If this your first event, don’t worry, there will be helpful club members who will explain what to do. They will either be wearing hi-viz tops or TVOC jackets. But the following are some useful tips.
What to wear
You must cover your torso and legs. So no shorts. Running tights are good, or you could just wear old trousers.
Some of the paths may be muddy, so you may well want to wear trail shoes – or wellies if you are planning on walking round.
What to bring
A compass is really useful. We have a few we can lend out, and we will have some for sale for just £4. (Please bring the exact money.)
What to do
Park as directed. There is no charge.
There is a toilet in the parking area if you need it.
You will almost certainly be hiring an SI card (timing chip). Look out for a tent with a sign saying SI card hire – it’s on the way to the Start. If you have your own card, you can bypass the tent and go straight to the Start.
Our hire cards have a strap, to attach the card to your finger. They also have a loop of cord. Put your wrist through this cord. It’s a safety device, in case you card slips off your finger. Lost cards will be charged at £65, and we really don’t want to have to charge you.
Ask any of the people with hi viz or TVOC jackets for help and advice. They will show you how to use the SI card, how to orientate your map, etc
At the Start
Collect your map. Yellow and Orange maps are before the Start, so you can have a look at them first. And perhaps ask some advice from one of the helpers.
When you are ready to start, there are four ‘stations’ in a row. Work your way along them in turn:
Clear – dip you card into the hole in the station. Make sure the station beeps.
Check – dip you card into the hole in the station. Make sure it beeps. If you are using a SI Air card (all our hire ones are Air), this station turns on the Air function.
Air on test (for SI Air cards only) – as you bring your SI Air card near the station, the card should beep and flash. If by chance it doesn’t, just dip your card into the hole in the station.
Start – dip your card into the hole in the station. Make sure it beeps. Your time starts now!
Now you can begin. Use the map to navigate between the checkpoints (we call them controls). If it’s your first event, you might want to stick to the paths and fences, rather than take ambitious cross-terrain routes. It’s a great feeling when you run around a bend in a path to find your first control.
If you’ve got a compass, that’s helpful to to orientate the map, ie keep the lines on the map parallel with the needle on the compass. That means the map is lined up with the ground, so the paths you can see go in the direction shown on the map. Try always to keep the map correctly orientated.
When you get to your first control, check its number matches your control description. If it doesn’t, then you are in the wrong place! If it does, and you have an Air card, just waft it over the control station. (With older cards, you have to dip them into the hole.) Check the card beeps, then head for the next control.
You must punch the controls in order. If you unintentionally take the controls out of order (eg. you somehow went to the third control and punched and missed out the second), don’t worry, just go back to the missed control, punch that, then continue the course in the correct order (yes you have to punch the third control again in this example).
When you’ve punched the final control, head for the Finish.
At the Finish
Waft your SI card over the Finish station. You will then be asked to punch a safety control.
Have a quick breather, to get your breath back!
Follow signs to the download tent, where you will be asked to put your SI card into a card reader. You will receive a printout showing your time, both overall and between each control.
Note that you must go to download, even if you did not finish your course. We will check who started, and who has downloaded, to see if anyone is missing. Fail to download and we will be out searching for you.
After the event
The results will appear on the TVOC website later in the afternoon. Have a look for them at https://tvoc.org.uk/results/