Broxburn Urban Race, SOUL

Urban event in the 2023 Scottish Orienteering Urban League (SOUL)

Sun 19th Feb 2023

Info updated: 12th Jun
Type of event: Regional
Type of terrain: Urban

Results

Results are here

Results by course are here

Winsplits are here

Routegadget is here

General Information

POST EVENT COMMENTS:

ORGANISER'S REPORT -  Anne Thom writes: Thank you to all the competitors for coming to the BroxburnSOUL, we hope you enjoyed the twists and turns and very small paths!    Thanks are due to West Lothian Council and Strathbrock Community Centre for use of indoor space, to Craig the janitor for his very friendly and helpful support, and to the great team of helpers who made it all happen.

Broxburn is largely residential, and I regret to say that we had a report from a resident of an adult orienteer disturbing her and her neighbour by dashing into her drive and garden, not acknowledging her presence, and failing to apologise for having strayed into a private area.   Competitors are alwaysreminded in advance, and are reminded again now, how important it is to be mindful of and courteous to people in the area, with all house gardens and driveways out of bounds.

CONTROLLER'S REPORT - Steve Scott writes:  I've heard it said that you know exactly what you're going to get when you go to an ESOC event. And exactly what you get is a quality event. The host club has know-how and experience in abundance, and no matter who the Green Machine puts in charge of their events, you know they'll be properly planned and properly organised.

Today I had the pleasure of working with Vicente and Anne. Vicente's courses proved to be quick – indeed the average time per km of the first three finishers on each of the adult courses (1 to 5) was a full minute quicker than the previous SOUL in Perth. Vicente also took a “less is more” attitude to the planning duty, and the Mens Open course, for example, had only 15 controls in its 10km length, with many long legs giving route choice opportunities.

Anne's organisation of the event was also first-rate; details of the event were circulated early and required very little input from the controller. A large team of volunteers was on hand, with everyone understanding their remit well, and interacting effectively to carry off a well-delivered event.

One of the constraints of Urban orienteering is the need for juniors to be shadowed on any course that requires significant road crossings. Following a site visit, it was agreed that juniors could run unaccompanied today if required, and that marshals on the two principal road crossings would suffice within the rules of competition. A further marshal was placed on the canal bank to oversee a narrow passage under the road, and we're happy to report that nobody ended up in the water.

During the running of the event, it became clear that one control (#229) which was on courses 4 to 7, had been slightly mis-hung, 30m south of where it should have been. However, on examining the course design, it was apparent that the control was very visible from all directions.

As this did not become apparent until half the field had concluded its run, it was decided to leave the control in position, and not to amend the results for this leg, so that the placement error was consistent for all competitors. It is hoped that competitors will accept this as a genuine error, and agree that no disadvantage accrued from this.

PRE-EVENT INFORMATION

Final Details now available. These contain all the latest important information which may not all be included below. Please read both.  

FACILITIES AT STRATHBROCK COMMUNITY CENTRE: Please take off any muddy or studded shoes before entering the centre. 

- Toilets: available close to room with Registration/Download. 

- Changing/Bag Drop: There is a very limited amount of space available at the event centre room at the Community Centre for those coming by bike or public transport to leave their bags. The car park is adjacent to the Event Centre so walking distances are short.

- First Aid: We encourage you to bring your own first aid kit for minor scrapes and cuts and administer as necessary. There will however be a first aid qualified ESOC club member based at Registration/Download.  See below for details of nearest hospital/A&E and also what to do if you have a pre-existing medical condition.

- Other Community Centre Users: There are likely to be other groups using the Community Centre at the same time as we are there. Please respect their right to be there and potentially using the same facilities. 

TIMING: SI timing will be used. SI units will be set up for SIAC (contactless 'punching') and standard SI punch timing.  The START and FINISH are not contactless and must be punched normally.

TERRAIN: Varied urban terrain with path network and some community woodland. Urban housing, some parkland, canal paths and open ground.  Paths, tracks and grassy areas will be muddy.  Please respect the mapping, and do not pass through if mapped as impassable/closed.

COURSE MAPS: 1:5000, 2m contours, printed on waterproof paper, A3 size.

