Next RR event

 

Event Details
published 9 August with 2 updates (in red) on 22 August.

*****

Download printable version HERE

 

Roxburgh Reivers are delighted to welcome you to Tweedbank for the 4th race in the

 

Scottish Orienteering Urban League (SOUL) 2013

1st September 2013

 

This is a new venue for most competitors, featuring an updated map of an interesting area previously used only for club-level activities.

 

Travel and Parking.

Access is from the A6091 between Melrose and Galashiels. If travelling by the A7, from the roundabout east of Galashiels, follow signs for A6091 to Borders General Hospital and at the next roundabout take the SECOND exit. After one mile, at another roundabout take the first exit, which is signed Tweedbank Industrial Estate. After 100m, turn right and follow signs to parking. From the A68 between Earlston and St Boswells, at the roundabout take exit for the A6091 signed Melrose and Galashiels and after three miles, at the first roundabout, take the second exit, as above signed Tweedbank Industrial Estate. 

Parking will be at, or near, the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Post Code TD1 3TE. Follow signs and marshals’ directions and please – no parking anywhere else in the area.  There is a taped route of approx. 750m to Assembly/Event Centre which must be followed to avoid the competition area. This involves crossing a 30mph limit bus route. However, we don’t anticipate marshalling this crossing, so parents please make sure juniors are supervised crossing this before and after their runs.

 

Event centre

This will be at Tweedbank Sports Complex.

Changing rooms, showers and lockers are available at the Sports Complex (20p for lockers).  No muddy shoes in the building, please.

 

NB Tweedbank running track is at present being resurfaced: please pay attention to the signs and safety barriers.

 

Registration & enquiries

Open from 12 noon.

 

Assembly

Due to redevelopment work at the track, a sheltered area we had hoped to use will not be available, but there will be a small area of grass suitable for club tents and the Reivers tent should also be available for shelter. The Finish will be very close to Assembly.

 

Terrain

Good mix of complex residential, industrial estate and parkland areas which provide most of the contrasting challenges you could hope for in urban orienteering.  There is also some significant woodland and climb, particularly on the adult courses.

 

Clothing

No mandatory clothing requirements, i.e. shorts can be worn but you may find yourself going through undergrowth with brambles and nettles so you should make your own decision on leg covering.  There are many grassy slopes which can be slippy, so rubber studs or other shoes with a good grip are recommended if it has been wet.

 

Safety

As with all urban events, competitors need to be aware of potential hazards throughout their run.  You compete at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety – and that of others – at all times.  While Tweedbank is a relatively safe area for urban orienteering, there will be traffic on the roads and parking areas as well as pedestrians/dog walkers on the paths and parkland.  Please give priority to other road/path users and take care crossing all roads and on blind corners.

 

All courses will use an underpass between controls 1 and 2, while the Junior and Young Junior courses will also return via the underpass.  Gun Knowe Loch features rather obviously on the map and is clearly not to be crossed.  There are many olive green areas on the map which must not be crossed and some small areas marked as out of bounds: please make sure before you run that you know the symbols for these.  If it looks like someone’s garden, it probably is, so please keep off! The legend is on the map and copies of the legend will be on display at information for those unfamiliar with that used for urban maps.

 

The map will be at scale 1:4500 with 5m contours and printed on waterproof paper.

Please note: on the map         X denotes seat or picnic table

                                                      O denotes play apparatus or goal posts

 

Courses (subject to final controlling)

Course no.                                                       Length             Climb

1          Men’s Open                                          7.2k                125m

2          M40+/Women’s Open                        6.0k                105m

3          M55+/W40+                                          4.9k                 80m

4          M65+/W55+                                          3.7k                 85m

5          W65+                                                      3.0k                 70m

6          Junior Men/Women 16-                     3.5k                 55m

7          Young Junior men/Women 12-        2.2k                 35m                

 

With the exception of Under 16s, you are free to enter whichever course you choose.  Age categories given above are for the SOUL series.  Remember, the course lengths given above are for straight line distances on the map – with the exception of course 7 you may expect to run between 30-40% further.

