Johan Kvasnicka

Profiled November 2020

Johan entered the inaugural NWOC course-setting competition in 2018 and this month is course planner for the upcoming event at Slater Road. Johan missed the first rogaine at Riverhead last weekend in order to compete in the ASB Auckland Marathon, posting an impressive time of just 02:51:48.

Tell us a bit about yourself
I'm 30 years old and have lived in Auckland all my life. I grew up in Greenhithe on the North Shore and went to Westlake Boys' High School where I first got into running, specializing in the 100 meters on the track. After high school I did a BE (hon) in Chemical and Materials Engineering at The University of Auckland. I now live in Hobsonville Point and work nearby.

Number of years orienteering?
Six

How were you introduced to orienteering?
My boss at work had been to the Riverhead Rogaine in 2014. He was selling it to everyone in the lunchroom. I checked out the event online and it looked really exciting. On that day, Cam Tier had just managed to outrun Gene to the finish. Follow this link to rewatch. 

As fate would have it, I'd just purchased a GPS watch with the intention of beginning to run regularly again. I showed up to the second Rogaine which was on the Turkey Ridge map and absolutely loved it! I was motivated to get fit so that I could enjoy orienteering even more. Follow this link to see my first ever event.

Key orienteering achievements to date?
When you first start at 24 years old in the open mens' category, it's hard to have many notable orienteering achievements. Sometimes I get a fluent run in; I think I got 1150/1200 in the last Rogaine :)

Current orienteering project or goal?
I've just set the courses for the Slater Road event coming up. Under the expert guidance of Gene Beveridge, we iterated through various start positions and dozens of course concepts to come up with a set of courses that we think you will enjoy. I'm really looking forward to executing this event successfully and getting feedback.

Favourite map and why?
The Waitarere Forest map in Palmerston North. I prefer fast flowing white forest maps with good visibility.

Map you have yet to experience but aspire to orienteer on?
I'd like to experience the orienteering scene and terrain in Sweden one day.

Orienteering heroes?
Cameron Tier and Gene Beveridge.

Day job?
I've worked full time for the last 9 years as a 'Research Engineer' for a startup in Albany. I work in a fabrication lab, inventing, prototyping and testing a variety of new products.

Other interests?
Numerous. In general, I derive a lot of energy advocating for health and fitness, so orienteering is a good fit in that respect. I run most days with the North Harbour Bays athletics club. Recently I ran the Auckland Marathon and am looking forward to running the Kepler Challenge next month.

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