Smokey Glen

February 5
Saturday

Pre-registration for this **Saturday** event is required, opening Monday January 31 at 6pm and closing *Friday* Feb. 4 at 12 noon; there will not be day-of registration.

Welcome to the 10th Annual Bumble! This will be the first time that the Bumble has returned to a venue that it has previously used. Everyone loved this park, so it seemed like the logical place to celebrate a decade of Bumbles.

This year’s Bumble is comprised of all new controls, save one; in other words, 26 of the Bumble’s 27 controls are new and were not previously used during the 2020 Bumble two years ago! And, because you are already familiar with the woods and know how open and fast they are, this should be a LOT of FUN!!!!

The Bumble is a cool (no pun intended) winter event with courses for all skill levels. Come out and enjoy a great day in the woods at Seneca Creek/Smokey Glen Farm. Nadim Ahmed’s map is excellent! The woods are open and the climb is gradual, not excessive. Although the approximate course lengths are a little longer than normal, the woods are open and fast, and there is not a lot of climb. So go ahead and go big with confidence!

We will have a mass start for the Bumble at 12:00 pm, for those who want to participate. For those who are running the Bumble (which is the advanced courses equivalent to beige – blue) and are not comfortable with a mass start, please sign up for one of the other start time windows. Mass starters are welcome to check in any time after 10:15am (but must register online for the 11:45-12:15 Mass Start window). You are welcome to stay in the pavilion to get ready BUT EVERYONE IN THE PAVILION MUST WEAR A MASK AT ALL TIMES.

Out of an abundance of caution, we ask that everyone participating in the MASS START please walk to the start wearing a mask, AND, begin the race with a mask on, AND, leave it on until you are a reasonable distance from your fellow competitors. The Omicron variant is highly contagious, and we should respect each other’s health—THANK YOU!

We will also have fun yellow, white, and oranges courses available too! Registration and downloading will be in the LOWER PAVILION of Smokey Glen Farm, which is a warm, indoor building with restrooms. And there is plenty of parking.

PLEASE read ALL meet and course notes for important details!

Meet Notes:

• The detailed Bumble course notes are linked below (and here [2]) as a PDF document - make sure to read them!
• White, Yellow, and Orange courses will have regular check-in/start windows from 9:45am to 1:15pm (yes, WYO are welcome to register for the 11:45-12:15pm window). The WYO start location (which is separate from the advanced/Bumble start location) will be near the lower pavilion.
• Advanced (Bumble) courses will have a MASS START at NOON. Please be ready for PRE-RACE briefing at 11:45am at the Start location (~500 meters from lower pavilion). PLEASE follow streamers that will take you through the woods and across Riffle Road.
• Clothing drop available for mass start; clothes will be returned for pick up in Lower Pavilion.
• Everyone must be out of the woods by 3:00pm, which is when we will begin picking up controls.
• NO spikes allowed in the Pavilion.
• NO dogs allowed on Smokey Glen Farm property; please leave furry friends at home.
• Restrooms available in Pavilion, but PLEASE do not come in with muddy shoes.
• Bumble prizes awarded (mass start only):
• First male and first female competitors to cross the finish, regardless of course.
• Fastest male competitor on Blue and fastest female competitor on Red.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon! Please feel free to contact the Event Director [3] with questions.

COVID Risk Reduction Protocols:

As with all 2021-2022 QOC events, this event requires pre-registration via the link below. QOC’s COVID risk reduction protocols, as also enumerated somewhat here [4], are in effect. Please read these guidelines carefully. Key points:

• PROPERLY WORN MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING ARE REQUIRED at all times when near registration, epunch and any other areas or queues where volunteers and/or participants are congregating.
• No water will be provided. Provide for your own hydration needs before, during, and after the event.
• There is no planned, on-site beginner instruction, but beginners are encouraged to watch relevant videos such as this one [5] created by QOC's instructional guru David Onkst.