ESOC Ultrasprint 2013, Hopetoun House

Sun 22nd Sep 2013

Info updated: 18th Feb
Type of event: Local, Other
Type of terrain: Parkland, Woodland

Results

Organiser's comments

The planner, Alistair Hindle, came up with the idea of a circular maze early on, but kept it quiet as long as possible. As orienteers arrived at registration, I heard the rumour of an unusual maze spreading through the queue. Competitors were not disappointed: it was ingeniously confusing to have no clear directions to line up the map.

This event is a rare chance for spectators to see an entire course being run and it was a beautifully sunny day to simply stand and watch. When everything seemed to be working well, I even had time for a run of my own (non-competitively, of course) and demonstrated that knowing all the control sites in advance does not necessarily mean I had to get them right!

A maze requires a forest of stakes, so I am grateful for the loan of stakes from other clubs and non-orienteering organisations to give us an ample supply. I am also very pleased to thank many ESOC members who gave their help. Whether it was a little or a lot, it is this willing help which makes the event run so smoothly.

General Information

Location

Nearest town: South Queensferry

Grid Ref: NT090790
Postcode: EH30 9SL
Latitude: 55.99558
Longitude: -3.4586548
Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

Head for Hopetoun House close to South Queensferry and the Forth Road Bridge. There are temporary traffic lights between South Queensferry and Hopetoun House which may cause a slight delay. Come up the main drive to Hopetoun House and the car park is to the left of the house; park as directed. The postcode if you need it is: EH30 9SL

Registration & Start Times

Registration for EOD: 13:00 - 14:15 (Times now confirmed)
Start times: First race: 13:30 - 14:30 Second race: up to 15:00 Third race: up to 15:30 (Times now confirmed)
(Courses 1, 2 and 3 can be done in any order)
Courses will close at 16.30 after which controls will be brought in.

Course Information

There will be FOUR separate courses:
Courses 1 - 3 range in distance from 1.7km – 2.1km (subject to final controlling), and contain controls up to Light Green standard. Everyone runs the same courses. The overall winner’s time will be the combined time for courses 1, 2 and 3.

You are welcome to run fewer than three courses if you wish.

Prizes for the class winners!

Format: Controls in the Maze combined with some park orienteering. For this event, no control codes are given: runners must identify the correct control by location alone. The challenge is to navigate around the controls in the Maze and those in the surrounding park, quickly and cleanly. The fastest runner may not be the most accurate. It is entertaining for the spectators and makes a very welcoming, sociable, fun event which everyone can enjoy.

Course 4 will have 19 controls entirely within the maze and will be suitable for children.

Specifically at this event, and as per previous years, controls will NOT have a unique numeric/alphabetical code to denote you are at the correct control. It is down to the competitor to ensure they are at the correct point given on the map. There will be a penalty of 2 minutes per control that is incorrectly visited.

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

Seniors (born 1992 or earlier) - BOF member £6.00
Seniors (born 1992 or earlier) - Non-BOF member £7.00
Juniors (born 1993 or later) £3.00
Small Family Groups £6.00

Free SI hire, if required, but £30.00 charge if lost.

Pre-entries were available at Fabian4 but are now closed.
EOD fine as there should be plenty of maps available.

Contacts / Officials

Organiser: Martin Caldwell (ESOC)
Planner: Alistair Hindle (ESOC)
Controller: Sheila Strain (ELO)
Entry enquiries: Simon Firth (ESOC),

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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