Welcome to TVSS event 13, which is a MapRun 1 hour odds & evens score event on the path network of Shotover Country Park. The assembly location is The Prince of Wales, Horspath Rd, Oxford OX4 2QW. This is on the corner of Horspath Road and Brasenose Driftway, a short walk from the entrance to the country park. There is a pedestrian crossing over the A40 en-route, but the course is within the Country Park and adjacent rural area.
Entries: Pre-entry via RaceSignUp only, HERE. £3 per entry. Entries close at 14.00 on the day of the event, but please enter as early as possible as this helps with estimating map numbers. Under 16s must be accompanied by somebody 16 or over on their run. If you intend to eat at the pub, please enter in good time so we can give them an idea of numbers.
Start between 6:30 and 7:30 pm. Food until 9:00 pm. Pre-ordering before your run is recommended.
Terrain: The controls are located on path junctions within the wider Shotover Country Park area. Brasenose Woods is a flat wooded area with a clear and extensive path network, Shotover Hill has significant gradients and some paths may be somewhat overgrown, though controls have been sited to minimise this issue for most reasonable route selections. Please note this is not a traditional forest event, we have not sought permission to deviate from the public path network.
Controls will be numbered between 10 and 46. They will score their number rounded down to the nearest 10, so controls 20-29 score 20 etc. A late finish will incur a 30 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. Controls are in two sets, odds and evens, choose which set you visit first, and how many of the set you visit before flipping to the other set. For more details on the precise functioning of the scoring system, see this document by the planner.
U16 runners must be accompanied to and from the start. The course is not suitable for U12.
The terrain is considerably more complex than most maprun events, carrying a compass is recommended.
Map: 1:7500 paper street-o style of map, specially prepared by the planner. Some of the colours differ slightly from our usual maps, so the key should be carefully consulted before your run.
The event will use the 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 download, but is protected by a PIN which you will be given at the event. In MapRun, go to Thames Valley/TVSS/ and the event name starts Shotover.
What to expect on the course: Controls are set virtually, there is no physical orienteering infrastructure out on the course. Using the MapRun app, your phone/watch will register when you have got within a certain number of metres of the specified control site. For this odds/evens score event, you should take care not to run past two consecutive controls of the other parity before you intend to! The layout of controls makes this unlikely.
Directions / Parking
Parking: Roads around the Prince of Wales do not require a permit after 5pm
Public transport:
The number 10 bus passes the Prince of Wales along Horspath Road, en-route between the city centre and Headington.
The U5 passes nearby, along Hollow Way, en-route between the city centre and the Brookes campus in Headington.