Belford - Setters Report
Thanks to the 82 people that completed a course and apologies to those that mispunched on the last control. There are rules about how far apart controls need to be and how controls nearby need to be on different features with different numbers. I guess I was not smart enough to figure out some Hard Medium course runners would punch control 110 when looking of the 10th control on their course. It was the next one, 'near' the track corner 111 that you were after. I say near as being a Very Easy control I had moved it some metres up the track towards the Finish to ensure those Very Easy course runners did not take the wrong track. It was simply too much extra work to hang out 'wrong way go back signs'. As it was, it took 1.5hours on the morning of the event to push the water out on course in a wheelbarrow. It then took a further 30 minutes to stand up some controls along the fence and hang a streamer trail to mark the indistinct track the Very Easy course runners needed to follow. And that is why we nominate a 9:30 start, to give the setter a chance to do those last minute jobs; I phoned the registration desk at 9:29 to say the courses were ready!
Thanks to Toy Martin for checking I had the controls in the right spot and thanks to Denis, Lyndy and the Guy's for collecting controls. An extra big thankyou to David Kitchener for walking all the way out to the back of the map to collect some controls and pack up and bring back 3 water controls. After 8 hours to place the controls on Friday, my feet were too sore to do much more, those controls would have had to wait a few days to find their way back to the gear van. So whilst the effort for most competitors is over in 45 - 60 minutes, the organisers still have a lot to do after you have left. It would be really nice if a few more people aimed to start late, or have a picnic lunch after their run and then offered to go and collect a few controls. The setter would really appreciate that offer.
Speaking of organisers, the event would not have started at 9:30 had it not been for Viola O'Connor who was left with a set on van keys and asked to set up the assembly area as she saw fit. I think it was Malcolm Roberts who was roped into going for a run out on the highway to hang the 'turn here' orienteering signs. Thanks Malcolm.
A comment was made about the stands of poisoned African Olive being marked green on the map. Although you can see through the dead tangle of tree limbs, you can't run through them, so green seems to be an appropriate colour until a fire cleans out those dead trees. I know it is odd having a patch of green on the map representing vegetation that is not green, that is just a quirk of the map!
Date: Sunday 8th April, 2018 FREE EVENT
Note: the one stop results page will be up soonish - Shane