristapu Gādmani (Gold miners).

Right behind the trio, the best Mix representatives Kārlis and Daina Stonkas (А team) ranked in fourth place with 51 points, but they did not get the five necessary starts for the overall ranking, so in the mixed team competition, the overall title went to Gatim Osvaldam and Lāsmai Ozolai (LOGO). For the women, Ilze Roķe and Māra Ozola (Lauktozites) remained unbeaten both in the stage and in the overall standings, but “Žubītes” (Zane Kapteine, Laura Anševica) was only one point behind them in the stage. In the family competition, the Birznieku family with the name “Pitonieši” also won by a point.

In the 3h MTB course, Mārtiņš Linde — one of Latvia's two leading MTB orienteers and 19th in the European Championship sprint — won for the third time this season. He felt his performance had not been his best and thought someone might beat him. Despite exceeding the time limit by two minutes, he scored 158 points, eight ahead of Aivis Zetmanis, who competed in the European MTBO Championships both this year and in 2022. Versatile orienteer Toms Veits completed the top three with 148 points. Although he finished ninth in this round, Raitis Muižnieks had already secured the season title, almost 100 points ahead of Valdis Kokorišs and Eduards Rēns.

In the women's stage and in the overall standings, the first place went to the Lithuanian Renatai Pauļauskienei, but the best of ours both on Saturday and in the overall standings was the second place winner Dina Zobena, who had fierce competition from the third place winner Aiga Strazdiņa. Last year's winner Inesei Kauķei took 4th place this year.

In the 2-hour O-Run, Guntars Mankuss and Miķelis Zumbergs both scored 59 points, but Mankuss spent less time on the course and won a very close contest. Zumbergs secured the season title, moving ahead of Jānis Užulis, who finished fourth in the round, one point behind returning rogainer Oskars Cimermanis. Anita Užule convincingly won both the women's round and the season, repeating last year's success. In Seven Dwarfs Rogaining, Annija Zaļaiskalna and Anžela Šapavalova finished second and third, separated by one point. Šapavalova was the season runner-up, while Anete Dārta Rožkalne, who took a cautious approach to the final round, completed the overall top three.