Sat 29th Jan 2022

Birch Hill/Great Hollands, Bracknell

Level C Urban, UKUL, SEOUL

Final Details

Start List link now added -- its happening folks!
For courses 1 - 3 - see Race Day Update from Planner

COVID-19

Whilst Government has lifted restrictions, COVID is still in circulation, and we encourage a continued responsible approach at our orienteering events.

Entrants have agreed to abide by the British Orienteering Participant Code of Conduct.

People have different risk tolerances, please respect other personal choices as normality returns. Please maintain inter-personal distance when queuing at Assembly, Start and Download.

Please do NOT attend the event if you are impacted by Covid-19; that is if you are required, or think you might be required to 'self-isolate', according to guidance in effect on the day of the event. Please err on the side of caution. 

Event location and travel :

Event HQ is the South Hill Park Arts Centre, Ringmead, Bracknell, RG12 7NF. What 3 Words, W3W: ///cattle.lofts.lies is the entrance to the car-park.

Bracknell station is 2 miles N of the Event HQ. Bus and cycle/walking routes from the station are shown in detail below.

There is no supervised or reserved car-parking for the event. Important: please do NOT use on-street parking in the residential streets around South Hill Park.

Please do use one of the car-parking options, available on first-come, first-served and ‘use at own risk’ as given in the detail below.

Facilities:

The following facilities are available :.

• First Aid by Response EMS www.theresponsegroup.co.uk
• Toilets (in South Hill Park Arts Centre)
• Cafe   

Registration:

Registration (eTag collection) will be at or near the Terrace Room of South Hill Park Arts Centre. This is the SW corner and will be taped from the car-park.

Registration opens at 10:00.

Start times are 10:30 to 12:30 in 15-minute slots, courses close at 14:00.

Individual start times will be published on Race Sign-up and displayed at Assembly.

EOD

There is no Entry On Day (EOD) for this event.

Please enter via Race Sign Up, until midnight weds 26th Jan (subject to availability again limit of 250). 

The Concorde Chase Weekend - Information and sign up (racesignup.co.uk)

eTag Issue and

Return:

The entry fee includes mandatory hire of an eTag. Only the hired eTag can be used for the competition. A charge of £50 will be made for lost cards.

At Assembly, please check the Start List to find your eTag number. Collect your individual eTag from the display box and take a strap (self-service). Fix the eTag to your wrist following displayed directions. BKO Events team will be on hand to check you have the right tag, fitted correctly. Lastly please check correct functioning of the eTag against the Demo Control 

NOTE Regarding use of EMIT:

It is the competitor’s responsibility to check that their eTAG has been registered, including any pin-punch if needed, at each control and the Finish. Reinstatement for missing electronic punches will only be made on visible evidence of the correct pin punch on the map. 

Start

Start is located near a grassy knoll on the W side of the car park, about 200m from Assembly (taped).

It is a punching start, we will be flexible subject to numbers, and allow people to go soon before or after their allocated time.

Make your way to the Start in suitable time but not too soon, Please aim to be at Start 5 minutes before your start-time slot, but not sooner to minimise queue build-up in an area also used by members of the public 

Road Crossings

Courses 1,2,3: Between the estates (Birch Hill, Great Hollands), there is a major uncrossable OOB road marked with red hatching on the map.  Three pedestrian underpasses are available to transfer between the estates. All other roads may be crossed, please take care on busy roads mapped with darker shading.

Courses 4 and 5:  These stay in Birch Hill and use a single-sided A3 map. All roads may be crossed Please take care on all road crossings and take particular care on roads mapped with darker shading.

Courses 6 and 7:  These stay in Birch Hill and use a single-sided A3 map.  

These courses have been planned for juniors.  

Course 7 makes use of the path network and can be completed without crossing any roads.  

Course 6 uses areas of the estate with cul-de-sacs which may have slow-moving traffic.  On both courses, there are 2 designated mandatory underpasses.

These are not manned but controls have been sited to ensure that they are used.  Control descriptions for 6 & 7 use text.  

Parents and guardians; please ensure juniors in your care are aware of these points.

Pin-punch

In the unlikely event a control on the course is found by a competitor not to be working, it is the competitor’s responsibility to use the pin-punch to mark their map.

Reinstatement for missing electronic punches will only be made on visible evidence of the correct pin punch on the map. 

Course

Length

Climb

No. controls

Descriptions

1

7.6km

70m

Pictorial

2

6.7km

65m

Pictorial

5.7km

55m

Pictorial

4.9km

50m

Pictorial

5

3.9km

40m

Pictorial

6

3.4km

40m

Text

2.1km

30m

Text

Course Close

Courses closes at 14:00

Finish

There is one finish for all courses, located in the grounds to S of the South Hill Park Arts Centre. From there, follow taped route to Download (~100 m)

ALL competitors must report to DOWNLOAD, even if they retire.

You MUST hand in your eTag, even if you are running in the Forest event tomorrow.

