The Redlands Return
2024-02-04
Southern Champs, UKOL & SEL
Planned by Tom Edelsten and Controlled by Charlie Turner (SLOW).
Start List was revised on Saturday 3 Feb
Click here for PDF
NOTE that colour-coded courses will now be a punching start.
Final Details (A) now published Click here for PDF.
When you enter, please select the Age Class that you wish to run in. However please note the Eligibility Criteria for the Southern Championships (under Event Information below) if you wish to compete for the trophies and podium places.
A few colour coded courses are also available (non-championship):
White, Yellow, Orange, Light Green
There will not be a String course.
Start times are from 10:00 - 13:00. You can choose to start E (early), M (middle) or L (late) or the following combinations: EM (early or middle), ML (middle or late), EML (any time).
Actual start times will be seeded and published on this Web page.
Entries are now limited by printed maps.
Entries close on 1 February, but will reopen on 2 February for colour-coded (non-championship) courses only.
Entry is now only available to colour-coded classes and you can pick your start time.
Courses 1, 2, 3 have more than 30 controls, so make sure you have a dibber that can record that many. If hiring a dibber it needs to be a SIAC dibber for course 1 (37 controls). For courses 2 and 3 with 32 controls a hired normal dibber will record the punches after 30 but not the split times. And if you punch extra controls by mistake you could still run out of normal dibber memory. For hiring on courses 2 and 3 a SIAC is strongly recommended.
Course 1 10.5km 565m climb
M21E
Course 2 9.0km 435m climb
M21L, W21E
Course 3 7.7km 415m climb
M18E, M20E, M35L, M40L, W21L
Course 4 6.9km 335m climb
M45L, M50L
Course 5 (1:15k) 6.5km 315m climb
M20L, W18E, W20E, W35L
Course 5 (1:10k) 6.5km 315m climb
M55L
Course 6 5.9km 235m climb
M21S, M60L, W40L
Course 7 5.3km 230m climb
M16A, M18L, M35S, M40S, W45L, W50L
Course 8 4.9km 205m climb
M45S, M65L, W20L, W21S, W55L
Course 9 4.5km 185m climb
M20S, M50S, M55S, M70L, W16A, W18L, W35S, W60L
Course 10 3.5km 190m climb
M18S, M60S, M75L, W40S, W45S, W65L
Course 11 3.3km 140m climb
M65S, M80, W20S, W50S, W55S, W70L
Course 12 2.6km 130m climb
M70S, M75S, W18S, W60S, W75
Course 13 2.6km 120m climb
M85, M90, W65S, W70S, W80, W85, W90
Please note that this course is more arduous than the official specification for M90, W85, W90
Course 14 1.9km 60m climb
Discontinued and transferred to course 13
Course 15 3.9km 190m climb
M14A, M16B
Course 16 3.1km 140m climb
W14A, W16B, Light Green
Course 17 2.9km 145m climb
M12A, M14B, W12A, W14B, Orange
Course 18 2.3km 80m climb
M10A, M12B, W10A, W12B, Yellow
Course 19 1.9km 60m climb
M10B, W10B, White
Senior: £16
Junior: £9 (Juniors are under 21 on 31st December 2024)
Novice senior entry fee of £9 applies to White/Yellow/Orange colour-coded courses.
From 15 January the fees increase by £2 (Senior) and £1 (Junior/Novice)
From 28 January entry will be subject to available maps and the late entry fees are £20 for Seniors and £11 for Juniors and Senior novices.
Normal SI dibber hire is £1; contactless SIAC dibber hire is £3.
Entry fee for non-BOF-affiliated Seniors attracts a £2 supplement. Make sure you have renewed your BO membership to avoid the premium.
Senior full-time students pay the Junior entry fee.
There are no longer any formal restrictions around Covid-19. However we encourage you not to attend if you or a member of your household has Covid-19 symptoms.
Dogs allowed under control in the car park and Assembly area but not on the courses please.
Toilets
Tom's food wagon
First Aid
You can enter any age class, but to be eligible for Championship trophies and podium places you must enter the age class matching your age and sex, or 'run up'. Eligibility also requires that you are a member of British Orienteering and a member of one of its southern regional associations: SCOA, SEOA or SWOA. Furthermore trophies and other prizes are only awarded to competitors in the highest category (Elite, Long or A) of each Age Class.
M class competitors can only run up to M class courses.
W class competitors may run up to W or M class courses.
Competitors in age classes from 10 to 18 may run up to an older age class.
Competitors in age classes from 35 to 90 may run up to a younger age class.
The British Orienteering Trans policy applies.
When you run up you are not competing in your 'own' age class.
Those with trophies/medals
Elite courses: M/W18E, M/W20E, M/W21E
Long courses: M/W35L - M/W70L, M75L, W75 - W90, M80 - M90
A courses: M/W10A - M/W16A
Those without trophies/medals
Long courses: M/W18L - M/W21L
Short courses: M/W18S - M/W70S, M75S
B courses: M/W10B - M/W16B
This area occupies a north/south sandy ridge, sloping fairly gently on the top but steeply on either side, so you can expect plenty of climb. Much of the area is commercial forestry, resulting in a full range of runnability. At this time of the year the widespread bracken presents little hindrance - for all ages. A particular feature is many small stands of western hemlock, leading to numerous patches of saplings which vary between fast run and impenetrable, indicated by undergrowth and runnability screens.
Tracks cut across steep slopes result in even steeper earth banks several metres high. These are indicated by the “comb” symbol; only the most hazardous are shown as out of bounds.
The variety of woodland and steep slopes provide interest in route-choice, but, as in most southern forests, there is an extensive network of paths. Superimposed on this are innumerable bike paths, old and new. Because of their ubiquity most of these bike paths are not mapped - most competitors will be able to distinguish them from ordinary mapped footpaths; a few are shown and marked as out of bounds. Several steep slopes have been torn up by bikers.
Courses are planned to minimise danger from bikes. A general principle is that likely route choices cross bike paths in an upward direction, so that descending bikes are in view. By the nature of orienteering, it is obviously impossible to plan for all eventualities: competitors are encouraged to be continuously vigilant.
Forestry England has identified several ecologically sensitive areas, marked as out of bounds both on the map and, in some cases, by red and white tape and policed on the ground. You must not cross these, or risk disqualification. On a few courses these will materially affect route-choice.
Owing to out-of-bounds restrictions being imposed more extensively than expected, it has not been possible to meet fully the EWT (Estimated Winning Times) criteria of BO Area Championships Rule I, albeit courses will be physically more demanding than those with a standard Level B status.
Competitors take part at their own risk. If you have an existing Medical Condition of which the Organisers should be aware, please complete a Medical Form which can be downloaded from the British Orienteering website and hand in at Download/Enquiries in a sealed envelope marked with your name and "Confidential Medical Form for GO 04/02/24 event only". This will be opened only if you require medical treatment and are not conscious. It will be destroyed at the end of the event.
