This is the 11th event in the Thames Valley Street Series. Note this event is on a Wednesday.
Entries: Pre-entry via RaceSignUp only, HERE. Entry is online only and must be done before 14.00 on the day of the event.
Entry is £3 for all members and under 21s, and £4.50 for non-members.
Under 16s may run, but must be accompanied by somebody over 16 at all times on their run. If you are accompanying an under 16 runner, enter yourself and then select an extra map for the junior (additional £0.50). The junior does not need to be entered separately.
A MapRun 1 hour score event starting from The White Hart, Wolvercote (Oxford). You may start any time between 18.30 and 19.30. The pub serves food until 9pm – please do stay for a meal if you can.
There will be 30 controls to try and get within the 60 minutes. Controls may be found in any order. Controls 10-19 score 10, controls 20-29 score 20, and controls 30-39 score 30. 20 point penalty for each minute or part minute you are over the hour. You may complete as many or as few controls as you want.
The event will use the free MapRun app. This is available on phone, as well as Apple and Garmin watches. It’s advised to have this downloaded in advance of the event. The event is available to downloaded, but is protected by a PIN which you will be given at the event. In MapRun, go to Thames Valley/TVSS/Summer26 and the event name starts (Wolvercote26).
Area: Wolvercote, Port Meadow and North Oxford. The area is varied and includes Wolvercote village, the streets of North Oxford, the open grassland of Port Meadow and the nature reserve Burgess Field, as well as the Oxford Canal towpath.
The area is completely bisected north to south by a railway line and a canal. While there are several bridges over the canal, as marked on the map, the main railway line can only be crossed at the north and south of the area (the road railway bridge out of Wolvercote village in the north, and the pedestrian railway bridge at Aristotle Lane in the south). These bridges are clearly marked on the map.
The divided nature of the area means that route choice and distance judgement will be at a particular premium!
There are cows and horses on Port Meadow which are used to people but which should be given a wide berth.
Map: 1:12,500 paper street-O map. (Please note different scale from normal.) Solid and dashed black lines show roads and paths respectively. On the large area of Port Meadow, both made up tracks and less defined grass paths are marked with dashed black lines.Purple cross-hatch is out of bounds. A solid purple line is an impassable feature.Orange-yellow is crossable grass, though paths will often be the best option. Green indicates vegetation that is assumed impassable. Blue is (impassable) water.
Transport/Parking: Easily accessible on foot or by bike from Oxford. The number 6 bus from Oxford city centre stops very close to the White Hart pub. Parking is possible on the street near the pub, or in the nearby Port Meadow car park (pay and display).
What to bring: Yourself, in suitable clothing (high-vis highly recommended) and footwear. A phone with plenty of charge. A Garmin / Apple watch if you own one. A compass (not essential). Sunset is at 21:09 so you shouldn’t need a light.
What to expect on the course: As this event uses the MapRun app, there is no physical orienteering infrastructure out on the course. Controls are set virtually, and your phone or watch will register when you have got within a certain number of metres of the specified control site. It is important to not run through the finish control until you want to finish your race, as doing so will finish your race. The finish will be located in a place which makes this very unlikely.