Sunny Sussex WeekendChichester University & Oaklands Park Sprint SEOULSat 11 May, 2024

Report

From Joe (SI Team): Sorry it took so long to publish the results. I hope that all the splits errors are now corrected.

Planners Report: Matt Hill:

Thank you to everyone who took the time to come to Chichester for the second race of the day. The general feedback was positive and people seemed to enjoy running in the late evening sunshine.

Being an urban area there were a few challenges in the planning with late additions of earth banks around Oaklands park and a largescale landscaping of Graylingwell park making it unsuitable for use in the event as two large areas were fenced off. These meant that the courses were limited to a fairly small area between Oaklands park and the University.

There were also a couple of last minute changes with the large marquee and fencing left over from a Rugby club event earlier in the day and some taped off scaffolding which appeared on the University campus after my final check in the week. Despite this most people seemed to enjoy the event and it was certainly fun watching people zig-zagging across the field in many different directions.

I would like to thank Euan Marsh for his hard work Organising the event and also Ian Moran for acting as the Controller. I would also like to thank Chris Hooker for the map files, Mike Gammon for printing the maps, Steve Blount for organising the permissions, Joe Barrett and his team for the Timing, Karen Ashworth for advice on the courses (Risk Assessment) and a big thankyou to Anna Chapman for organising the Sunny Sussex Weekend and persuading me to have a go at planning a "proper" event. I should also mention my two daughters Katy and Zoe, who did a great job on a very hot afternoon putting out the controls.

Controllers Report: Ian Moran (SOC):

As university campuses go, Chichester is quite small, so to get any sort of length of course one has to include the adjacent fields and parkland where navigation was not necessarily one of the most important attributes. Never the less, Matt’s courses made good use of the area. The only glitch was the unexpected presence of a marquee and associated fencing on the day which blocked the route between control 5 and 6 on the junior course 6. Luckily, the contractors were encouraged to considerably reduce the size of the fenced off area so the top part of the park better resembled the map.

Thanks to Euan and his team of helpers which made the event a success and help contribute to a great weekend of orienteering hosted by Southdowns Orienteers.

RouteGadget

Is a web app for sharing and comparing orienteering routes. You can draw your own route or upload a GPS track from your watch. It also allows you to watch an animated replay with a simulated mass start.

Pre event info

Come along for an evening sprint around the park and University, in the 2nd of the Sunny Sussex Weekend events. Final Details 003 Prizes on offer, as well as earning points in the SEOUL. Camping available at Eartham if you’re making a weekend of it, or use Chichester or Arundel as a base. Entries now closed. There will be limited entry on the day, subject to map availability.

Location Info

Nearest town: Chichester

• Postcode: *
• Lat,Lng:50.84432,-0.77864
• Grid Ref:
• Google Map
• Streetmap (OS 50k)
• Bing Map (OS 50k)
• OpenStreetMap

* Postcodes are not very precise in some areas, so don't rely on them for an exact location.

Directions / Parking

Please check road closures before you travel. The M25 is due to be closed between junction 9 & 10 both ways. There is also due to be a carriageway closure on the A27. Check National Highways for further information.

Parking at Northgate Public Car Park, Chichester, PO19 6AA. What3Words:start.enter.clap. There is a parking fee up to 8pm. 1hr is £1, 2hrs is £2.10, 3hrs is £3.10.

Course Information

This is a Sprint race around Oaklands Park and the University Campus.

Course 1 M18-35 (MO)
Course 2 M16- (MJ), M40-50 (MV), W18-35 (WO)
Course 3 W16- (WJ), M55-60 (MSV), W40-50 (WV)
Course 4 M65-70 (MUV), W55-60 (WSV)
Course 5 M75+ (MHV), W65-70 (WUV), W75+ (WHV)
Course 6 M12- (MYJ), W12- (WYJ)

Course 1 - 4.0km

Course 2 - 3.6km

Course 3 - 3.0km

Course 4 - 2.5km

Course 5 - 2.1km

Course 6 - 1.5km

If you wish to be competitive in the Southern England Urban League (SEOUL) you should run the course specified for your age class. Otherwise you can enter whichever course you want.

Prizes on offer for men and women who achieve first place in the following age categories: M/W 10, 12, 14, 16, 18-35, 40-50, 55-60, 65-70, 75+

JUNIOR SAFETY: Course 6 stays within Oaklands Park and has no road crossings. Courses 2 and 3 include one compulsory manned road crossing and are based within Oaklands Park and the University Campus.

Entry Details

Entry via Racesignup.co.uk.

Entries before 8pm on Friday 10th May:

(Entries close at 8pm on 10th May, but maps numbers will be set from 8pm on 5th May. Enter whilst maps available.)

Seniors (British Orienteering Member) £9.00
Seniors (Non-member) £11.00
SO Juniors Free
Other juniors £4.00

Discount codes

Family rates for non-SO members capped at the rate of 2 adults plus 1 child. Enter the first three competitors as normal, then second, third child etc. using discount code 'Family'.

SO juniors use discount code 'SOjuniors'.

Start Times

From 18:30 to 20:00 Courses close at 20:30

Map Details

1:4,000, contours 2m

Terrain Description

The event takes place within Oaklands Park and University of Chichester which provides a mix of fast parkland running and complex buildings to navigate around.

Facilities

Adjacent to Chichester City Centre, with it's large selection of restaurants.
Public toilets in the car park, first aid.
Play area at the Northen end of Oaklands Park.

Miscellaneous

CAMPING

Camping is available on the Saturday night at the Eartham assembly area. This is a regular campsite with toilets, shower, and drinking water. We have the exclusive use of the field for the whole weekend. If you want to camp there (£10 per adult per night, children free) please contact the owner, Mr Pirt, directly on ashie65@gmail.com. He can provide limited space on the Friday night outside the parking area. Because of space limitations, those arriving to camp on Saturday will need to wait until the assembly field is clear of cars after about 3pm before pitching their tents.

MAZE / NAUGHTY NUMBERS

We plan to run a free maze or naughty numbers for children adjacent to the car park and near to the start.

NEWCOMERS

These events are well suited to beginners, juniors and family groups who want to try orienteering or move up from school to forest orienteering.

Pre-enter as in the entry details section below. If you don't have a "dibber" (the electronic timing device) you can hire one - you will be allocated one to pick up at the Enquiries tent at the event. You will also pick up your map at the event - at the start.

The location information on the event web page will take you to the parking and / or the event centre (the Download flag and the tent will be where you pick up your dibber). At the event centre, club members (wearing yellow high visibility jackets) are there to help and advise. The start is usually very close to the event centre, but if not, there will be red and white tapes placed intermittently along the route that you follow to get between the event centre and the start and finish.

If you are new to this sport, please select Course 6. This may seem short but it's the best way to learn.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Matthew Hill

Organiser: Euan Marsh

Controller: Ian Moran