SAFETY & RISK: A risk assessment has been prepared and courses planned appropriately for likely entrants within age classes however all competitors take part at their own risk and remain responsible for their own safety at all times. Please also note the following:

- The event is in a residential area and competitors should be considerate to residents and general public throughout the competition. Slow down to negotiate sharp corners or alleyway entrances/exits to avoid collisions. Note that there is a main road and many fairly busy side roads in the competition area so care will be needed by competitors throughout their run.

- Roads and Road Crossings:  The JUNIOR COURSES each have 2 manned road crossings, these are unlikely to be busy but require care. The SENIOR COURSES have several road crossings which will require care. The main road will be marked as OOB and must not be crossed at any point on the courses.  Competitors may run along the pavements on either side of the road.

NOTE: The main road will need to be crossed on the route to the start. There are lights and a crossing point and this route will be taped and must be followed.

- Canal: Courses run near a canal, care should be taken on canal-side paths.

- For safety reasons you must report to download immediately after the race, whether or not you complete your course.

COVID: Please don’t come to the event if you have Covid or symptoms of Covid.  Please also try to respect other people's personal space at all times and make use of the hand sanitiser wherever it is made available.   

Please read and respect the British Orienteering Participant Code of Conduct.

PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS: If you are injured or ill during the course of the event it is very useful for those helping you to have some details of any pre-existing conditions you have. If this applies to you please download, complete and hand in this Medical Form to the Organiser (via Registration).  Please put in a sealed envelope with your name on it. It will only be opened if required and will be destroyed unread if you don't collect before the end of the event. 

WEATHER: Please check the forecast and dress appropriately for the weather conditions.  Cagoules may be compulsory if weather is poor.  Currently (Sunday 12th) the forecast for the day of the event is ok but if things change and icy weather is forecast, please check this website on Saturday night (18th) for an update.

HOSPITAL: Nearest hospital with A & E is St John’s Hospital (Livingston), Howden Road West, Livingston, EH54 6PP
Telephone: 01506 523000

LITTER: Please take all your litter home with you. 

Location

Nearest town: Broxburn

• Grid Ref: NT072719
• Postcode: EH52 5LH
• Latitude: 55.931624
• Longitude: -3.485922
• Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

By Car: Parking is in the car park at the Strathbrock Partnership and Community Centre (SPC) on West Main Street.  It is just off the A899, the main road which runs east/west through Broxburn and Uphall.   The SPC is on the South side of the A899. There are traffic lights to let traffic to turn on to West Main Street from the A899 and the event will be signed from these traffic lights.  Note that Strathbrock is specifically signed from these lights too – sign (quite small) is on North side of road. 

Soon after turning into West Main Street, turn right into the Strathbrock car park, keep straight ahead and park anywhere on the right but towards the western end if possible.

By Public Transport: Buses passing along the A899 from Edinburgh or Bathgate/Livingston include

- Midland Bluebird / Eastern Scottish X25
- Lothian Country X18

Registration & Start Times

REGISTRATION: This will be in the Strathbrock Community Centre, enter by door B towards the western end of the Partnership building and will be open from 11:30-13:30.

Registration will be available for:

- Limited entry on the day (EOD) subject to map availability at the end of pre-entry closing date/time.  Note that there is a late entry fee and that payment for EOD must be made by cash, bank transfer or card (plus 25p card processing fee) at Registration.

- Course 7 map collection. 

- Drop off or completion of a medical statement to be used only in an emergency.

- Drop off of car keys (for solo runners as an additional safety check). If possible put keys in an envelope with your contact details.

- Collection (and payment) of hired SI.

STARTS: The Start is approximately 400m from the event centre, along flat paved path and pavement.  The route crosses the main road at a taped pedestrian crossing with traffic lights; this crossing MUST be used.

Start times likely to be 12:00-13:30 and competitors can turn up anytime within their self-selected 15-minute start block. 

Loose control descriptions will be available at the start. 

FINISH: The finish is alongside the Partnership Centre, about 100m from the event centre.

DOWNLOAD: in the Event Centre. All competitors must return to Download as soon as possible after the end of their run. 

COURSE CLOSURE: Closing time for all courses is 15:00 and at that point controls will begin to be brought in.

