Thame Urban Race

Level C

1st September 2019

Thame, Oxfordshire. Race HQ: Thame Town Hall
Nearest Postcode: OX9 3DP

Directions / Parking

5 miles from M40 Junctions 7 & 8a
Plenty of parking in town centre car parks. Free on Sundays.

Terrain Description

Mediaeval town centre around the Butter Market and Cornmarket, with lots of alleys; parkland including the picturesque Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve; and a complex 1970s residential estate (Lea Park) with a plethora of cul-de-sacs and open areas, linked by numerous alleys and paths, providing lots of route choices around the courses!

The Map

Map updated August 2019; Scale 1:5000, ISSOM 2007, A3 size. By Mike Shires, TVOC.

Start Times

From 09.30 to 11.30 in Thame Town Hall, OX9 3DP. Plenty of help available. Timing chip (SIAC) collection at the same time for pre-entrants who are hiring. We have plenty of spare maps for entry on the day.

Start times from 10.00 to 12.00. (Start c.500m from Town Hall, Finish adjacent). Courses close 14.00, by which time you must have downloaded.

Courses

COURSE 1: 8.2km (25 controls) [Class (for UKUL & SEOUL leagues): Men Open]
COURSE 2: 7.0km (19 controls) [Class (for UKUL & SEOUL leagues): Men Vet, Women Open]
COURSE 3: 5.9km (19 controls) [Class (for UKUL & SEOUL leagues): Men Supervet, Women Vet]
COURSE 4: 4.9km (15 controls) [Class (for UKUL & SEOUL leagues): Men Ultravet, Women Supervet]
COURSE 5: 3.8km (13 controls) [Class (for UKUL & SEOUL leagues): Men Hypervet, Women Ultravet, Women Hypervet]
COURSE 6: 4.2km (18 controls) [Class (for UKUL & SEOUL leagues): Men Junior, Women Junior] RED
COURSE 7: 2.2km (10 controls) [Class (for UKUL & SEOUL leagues): Men Young Junior, Women Young Junior] YELLOW

You may enter any course you wish, apart from unaccompanied under 16s, who must enter Courses 6 or 7. To be competitive in the UK & South England Urban Orienteering League (SEOUL), enter your age class as shown (or run up). If you're not entering either of those leagues, then ignore the Class details! Just enter whatever length of course you fancy. Please note that you can expect to run 30% to 40% further than the course length.

The maps for Course 7 are available before starting; for all other courses, you get your map after starting. Blank maps and lots of help will be available at Race HQ. There is no string course. Climb is negligible & will not affect any route choice.

We’ve suggested two classes for beginners (RED & YELLOW), but feel free to enter any class, depending on what length you prefer. Course 6 crosses minor roads with a 30 mph limit, but with light traffic and good visibility.

Under 16s on the day may only enter Courses 6 or 7 (unless accompanied by a responsible adult).
M/W 12 and below may only enter Course 7 (unless accompanied by a responsible adult).

How To Enter

Pre-entry has now closed. However entry will be available on the day, and we have a good number of maps (30+) available on each course.
If you are entering on the day, please download the entry form (see link at top of page), complete it and bring it to Thame Town Hall.

Entry Cost

Seniors £14 (£12 for British Orienteering members); Juniors £5

Special discount price of £6 for single Senior newcomers running classes RED or YELLOW (applies to pre-entry and on the day entries).

Pairs/groups Senior rate + £1 for an extra map

Hire of a timing chip to register at each control (a SIAC card) £2.00 for seniors & juniors

Facilities

Squash, toilets in Town Hall, First Aid, lots of cafes, pubs, shops nearby. Rumseys Café (one of our race sponsors) will have a voucher for everyone by download, so do pay them a visit after your run.

RACE SPONSORS
We're very fortunate to have eleven race sponsors and we're very grateful for their support. For their website links, see our full article on the sponsors on the News page:

Rumsey’s Chocolaterie – Thame’s infamous chocolaterie! They sell homemade chocolates, made by their professional chocolate chefs, and it’s also a café (where helpers will receive a voucher to spend on the day). Look out for their free samples at Race HQ on the day too!

The Practice – Thame – An award winning clinic, offering a wide range of treatment including chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy and counselling, psychology and CBT.

Spear Travels – Thame – Voted the UK’s Best Independent Travel Agent, offering a complete range of tailor-made holidays just for you, to family holidays, ski, cruise, adventure and short breaks.

The Space Yoga Studio – Thame’s yoga studio. Whether it’s a fast-flowing dynamic workout, relaxation and meditation, rehabilitation following an injury, or just a fun practice with friends, The Space has a wide variety of classes to suit everyone.

Thame Cars – A large award-winning independent garage, with a focus on outstanding customer service. Plenty of choice of cars and an extensive range of servicing, car and van rentals, and tyre services.

Racquets Fitness Centre – The Thame centre for fitness for all the family. Classes for all ages and all fitness levels, including yoga, pilates, HiiT and Circuits. Learn squash, racketball and table tennis too.

Pindar Creative – a map making company based in Aylesbury, they provide mapping solutions to public transport operators and local authorities. They design and make many of the maps you see around town centres and tourist attractions.

Massage Matters – A clinic based in Thame, who offer a scientific approach to injury and pain and an artful approach to the management of stress. They use Hydrotherm, the world’s first 3 dimensional massage system.

Kubota – International manufacturer of agricultural equipment. Their UK HQ is based in Thame and they manufacture the best-selling compact tractor in the UK! They’re also the main sponsor of the Central Arena at BBC Countryfile Live.

CPM – Thame’s biggest employer, and an award winning, outsourced sales agency, specialising in growing brands and increasing sales for a variety of clients.

Field Sales Solutions – An independent field marketing company, they have around 85 people based at Thame and approximately 700 full-time field staff. They work in partnership with a variety of clients to activate sales and drive distribution.

Officials

Organiser: Jon & Glynis Wheatcroft    email organiser
Planner: Neville Baker (TVOC)
Controller: Eric Harper (BKO)