Follow this link for an introduction to MapRun Navigation Challenges.

Location

The Start is in South Park, at the tall metal mast about 80m east of the gate near the roundabout at the junction between Parkside and Lakeside.

Click on the link to see a map.  You can zoom in (and, optionally, switch to Satellite mode) to see the details of the final approach to the event.  You can also get directions if you put in your starting location.

You should be able to park on either Parkside or Lakeside.

Facilities

There are public toilets near the South Park cafe.

Courses

Long course	6.6 km	70m climb	33 controls
Medium course	5.2 km	60m climb	39 controls
Short course	4.1 km	55m climb	37 controls
Beginners course	1.8 km	10m climb	16 controls

In the MapRunF app, Select Event and look under UK / County Durham / Darlington / South Park for VOE1 Long, VOE1 Medium, VOE1 Short or VOE1 Beginners.

South Park consists of varied suburban parkland divided by a small river.  There are several buildings and a large lake in the main part of the park.  An underpass connects to a more open area south of Parkside.

The Medium and Long courses go out of the park into quiet residential areas to the south-east.  British Orienteering's Rules of Orienteering state that "Juniors aged under 16 are not permitted to compete on courses where there are possible routes that require competitors to cross roads with significant traffic".  This means that anyone under 16 can only run the Medium or Long course if they are accompanied by an adult.

Please note that while the map of the main part of South Park is a conventional orienteering sprint map, a satellite image from Google Earth has been used to extend the map into the southern section of the park (accessed via the underpass) and the residential areas.  Please have a look at this map image before taking the challenge.  Feedback from one competitor at the event in 2021 r was that the composite map is quite fun and different and that it is relatively easy to swich between the conventional orienteering map and the satellite view.  It is also worth noting that there are some "off the edge of the map" route options at the eastern edge of the map.

Also, please make sure that you do not go close to the Finish until you have visited all the controls on your course.  If the MapRun app thinks you've been to the Finish it assumes that you've completed your run and it won't register any more visits to controls.

Paper maps

If you'd prefer to use a paper map rather than the one on your smartphone (which is going to be quite small and can be tricky to see in bright sunlight) you can download a PDF copy of the map from the Go Orienteering web site and print it off at home.
Note: On the Go Orienteering web site, add the relevant map to your basket and then go through the checkout process.  You won't be charged anything.

Results

You can access the results via the MapRun Console.  Open the menu (three horizontal lines at the top left hand corner of the window), select Leader Board and then filter by South Park.

Organiser

Caroline Mackenzie

Planner

Phill Batts

Safety

Please ensure you use a buddy system so that someone knows when you should return.

Please be courteous to members of the public in the competition area.

Remember to comply with Government guidance on social distancing.  For one thing, permission to continue to organise these challenges depends on participants being clearly seen to be following the coronavirus rules.  Also, from your own point of view, it's not worth risking catching Covid-19 just to save a few seconds on a navigation challenge.

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