Ian Holden

[Club Secretary]

Just shy of his 93rd birthday, the stopwatch has run out for our beloved club member, active, gentle, Ian Miles Holden, known in the orienteering world as a very accomplished runner, passionate orienteer & ‘human gazelle’. 

Less known, probably, was his involvement as ‘Tuatara’ volunteer track builder, stonemason & gardener of The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary, Mr Fix-It of the Nelson Toy Library, and an avid & generous gardener, booklover & ‘code-cracker’. In his working life, Ian worked as an electrician for NCC, on hydro-dam builds and as an X-ray technician for Dunedin Hospital. 

Ian’s family has asked us to convey his passing to the wider orienteering community. If you would like to contact the family, please send your message to daughter Maria Holden, 7 Clifton Place, Nelson 7010. The family has asked in lieu of flowers to consider a donation to Nelson Orienteering Club (www.noc.org.nz).

Ian came to orienteering later in life, aided by one of his daughters, who participated in a school-based orienteering event, and thought her dad might like this sport. Together they went to an event organised by Dunedin Orienteering Club. In his own words: “We did a White course together, followed by a Yellow course – I was instantly hooked”. 

Ian competed regionally, nationally and internationally from as early back as 1983 to his last event in December 2025. From 2003 to 2025, Ian won a National title at every New Zealand Orienteering Champs.

Ian was a member of Dunedin Orienteering Club for 22 years, with ten years on the committee. He was a planner for many Long events, including the Long as organised by Dunedin as part of the National Orienteering Championships. During those 22 years, he won 14 National titles, spanning age grades from M60A to M70A: five Long Distance Champs, seven Short-O Champs and two Middle Distance Champs. His first title was in the M60A Long Distance hosted by North West Orienteering Club on the Kaipara Knolls map in Woodhill Forest. Ian won the course by 8 minutes ahead of the likes of Athol Lonsdale of Taupo, Andrew Brewis of Counties, Phil Mellsop of North West, Colin Dahm of PAPO, and Svend Pedersen of Southland.

After moving to Nelson in 2006, he got involved with the local club and planned a total of nine events. Ian represented Nelson Orienteering Club and won 45 National titles, spanning age grades from M70A to M90A: seventeen Long Distance Champs, thirteen Sprint Distance and fifteen Middle Distance titles. His final title was the M90A Long Distance title in 2025, when he finished his course in 1 hour, 52 minutes and 36 seconds in the pouring rain on physically demanding terrain at Mount Cass, north of Christchurch. 

He used to grumble when he was near the older end of his five-year age class about all these youngsters who were moving up to compete with him. He would travel to Nationals in later years with good friends Pat Ehrhardt from Dunedin and Ann Scott from Southland. For many years, Ian and good friend Don Fraser would be regulars at Nelson Club events, arriving together in Don's car.

Michael Croxford recalls his first interaction with Ian when they planned and controlled an OY event at the Maitai, Nelson in May 2009. For those of you who have run there during autumn, you will know that it is not for the faint of heart, with dense vegetation and slippery slides of fallen leaves. Ian, then in his mid-70s, nimbly traversed the slopes, checking on every control site and providing a guiding hand as controller.

The 2023 South Island Champs was the first A-level event Ian planned to enter when he qualified as M90, but this category was unavailable as an option during registration. Ian ensured the organisers were informed of this minor oversight, and he registered within the day once this administrative error was corrected. For the Nationals, a new M90A trophy was created for him that same year.

That year, Gavin Scott described his good friend with the words: “Ian Holden is still running at M90 like the Human Gazelle he's always been. Amazing performer!”

Ian was always interested in others in the club and was greatly loved and respected by our members, especially at Nationals, where he could be relied on to represent Nelson on the podium.  Ian was the pride of Nelson Orienteering Club and previously, the Dunedin Orienteering Club. He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed. At the same time, his quiet determination to participate and compete, and his passion for the sport will be a continued inspiration for everybody who had the pleasure to compete with him.

If you have stories about your interactions with Ian, please feel free to share these on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DNGvjn7gZ/)  and/or email them to noc.pr...@gmail.com, to be shared in the upcoming March NOC newsletter.