 

Entries

Will be accepted online until 26 August at Oentries  here.  Cost is Seniors £8, Juniors £4, Non BOF members +£2.

 

EOD

A limited supply of maps will be available for entries on the day at the increased cost of Seniors £10, Juniors £6, Non BOF members +£2.

 

Under 16s

Course 6 for Juniors under 16 is planned to avoid roads with significant traffic but nevertheless is designed to be a real urban race test and does include running through an industrial estate where there is likely to be some traffic, even on a Sunday.  It is suitable for under 16s with previous orienteering experience.  Parents should be confident in their children’s ability to tackle such a course and to cross roads safely unsupervised –if in any doubt, please enter the Young Junior Course 7.

 

Course 7 for Young Juniors has been planned so that no roads should be crossed, other than one marshalled crossing of a cul-de-sac in a residential area near the finish.

 

Course 7 control descriptions (only) will be textual and available at the Event Centre. Course 7 maps will also be available at the Event Centre for parents to see and judge whether suitable for younger competitors. If parents wish to shadow a junior, they must first have completed their own course to be SOUL competitive. In line with BOF Guidance, juniors being shadowed on junior courses shall remain competitive for the SOUL series.

 

Course etiquette and control security

Please ensure you observe all out of bounds areas and ‘uncrossable’ features.  You will be given a race number so that competitors are identifiable to the general public.  Any complaints from residents or other competitors will be taken seriously.  The competition area will be patrolled, officials wearing Hi Viz jackets. In the event of a missing control please continue with your run and tell the download team and any official you might see out on the course: the organisers reserve the right to base the overall results on times omitting the legs affected by a missing control.

 

Start

Start times from 1pm to 2:45pm.

 

The start is 250m walk from the sports complex, please follow the taped route and watch out for runners who may be crossing your path.   There is an unmanned cul-de-sac crossing between Assembly and the Start which will have already been crossed between Parking and Assembly – could parents ensure that juniors can cross this safely on their way to the Start.

 

Start times will be allocated after the pre-entry closing date and published on the Oentries website.  Pre-entries on courses 1-6 can go straight to the Start, with a punching start at your allocated time. EOD competitors allocated an available start slot.

 

At the start, you will be given a race number so that competitors are identifiable to the general public, but please bring your own pins.  Loose pictorial control descriptions will also be available at the start.

Urban Orienteering Rules

The event is being run under British Orienteering Federation rules and SOUL guidelines.

 

Results

Displayed outside download on the day and on the RR website  as soon as possible after the event.

 

 

First Aid

Staff at the Sports Complex are trained first aiders and Borders General Hospital A & E Department is 5 minutes from the event, signposted from the A6091.

 

While in the area…..

·         You are all likely to pass Herges on the Loch on your course, a restaurant and bar overlooking Gunknowe Loch. Although their kitchen is closed from 2.30 on a Sunday, they do provide teas, coffees and cakes.  Competitors should not visit until after their run!

·         Just off the map, is Abbotsford House, former home of Sir Walter Scott. The house itself was closed for two years for restoration and cataloguing, and was just re-opened in July this year. There is also a new Visitor Centre, free to enter, where tickets are available for the House and/or the gardens. The Visitor Centre contains an interesting display of artifacts, a shop and eaterie – with a small adventure playground close by.

·         On the way to and from the event car parking, you will see the entrance building works for the new Tweedbank railway station, southern terminus of the Borders Railway. The original Waverley Line was closed in 1969, but much of the infrastructure was left intact. Work is now well under way to restore the line, with a projected completion in 2015. Future O events at Tweedbank should be very accessible by public transport!

o   Meantime First Bus (timetable) serve Galashiels from Edinburgh (X95 & 62), Carlisle (X95) and Berwick (60), and local buses connect Galashiels and Tweedbank (62). Ask to get off at the Tweedbank Industrial Estate.

 

And finally…

Roxburgh Reivers hope you enjoy your visit to Tweedbank and find the courses enjoyable as well as appropriately challenging.  Your feedback is welcome.

 

 

Organiser:       Robert Cranston

Planners:         Douglas Henderson (assisted by Robin Sloan)

Controller:       Ian Pyrah (ESOC)