Project BOS

If you only read one section, read this:

•  Starting the 2nd half on the best route from 26 to 27, there is an unfenced 25 ft. DROP off the side of the rail bridge. IF there is a train on the northern tracks (rare), this route should NOT be taken, and you should go around, skipping 27, and possibly 28, if necessary. (See below for details.) 
• There are about a half dozen crossings of major roads: Rt. 23, Rt 252, and other roads, which have moderate car traffic regularly exceeding the 35-45mph speed limits.
• Please take care in crossing these roads and yield to vehicles.

The Beginning of 2nd half - Rail bridge caution:

• The first control on the 2nd half is under the railroad tracks. The best route to the next control stays on the north side of the tracks, and crosses over Valley Stream. There is an unfenced 25 ft. DROP off the side of the rail bridge.
• IMPORTANT: In the unlikely even that there is a train on the northernmost set of tracks, there is very little room between the edge of the train and the 25 ft. DROP
  • So IF this happens you’ll want to go back through the tunnel, and then run over the creek along the Southwest side of the train tracks (plenty of space here.) When it is safe you can cross over to the trail beyond the north/east side of the track tracks, which you will need to do to find controls 27 and 28.
  • IF the train remains on the track blocking your progress, you may skip 27, and, if needed, 28, and eventually you will arrive at a road the crosses under the tracks, quite near the natural route from 28-to-29.

Out of bounds areas

• On several maps, especially the Hybrid maps, much of the land where you may be going is public or community open space and trails.
• Several areas nearby the course are specifically marked as private, or otherwise out-of-bounds, with either olive green fill, or black vertical lines, or purple vertical lines - do not enter these private areas.
• Portions of the route take you between or along the common area backyards of townhouses - please give some margin to people actively using their portion of the shared yards.
• Some of the purple hashed areas are out-of-bounds for other reasons, please don’t enter these areas.
• When you see a line between controls that is bent to aim for a freeway undercrossing, or other obvious route, please go use the freeway undercrossing and do NOT run across lanes of traffic… Survivors will be disqualified.
• Do not attempt to cross either the two wide rivers (e.g. 10-100 meters across). 

Course notes

• The Start/Finish is the same as control 25. The triangle and double-circle are hard to see. Just look for the number 25.
• From the Start/Finish, make sure you go to # 1, not 24, or 26.
• Control # 1 is the same as control # 49 (same first/last control) so if you start off heading toward # 49, that’s okay.
• Note that you will often run off one map and onto another to get to your next control. Looking ahead makes the transition easier.
• Course lines cross over each other on one of the maps. Check your numbers as well as the lines. 

Map Notes

• Overall
  • There will be 5 maps in 2 map cases (or 3-4 maps in 2 cases for the Half Marathoners). The maps are side-by-side & back-to-back, stapled internally to prevent slipping. Make sure you take both sets of maps with you - they are not divided into 1st half/2nd half.
  • Marathoners will transition from one map to the next 11 times, half marathoners somewhat less. Often your next control is on another map.
• Mt. Joy
  • One road and a few paved parking areas near the start have been removed (quite thoroughly) - these are overprinted with purple X’s.
  • Mowing patterns in the fields have changed since the map was made. Fields are still fields, but some of the Open land is now Rough Open. A little bit of the rough open has briar in it. Look ahead in the fields.
  • There’s one new trail near #48. It’s a short but wide cutoff segment made by a bulldozer, not on the map.
• Chesterbrook
  • Controls in this area will generally be two orange wire flags with a standard pin punch on the ground tied around the base of the wire flags. There _may_ be an epunch as well at some of these controls, also at the base of the flags - make sure you either epunch or regular punch.
  • There is an aid station a little over halfway through this stage, we will try to staff this during the main part of the event, but early starters may simply find a box nearby the control.
• Mt. Misery
  • On the western edge of the park, some trails were recently abandoned by park maintenance, and are a bit more overgrown than mapped.
  • You’ll be skirting the edge of the park near one control - it looks like someone’s yard, but they actually mow the grass across the park boundary line, so the edge of ‘their’ yard is public.
  • You should cross under Route 23 - there is no need to cross over this road, on this map.
• Fatlands
  • Several of the minor trails have changed substantially since the map was made. Many trails have been overprinted, to try to make things better, but be aware that the trail mapping is imperfect in this area.
  • The forest is now substantially more open (whiter) than mapped, on average.
  • The Betzwood Bridge marked on the map no longer exists. There is a pedestrian path on the side of the Route 422 bridge. 
     
• Mill Grove
  • Entering this map you will come close to a later control which is an aid station - it might be worth the slight detour to visit this.  

Cut off times

• If continuing onto the Marathon, you must arrive at the half-way point in less than half the time-limit for your start time. E.g. if you start at 9am, you must arrive by 12:30pm to continue on. If you start at 7am, your cutoff time is 11:30am.
• The aid station at control 37 (approx. 3/4 of the way) is also a make-or-break cutoff time - 2:15pm for the 9am starters, and 1:45pm for the 7am starters. If you arrive after this time, we’ll shuttle you back to the start/finish area.