Project BOS

Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009

Fair Hill NRMA, Fair Hill, MD

What

Long distance orienteering returns to Fair Hill in a big way on Saturday Dec. 12th with both half marathon and full marathon courses offered. Don’t miss this opportunity for one last good O fix before the long cold winter sets in.

• An Orienteering race of full Marathon (42.2km) distance.
• A half-marathon option is available.
• Proceeds from this event will benefit the US Orienteering Team.

When

Saturday, December 12th, 2009.

• Normal mass-start is 9AM, early-start at 7AM available on request, course closes at 4PM.
• Cutoff times will be in place to make sure everyone is done before dark (which comes around 4:45pm):
  • 1/2-way-point: 12:30pm.
  • 3/4-point: 2:15pm.
• Please arrive at the event and check in at least 30 minutes prior to the start.
• Please contact event registar or event director to request an early start.

Event Center/Directions

Fair Hill is 5 miles west of Newark, DE and 6 miles north of Elkton, MD.
Event center via Google Maps.

The Tea Barn located adjacent to the Fair Hill Inn (intersection of MD Routes 213 and 273) will serve as the event center. The barn is not heated but contains indoor restrooms. Plentiful parking is available. Both the start and finish will be close to the barn.

Terrain

Located in the northeastern corner of Maryland, Fair Hill is a sprawling park covering more than 5600 acres. It was formerly the estate of William duPont, Jr. and was purchased by the state in 1974. The park has a rich equestrian history. Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro trained here before his ill-fated Preakness run in 2006. Several national orienteering events have been held at Fair Hill including the 2005 US Long Distance Championships and the 2007 US Interscholastic Championships.

Fair Hill features gently rolling terrain consisting of a mosaic of mowed open fields and forested sections. The dominant geologic feature is Big Elk Creek which bisects the park along a north-south axis. With the exception of climbs out of the creek valley, relief is moderate. To the extent possible, the courses have been designed to keep climb to a reasonable level. Over 80 miles of trails ranging from packed gravel jeep roads to single track criss-cross the park. Footing is generally good to excellent.

The major cultural features in the park, many of which will be featured on the courses, include the Mason-Dixon Line, Big Elk Chapel, Foxcatcher Farm Covered Bridge, and the Cecil County Fairgrounds.

Course

• Length Orienteering-measured distance (minimum permitted* distance) is the full 21.1km on each half of the marathon. Actual distance of the ideal route appears to be ~23km on each half.
  *(Note you are not permitted to cross into private property marked on the map, or cross freeways, swim wide rivers, or cross high fences or cliffs. Route is measured around such obstacles).
• Climb is about 2%.
• Half: 21.10km, 400m climb, 24 controls.
• Full: 42.20km, 835m climb, 48 controls.
• The courses will be beginner / advanced beginner (White / Yellow) difficulty from a navigational standpoint. Except for crossing open mowed fields, off trail running is generally not required. There will be very little road running. Bridges will be utilized for all major stream crossings. Tunnels, underpasses, and bridges will be used for most road crossings. In spite of the lack of technical difficulty, all participants are encouraged to carry a compass. Rental compasses will be available at the event center. Instruction will also be offered at the event center for anyone needing a quick primer on orienteering map reading.
• The map was produced in 2005, with fieldchecking by Vladimir Zherdev and Alexei Zuev. Map scale for both the Half and Full Marathon courses is 1:15,000. For a small additional fee, 1:10,000 maps will be provided at special request. Because the courses cover a large area, participants electing for the 1:10,000 map scale will need to carry three maps for both the Half and Full courses. Those using the 1:15,000 scale maps will only need to carry a single map.
• Electronic punching will be used for both courses. Due to the number of controls, special e-punch fingersticks will be provided for all participants. These newer sticks have increased data storage capacity (up to 60 controls) which will allow for placement of an e-punch station at every control. All participants are required to download their e-punch information in the Tea Barn immediately following completion of the course. There will be a significant fee charged for lost or non-returned e-punch fingersticks.
• Course Setter is Tom Overbaugh (toverbaugh[at]aol[dot]com).

Weather

Weather and astronomical data for mid-December is as follows:

• Average High: 46 degrees F (8C)
• Average Low: 29 degrees F (-2C).

• Record High: 64 degrees F (18C) (1983)
• Record Low: 8 degrees F (-13C) (1988)

• Sunrise: 7:13 am
• Sunset: 4:36 pm
• Daylight: 9 hours 22 minutes

In the event of extremely bad weather on Saturday, Dec. 12th, the courses will be offered on Sunday, Dec. 13th instead. A final decision regarding any weather delay will be posted on the event website at least one week prior to the event.

Aid Stations

There will be two or three staffed aid stations on the Half Marathon course and four to six on the Full Marathon course. In addition, the finish area for the Half Marathon will serve as an aid station. The Half Marathon course is the first half of the Marathon course. Full Marathoners will pass through the Half Marathon finish area at the halfway point of their course. Aid stations will feature an assortment of beverages as well as some light refreshments (bananas, cookies, pretzels, etc.). Participants are also welcome to bring their own refreshments to be placed at the aid stations by event volunteers. Details on this will be available later.

In addition to the Aid Stations, hot beverages and soup will be available in the Tea Barn following completion of the courses for all participants (included as part of the event fee).

Medical Assistance

Aside from first-aid, no Medical Assistance will be available at the event center. The nearest medical facilities are:

• Newark Emergency Center (Google Maps)
  324 E. Main St., Newark, DE, 302-738-4300.

• Union Hospital (Google Maps)
  106 Bow St., Elkton, MD, 410-398-4000.

Accomodation

There are numerous hotels in the Newark and Elkton areas within a 10-15 mile drive of the park. Check online for details.

Registration & Cost

Pre-registration is required. An on-line registration system will be available at a later date. Event fees have not yet been determined.

At the discretion of the event director, Day-of-event registration may be available for a limited number of participants..

Event Personnel

Event Director & Course Setter: Tom Overbaugh (toverbaugh[at]aol[dot]com), 302-368-8168 (H), 302-383-4498 (C)
Assistant Event Director: Vadim Masalkov (mvg1969[at]yahoo[dot]com)
Registrar: Fred Reed
Web Site: Randy Hall (click here)
Finish Area Food: Janet Porter

Sponsored by the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association.
Some info also available via DVOA.