Page 69 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 67
Ostuni – ‘The White City’ Perkins in full flow
Exercise Southern Italy Orienteering Festival (SIOF) Lancer
With the recent success of The Royal Lancers orienteering team in the Military League it was time we were tested on an international stage. The venue selected was to be in the beau- tiful Puglia region on Italy. The festival lasted eight days and of- fered an array of different stages, from rural routes in scorching heat to tourist packed urban events in stunning towns, with the last race along a private enclave with stunning beaches.
On the day of travel the team was spread out between Catterick, Salisbury Plain and Bucharest, but we all came together after several hours of travelling and met up in Bari Airport. We hit the road straight away (mindful of driving on the opposite side...) and made our way to our villa, eventually arriving unscathed despite some erratic Italian (and Trooper) drivers. The villa was ideally located, a short distance from Ostuni (known locally as the ‘White City’) but far enough outside to be surrounded by peaceful olive groves. We got our kit straight out of the car and put on our running fatigues to head to Ostuni to register and get a little training done. The event organisers, one of whom was a General in the Italian Army, were exceptionally welcoming and we each received a goody bag each full of local produce and treats. On the way home we did a bulk shop which was closely monitored by Staff Sergeant O’Hara to ensure we all ate health- ily and did not spend too much on the local alcoholic specialties out of our ‘CILOR’.
The first race was at the Monte Pizzuto and was probably the toughest race of the entire festival as it saw temperatures of over 30 degrees, with some of the Lancers running for around two hours. Race two, another rural race, was held at the national Par- co delle Querce and was equally as challenging as day one. A rest day in the middle saw us take a day out to visit the local beaches, the evening providing an opportunity for some fine dining in Galliopi with a chance to watch the Champions League Final. Races three and four were both urban challenges in the historic cities of Ostuni and Martina Franca with the last race taking us along the beautiful beaches of Rosa Marina.
Overall the team did exceptionally well. Trooper Burns won the Male 21B category, Staff Sergeant O’Hara took second place in the ladies competition and Corporal Williamson stealing third place with a great run on the last race. Troopers Alexander, Bailey and Clegg all took runner-up places in their respective categories. As for myself, I recently moved into an older age cat- egory and you would think people might get slower with age, but clearly a diet of olive oil and good wine for the local Italians is better than rations. Maybe next time.
DPL
Third for Corporal Williamson
The SIOF Team