Course Information

RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR SCOTTISH ORIENTEERING URBAN LEAGUE (SOUL) EVENTS: Current background information about the SOUL series and a link to the Rules and Guidelines document for putting on a SOUL event are on the SOA website.    The Rules and Guidelines document contains details of which courses normally relate to which age classes.  You are welcome to enter any course you like but to be eligible for SOUL points you should enter the appropriate course for your age class. 

Use the OPEN class for any course to enter a different course to that allocated to your age class.

NOTE FOR JUNIORS:  For Course M/W 12-) course maps will be provided to competitors at REGISTRATION (11.30 to 13.15) to allow parents to judge whether shadowing is appropriate (please keep these private!). Shadowed juniors will be eligible for SOUL points. 

SOUL GUIDELINES ON SHADOWING: 'In line with BOF guidance on shadowing, juniors being shadowed on junior courses shall remain competitive for the series. Note It is possible that the guidance for any individual SOUL event may require shadowed juniors to declare themselves as non-competitive for the purposes of the event, but that will not prevent them from gaining the appropriate SOUL points. It is the responsibility of the competitor/parent to clarify with the event organiser if they are unsure. In general the person shadowing may, at the Organiser’s discretion, do so before or after their own competitive run, provided that the 2 courses do not share a significant number of controls.'

For this event we can allow the parents to choose whether to go first or second as discussed in the last paragraph above.

MAP, MAP SCALE, CONTROLS AND COURSES: The map was originally produced by Peel Land Surveys in 2017 to ISSOM specifications.  It will be printed at 1:5000 scale; contours at 2m intervals for all courses.  All course maps will have control descriptions printed on them. Blank maps will be on display at the Starts. Most controls will be secured to trees, fences, railings, street furniture etc. There could be some t bars so be prepared for anything.

PROVISIONAL COURSE LENGTHS are shown below but are subject to final controlling. Course lengths given are for the optimal, not straight-line, route.

The number of maps available for Late Entry on each course will be indicated (number of entries/course limit) on the RaceSignUp page from Monday 13th February and the number available for EOD will be confirmed on this webpage on the evening of Saturday 18th February.

Note that the course explanations shown in the link below mostly relate to cross country courses and do not directly relate to this urban event.

Explanation of colour courses

• White are very easy with all controls on paths. They are mainly used by 6-10 year olds and family groups.
• Yellow use simple linear features like paths, walls and streams. They are mainly used by under 12’s and family groups.
• Orange progress to basic use of the compass and route choice. They are ideal for novice adults or experienced youngsters.
• Light Green are ideal for improvers as the navigational difficulty begins to increase and uses simple contours and point features.
• Green are used mostly by experienced under 18’s and adults wanting a short but challenging course with a very hard navigational difficulty.
• Blue are a longer, more physically demanding course in comparison to the green. The distances are more varied between controls and the course attracts experienced orienteers.
• Brown & Black are very physically demanding and have a very hard navigational difficulty. They are for experienced orienteers only.
• Score means visiting as many controls as possible in any order in a specific time, like 45mins.

Entry Details

Pre entry (and pre-payment) via RaceSignUp will be available from Wednesday 1st February.  To guarantee a map of your chosen course, the entry deadline is Sunday 12th February at 23:59. 

NOTE: On the first time using this system you must create an account, then enter the details for each individual (including whether they need to hire an SI or SIAC dibber) choosing their class and preferred 15-minute start block. More details on the RaceSignUp page, any problems contact 

- Online entries will continue to be accepted (at the late entry fee) up to 4pm on 18th February assuming maps are still available. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to close late pre-entries at 4pm rather than 8pm as previously advertised.

- Entry on the day of the event (EOD) is limited so please enter in advance to guarantee your entry.  See Course Information section above for more details about how we will communicate how many maps are left after the guaranteed entry date and eventually, on the evening of Saturday 18th, how many remain for EOD. Please also note the information there about how you must pay for EOD and come prepared.

Free standard SI card hire, if required, but there will be a £30.00 charge if it is lost.
Hire of SIAC cards is £2.50 and a charge of £60 will be made if it is lost.

Contacts / Officials

Enquiries: EMAIL

Organiser: Anne Thom (ESOC)

Planner: Vicente Lopez (ESOC)

Controller: Steve Scott (FVO)

Safety and Risk

A comprehensive risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event.

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