Seneca Creek

FINAL course details and all additional course/map notes are now posted below!

Bumble Notes (advanced courses):
In addition to the regular beginning and intermediate courses, this event will also have one, single, very unique, “mass start” advanced course. As in past years, all of the advanced courses – Beige through Blue – will be rolled-up into one course/event. If you fear you won’t be able to keep up with the speedsters, don’t worry, there will be several twists to level the playing field. The advanced courses comprise a first and last control and 5 windows that contain 5 controls each. Like the past couple of years, there will be NO controls in between windows. The windows vary in size, and each competitor, depending on their orienteering level, will have a handicap that will determine how many windows he/she/they must run. To have the most fun on the course, we recommend that you select a level based on the normal course you run at local QOC Meets (not necessarily your IOF age group; YES, this means some of you should run up!) As per normal window rules, you must visit EVERY control in the window, but the controls inside each window may be taken in any order the runner decides. Adding another twist, each competitor, depending on his or her handicap, will be able to determine which of the windows he/she/they want/s to run. For example, if the handicap is 3 windows, the competitor can decide which 3 of the 5 windows he/she/they want/s to include. And because there are no mandatory controls in between the windows, you can choose the order to run the windows in if you have two or more windows.

So the race will go like this: The mass start begins and everyone runs to the FIRST control (mandatory). Then each competitor selects which windows he/she/they would like to visit (and in which order) based on their handicap. You then must complete all of the controls within a window before continuing. When you have completed all of your chosen window(s), you then must visit the course’s LAST control (mandatory) before heading to the finish where you will punch the finish box. Part of the fun is figuring out which way will be the quickest based on your physical and navigation strengths.

A sample window is shown at right.

Bumble Course -- Handicap (# of Required Windows) -- ~Length -- # Controls
Beige -- 1 -- 3.2k -- 7
Brown -- 2 -- 4.9k -- 12
Green -- 3 -- 7.7k -- 17
Red -- 4 -- 10.0k -- 22
Blue -- 5 -- 12.9k -- 27

The advanced course length for each runner will vary based on his/her/their handicap and what windows he/she/they decide/s to run. Those with the most generous handicap should only have to travel approximately 3.2k, while those with the least favorable handicap will run approximately 12.9k. All others will fall somewhere in between depending on route choices. If racers select the course appropriate for their skill/fitness level, which should be your usual O-course (again, no need to run your IOF age group, run up and enjoy more of the course!), then everyone should conceivably finish at roughly the same time.

We’ve also added a new twist this year. In each window, there will be one control that has a time bonus attached to it. The bonus will be taken by the first orienteer to reach the control; yes, there will be something to physically take from the control. The bonus controls are NOT marked on the map and will be selected randomly a few days before the meet.

A bonus is time that will be taken off of a runner’s finish time. The bonuses breakdown as follows:

• One that is worth 1.5 minutes
• Two that are worth 2.5 minutes
• Two that are worth 3 minutes

Because this year’s windows are parallel to each other, and because we are starting in the center-most window, the time bonuses will be set so that the one 1.5 minute control will be in the center most window; the two 2.5 minute controls will be in the two windows that are adjacent to the center window; and the two 3 minute controls will be located on the far side of those windows.

A couple of other things to note about the time bonus controls: 1) they will have some type of flag or marker that will be large enough to easily see from a decent distance; and 2) an orienteer may not collect more than one bonus. If you can’t make the 12:00pm mass start for some reason you can run the advanced course (according to your handicap) on your own just as long as you are finished by 3:00pm.

Mass start races provide orienteers with several different and exciting challenges than they normally encounter during regular individual courses (such as following other orienteers—of course, if you follow someone you probably won’t get one of the time bonuses!). So, we hope you’ll join us at this fun and unique event.

ADDITIONAL NOTES (as of Feb. 24):

Although course lengths are a bit longer than normal, the climb is not nearly as much. These are fast woods and you should still try to run the “normal” course you do at most meets.

RESPECT ALL PRIVATE PROPERTY BOUNDARIES—Remember, out-of-bounds private property is shown as olive green. All Bumble runners who enter the NE most windows (which will include most runners), beware that one of your course legs will run extremely close to private property. Please steer clear of that area.

All Bumble runners will cross over Riffle Ford Road at some point during their course, which can be busy. Please BE CAREFUL and look both ways before crossing (there are no crossing-guards). The road has a very large shoulder on each side, complete with large bike lanes. So, it is relatively easy to run along the side of the road for just a little bit, if need be. We will have some “Runners in the Road” signs out but realize that you need to be proactive about your safety, don’t rely solely on drivers to do so.

Participants who enter the NE most window (which will include most Bumble runners and all Orange runners), please beware of the disc golf players. Although I’ve tried to set the courses so they avoid as much of the disc golf course as possible, you may find still find yourself having to run across a fairway or two. If that’s the case, please be as courteous as possible to the golfers. Make eye contact with them so that they know you are there, and don’t run directly into the path of one of their disc shots.

There is also a special Wetlands section in the NE most window. I’ve hashed that small section off so you can easily see it. There are several route choices that move easily around that section. Do Not go through the middle of the Wetlands area.

I’ve run across some older unmapped barbwire fences. I’ve flagged what I could, but just be on the lookout for such obstacles.

Nadim’s map is outstanding. Everything is spot-on. The vegetation is mapped extremely well, and the light green (and even a lot of the medium green) is easily travelled. Be sure you are familiar with the vegetation symbols, and read them carefully, especially as there is a control that is carefully contained inside a vegetation corridor. There are a few green sections with some minor stickers, but nothing that is not easy to weave through. Still, you may want to wear gaiters for peace of mind.

There are several unmapped rootstocks (and a few knolls) on the map, which makes sense given that trees are always blowing down after a map has been completed. Nevertheless, I’ve used several rootstock controls. Those that I’ve used are perfectly mapped and have been checked multiple times and verified from a variety of directions to make sure they are definitely the correct rootstocks.

There are a few stream crossings. The water level is very low right now. Even when the water level was higher during the last few weeks, I easily found “dry” crossing points by just looking for a few extra seconds, instead of just plunging ahead.