ESOC Sprintelope

North Edinburgh - in the region of Victoria and St Marks Parks

Wed 12th Apr 2023

Info updated: 16th Apr
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Urban

Results

Results are here.

General Information

POST EVENT COMMENTS:
ORGANISER, Janet Clark writes - Sprintelopes are up and running! Our new map linking Victoria Park and St Marks Park was well received by an eclectic mix of competitors aged between 12 and 75, ranging from the very best of urban mappers and experienced orienteers to enthusiastic local newcomers. Thanks and welcome to everyone! You can now get a "fix" like this nearly every Wednesday evening from now till August!

Sincere and grateful thanks for surviving the cold evening to give everyone so much pleasure!

PRE EVENT INFORMATION

SPRINTELOPES are small, very informal events in Edinburgh and surrounding area. None of the frills of even a local event, including no waterproof maps or control kites, and only a skeleton 'staff' of volunteers. All are welcome but these events are mainly aimed at people who are already familiar with orienteering and orienteering events, especially those on urban areas.

Terrain: City streets and parks in North Edinburgh in the area around Victoria Park and St Marks Park.

Course Maps and Scale: Map scale likely to be around 1:4000 or whatever is closest that will fit on to an A4 sheet. Course maps are NOT on waterproof paper. Please bring a poly pocket or plastic map bag to use if it is raining or if your hands are likely to be sweaty enough to rub off the print.

Timing: SI timing will be used BUT because the events are very informal, there are only SI units at the start and finish. You can hire an SI dibber if you don't own one, see Entries section.

Controls: No control kites. At ESOC Sprintelopes there will be red/white tapes tied to lampposts or other street/park furniture. It’s taken on trust that you visit within approximately your arm’s length of each control.

Facilities: None. No toilets provided. If you decide to leave your bag beside the start/finish/download you do so at your own risk.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed at the event so long as they are kept under very close control at all times.

COVID: Please don’t come to the event if you have Covid or symptoms of Covid or are unwell. Please respect other people’s space.

First Aid: There will be a very basic first aid kit available at the meeting point.

A & E Services: The main hospital for A&E services in Edinburgh is:

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
51 Little France Crescent
Old Dalkeith Road
Edinburgh
EH16 4SA
Telephone: 0131 536 1000

Location

Nearest town: City of Edinburgh

Grid Ref: NT 254817
Postcode:
Latitude: 55.97431
Longitude: -3.195778
Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

The event is based in the SW corner of Victoria Park. There are several entrances to the Park from Craighall Road, and parking should be possible along here or the adjacent streets. What 3 Words: above.deal.inner

Lots of buses go along Ferry Road, and the North Edinburgh cycle network goes right through both Victoria and St Marks Parks.
Please try to walk, use public transport or bike if you possibly can.

Registration & Start Times

Registration and Start will be in south west corner of Victoria Park and the Finish will also be close by.

Registration will open shortly before the first start time at 6.30pm. Pre-entered competitors can head straight to the start.

START PERIOD: 6.30pm - 7.30pm.

COURSE CLOSURE: We hope you will be finished your course by about 8.15pm as it will be getting pretty gloomy by then. If you are unsure and don't want to run in dusk/dark then please come and start early.

Course Information

There will be a long (5km) and a short (3km) option although these are most likely to be straight line distances so expect to run further than that.

Because of the road crossings ALL under 16s must be accompanied at all times by an adult when running. Due to the informality of the event the adult can also be competitive (see Entries section).

The planner has made the following last minute comments: The race will take place in an area that is 70% woodland, 25% park, and 5% urban. There will be areas where the run pace will be high while other areas it would decrease because of the vegetation. It is recommended to cover both arms and legs. Due to the expectation of rain, it is highly recommended to wear shoes with goodgrip.
Athletes must be careful of other path users (especially cyclists) when running along the Walkway.
You can run along the pavement on Ferry Road, however it is forbidden to run across the road. Instead, to cross it, you must use the two tunnels that go under it.

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 strongly advised: Entries open on RaceSignUp on Wednesday 5th April and close at 8pm on Tuesday 11th April. We'll print some extra maps so if you miss this deadline send us an email to ask about a late entry. Entry on the evening of the event may still be possible but this is subject to spare maps being available, payment by cash (correct money please) or bank transfer.

Remember all under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Either enter separately but run together or order an extra shadowers map for £1 if only the Junior is entered.

Fees: Senior £4, Junior (under 21)/Student £2. Shadowers map £1

SI hire, via the entry system, is free but there's a £30 charge if lost.

Contacts / Officials

Enquiries can be made by EMAIL

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.

Privacy: when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports.
Read our privacy policy to see how we look after your personal data.

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2023 Sprintelope Logo