You will be issued a fresh (not used on Saturday) eTag for Sun event. 

Your race result will be available via EMIT results service www.race-results.info within a few minutes. 

Map

Maps are size A3, printed on waterproof paper.

Scale 1:4000 with 2.5m contours.  

The map has been fully updated during October 2021 to January 2022.  It is drawn to ISSOM2007 but roads with heavier traffic have been given a darker shading. 

On the map, a black ‘X’ represents both benches and play equipment. In control descriptions, an ‘X’ represents a bench.

Control descriptions are printed on all maps, and loose CDs are also in Start lanes.

Map turns - Course 1 - 3 only

Courses 1, 2 and 3:  These use a double-sided A3 map with Birch Hill on front and Great Hollands on back. 

Early parts of the course and the last part are shown on the front.  Leaving Birch Hill there is no designated ‘map turn over’ shown on the map - the red line goes off the edge.  However, the last control before that edge is shown on both maps.  The CD indicates ‘Turn map over’ at this control. 

On returning to Birch Hill, the last control marked is also shown on the Birch Hill map: turn the map back over at this point. – again the CD states ‘Turn map over’.  

Terrain

Terrain:  The area being used includes Birch Hill and Great Hollands estates.  See: SEOUL Routegadget 2018 for previous event on this terrain. Courses 1, 2 and 3 use both estates.  Courses 4, 5, 6 and 7 use Birch Hill only.

General

Safety:

Please be mindful of other users of the area, especially residents going about normal activities.

Do NOT enter any area marked in olive green (private property, out of bounds), nor any area or street marked out of bounds. 

Please take care on all road crossings and take particular care on roads mapped with darker shading.

Race Day updates

BKO Bracknell Urban 29/Jan 2022 Planner’s Notes – Race Day updates

Courses 1, 2 and 3: There is ongoing work to install fibre optic cables in Great Holland (part 2 of the map).  This is affecting a few paths.  Although mostly still open, you may see a ‘Footpath Closed’ sign.  If there is active work in the area, please respect the sign and find an alternative route.  If no work is occurring, please assess the situation and, if appropriate, proceed but with caution.

Accidents:

Accident & Emergency:

Frimley Park Hospital

Portsmouth Road

Camberly

GU16 7UJ

Minor Injuries: 

Bracknell Healthspace 

Tel: 01344 551100

Eastern Gate

Brants Bridge

Bracknell

RG12 9TR

Officials

Planner: David Jukes

Organiser: Eoin Sharkey 07957 801 673

Email: events@bko.org.uk

Controller: Pete Jones 

Detail:  Advice on transport to the event

Car-parking options:

South Hill Park Arts Centre Main Car-park, is free of charge, (no duration limit) and close to Assembly, Start and Finish. Please fill up from the W side, which is less used by public. Please do not use spaces in front of (N side) of the Arts, which are marked for coaches, deliveries etc.  

Alternative is Leppington Car-Park which is one mile drive from South Hill Park via Ring Mead (anti-clockwise) and Birch Hill Road. However, it is only about 250m level walk on footpath to Assembly/Start. The route to Assembly will be taped but not signed.  

Overflow option is Birch Hill Recreation Ground car-park, also free and with no time-limits. It is about 750m walk to Assembly via Hillberry and Birch Hill path network. Walking anti-clockwise around Ringmead is slightly longer but avoids sight of the courses. Allow 15 – 20 minutes if using this car-park option. Route to Assembly will NOT be signed or taped.

see map :  

http://www.bko.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/CarParking.png

Non-car options:

Bracknell railway station has hourly service on South West Trains between Reading and SW London.
A bus option from desk research is shown below. A bike route, which could also be a walking/running route is shown too. 

http://www.bko.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/PublicTransport.jpg

Info: Layout of competition area

Bio Security Advice

Please come to the event with clean and dry shoes and clothing. After your run please follow the guidance that helps protect our precious environment:

·         Check

·         Clean

·         Dry

Before leaving the event check your clothing and equipment and remove any mud, soil or leaf litter.

Once home thoroughly clean your footwear and clothing and then leave it to dry for as long as possible. Many invasive non-native species are able to survive in damp corners for very long periods of time, but are less able to survive if the equipment is thoroughly dried.

Photography

The club has designated photographer(s) and details are available from Enquiries.

Photographs from the event may be used by the club and made available on the internet in accordance with British Orienteering guidelines. Please speak to a club official at registration if you have any concerns

IMPORTANT OFFICIAL NOTICES:

• Competitors take part at their own risk
• The personal data you give will be used by the event organisers only for the purpose of processing/publishing entries and results and as required by our insurers. Entry details will be stored in a computer. Submissions of an entry for the event will indicate your acceptance of this procedure.
• In the event of cancellation of the event, part, or all of your entry fee may be retained.
• The club has designated photographer(s) and details are available from registration. Photographs from the event may be used by the club and made available on the internet. Please speak to a club official at registration if you have any concerns.