Park O 3Oaklands Park & Chichester UniversitySat 25 June, 2022

A snip of the park and campus

A snip of the park and campus

Near: Chichester
Level of event: Local
Type of event: Race

Results

Report

I’d almost forgotten what a nice warm feeling you get from planning an orienteering event that goes well. Beforehand all you can think about are the things that might go wrong. Will anybody want to drive almost to Hampshire? Will there be 10 mile tailbacks on the A27? Are the directions clear enough? What about the road crossings? And the thing that worried me the most: would the controls – highly visible in such public spaces – still be there when the competitors arrived? If one or two flags seemed a bit ‘hidden’, that was mostly why. I delayed as much as I dared actually putting them out, cutting down the opportunities for vandalism, but you can only leave it so long. In the event the first returning runners had nothing to report bar their own minor navigational slips and a great weight lifted from my mind. The fact people actually seemed to enjoy the courses then topped things off nicely. Many members were crucial to the event taking place at all, however low-key it was. Steve for the permissions, Mike for the map (and maps), Penny and Joe for SI, David for volunteering to man a road crossing, and Peter for control collecting. I am especially grateful to Sue and Barrie Pearson who drove over for the duration despite not being able to take part and were immense on meet and greet, starts, road crossing and collection. Thanks to everyone who came or helped.

Simon

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.

Read more about RouteGadget…

Pre event info

Come along to Oaklands Park to test your navigation skills. The event takes place over Oaklands Park, University of Chichester campus and Havenstoke Park with courses for all abilities, whether newcomer, junior, senior or competitive runner. Here is a preview of the map.

Park O Series Info

Park-Os are friendly club events, usually in parks or school grounds, where children and newcomers are very welcome. These are fun events where you can get a feeling for the sport – you can walk or run, go as a group or on your own or challenge your navigation at high speed against some of our top competitive orienteers. Yellow and Orange courses are suitable for children to run on their own with a bit of practice. Adults are welcome to shadow children until they are confident to go on their own. Sprint courses are run or walked by any age group.

The Park-O series takes place in the early summer and early Autumn and is 8 events this year. Certificates are awarded for the best placed in a variety of age categories.

Volunteer here

Enquiries here

Read more about this series

Location Info

Nearest town: Chichester

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

Directions / Parking

Northgate public car park - £1.90 for 2 hours. Then head for Festival Theatre.

Please allow extra travel time as the very popular Goodwood Festival of Speed will be taking place all weekend and surrounding roads can become congested.

Public Transport

Chichester rail station – walk 1.2 km north through city centre to Festival Theatre

Course Information

Yellow (1.5 km), Orange (2.1 km), Sprint (3.2 km)

The yellow and orange course will just use Oaklands Park, whereas the Sprint course will cross over to the complexity of the University of Chichester campus to the east and Havenstoke Park to the north.

Entry Details

Pre-entry via Racesignup.co.uk, there will be no entry on the day. Newcomers are eligible for a free trial session - if you'd like to reserve a map or discuss the event please email our club secretary.

Non-members: £3.50 seniors, £1 juniors
Members: £2.50 seniors, FREE juniors - use code SOjuniors

SI card hire: Seniors £1 (£2 for SIAC), Juniors 50p (£1 for SIAC)

Registration

10:15 - 11:15.

Start Times

10:30 - 11:30. Courses close 12:30

Map Details

New map 1:4000, Mike Gammon 2019 - includes Chichester University

Terrain Description

This event uses Oaklands Park as a base for the yellow and orange courses. The longer Sprint course crosses into the University of Chichester Campus and to Havenstoke Park to the north, making it a fun packed challenge to test your navigation skills.

Facilities

Public toilets in car park. Cafes in Festival Theatre and city centre.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Simon Thraves

Organiser:

Controller: