SELOC Orienteering Club

Beacon Park Night Event

Provisional results from the Beacon Park night time event are now available here

RouteGadget will not be available until Sunday

Planners comments

I visited the park twice before the event and although it was a little wet, both days were frosty which gave the surface a bit of a crust. The day of the two events was a little warmer and what had been frozen previously had now become areas of muddy marsh. I was on my 3rd pair of footwear by the end of the day. If anyone finished any course with dry feet then well done.

It's many years since I'd been to Beacon Park and looking at the OCAD file it was difficult to tell just how big the slope of the park is. There is quite a steep bank running through the park which I could have run you up and down several times but an hour is plenty long enough to be out at night – unless you're Pete Kidd. The area has many paths, some across grassy areas are difficult to see even in the day and other indistinct paths are apparent in some places. The brambles are a problem even in the middle of winter and are extending into areas of white woodland and causing impenetrable barriers in some places where hedges are marked. The scars will heal.

Congratulation to Alex McCann for flying round the Blue course in just over 7min/km. The first blue competitor to visit control 10 at night had problems with the box and initially showed as a mis-punch. Interrogation of the box after the event confirmed his visit but the box had not registered a time. Perhaps because there was 5 hours between the two events, the box had dozed off. He has been reinstated and finished second on the night.

What was planned as a leisurely day of putting out controls, holding event, moving controls, holding event, collecting controls became a bit fraught for various reasons. Thank you to an able band of helpers which meant apart from putting out controls and moving them round I had little else to do on the day. Particular mentions for:

Kev Latham – Ran the day time event with Mark and ran the start at night as well

Mark Sammon – IT genius for the night event who also found time to run the day event and provide pies.

Steve Round – Cut control descriptions up and sellotaped them back together. Also ran me to the petrol station this ensuring I got home on the day of the event.

Eric Burton – Provider of equipment and ran the registration for the night event.

Steve McLean – Valliant efforts to fold the tent up after the day event. Still not sure if you succeeded.