Maps

RACE NUMBERS

Race numbers, that will be used for both the Day 1 and Day 2 events, should be collected at the Registration and Information point at the Event Centre or at the Assembly Area. Payment for any outstanding entry fees should be made at this time. The race numbers for the Relay Event will be in the Team envelope that can be collected from the Registration and Information point.

CONTROL DESCRIPTIONS

For the individual events, they will be available in the -3 minute box of the start lane, and will be displayed on the front of the map. For the Relay Event, they will be displayed on the front of the map

THE START - Day 1

The start is approximately 1.4k from the Assembly Area and initially involves a walk along a road and then a steep climb on a mountain path to the start. Care should be taken in walking along the road. Competitors are advised to allow at least 30 minutes to reach the start. A warm-up area will be located close to the start.

THE STARTS - Day 2

On Day 2, two starts will operate, the Lower one where competitors on courses 15,16, and 17 will start. All other courses will start at the Upper Start. It is located 1.6 k and 215m climb from the Event Centre and competitors are advised to allow at least 45 minutes for the walk to the Start. The Lower Start will be passed on the route to the Upper Start, and it is a 1.2k walk and 170m climb from the Event Centre. The route from it to the starts initially follows narrow roads where care should be taken with passing cars, and then some narrow paths where overtaking slower walkers may be difficult. Competitors using the Lower Start should allow at least 40 minutes to reach it from the Event Centre. A warm-up area will be located close to the Upper Start

THE START - Day 3

The start/ finish area of the relay competition is located 200m from the entrance to the parking field.

START PROCEDURE - Days 1 and 2

For the individual events, competitors will be called up 4 minutes before their start time. For the Relay Event, competitors will be called up from 9.45. In all cases, timed starts will operate with no necessity to use an SI box to record starting. Competitors who are late for their start time through their own fault shall be permitted to start. The start official will determine at which time they may start, considering the possible influence on other competitors. They shall be timed as if they had started at their original start time.

IOC MIDDLE DISTANCE EVENT

The courses and the classes are as follows:-

IOF WORLD RANKING EVENT AND IOC LONG DISTANCE EVENT

Courses 1 and 2 are those for the M21E and W21E classes of the IOF World Ranking Event. The estimated winning time of the M21E course is 90 minutes and that of W21E course is 75 minutes.

IOC RELAY EVENT

The Organisers have changed the format of this competition from that used in previous years by introducing a handicap race for those competitors who are not taking part in the Open Premier, Women's Premier, and Junior classes. This uses the handicap system devised by the Scottish Orienteering Association that is designed to allow everyone to run an appropriate distance for their age class, and to produce similar winning times for each relay team.

With all of the classes starting together, and with all of the handicap teams running in the single overall handicap competition, it should make for very close racing when allowance is made for the handicapping. Courses for all of the handicap classes are based on an estimated winning time of 35 minutes, and the winners of the overall handicap competition will be the first to finish.

The handicap points for each class are:-

The handicap system allows for a mix of ages and sexes. For instance three M16's could make up a team of 12 points, or you could have one W35, one M40, and one W55.

The classes and courses will be:-

Courses A, B, C, and D will all be of the highest technical standard, while the Light Green, Orange, and Yellow courses will be of IOA Colour Course Standards.

The provisional planned lengths of the courses are as follows:-

Teams may be made up of competitors from different clubs to allow as many people as possible to compete. The organisers may not accept a combination team if it appears to be much stronger than the likely competition.

When completing the entry form for the handicap and junior relay competitions, the names of the three team members should correspond with the course that they want to run. The running order of the team members will be allocated by the Organisers on a random basis, and will be notified in the team envelope that will have to be collected from the Registration/Information point prior to the event.

ENTRY ON THE DAY COURSES

These will be available on the 29th and 30th of April as part of the Middle Distance and Long Distance events. Entry can be made at the Registration and Information point at the Assembly area on Saturday 29 April 2006, and at the Event Centre on Sunday 30 April 2006.

TRANSPORT

No public transport is available to the Middle Distance and Relay areas. The Assembly area for the IOF World Ranking and IOC Long Distance Event is at the Event Centre in Carlingford village, and the starts are at least 30 minutes walk from there. The Middle Distance start is 15 minutes walk from its Assembly area, and the Relay start is 5 minutes away. Allow plenty of time to reach the starts.

PARKING

Parking in fields will be used for the Middle Distance and Relay Events, and in both cases the Registration and Information point will be located there. Parking for the Long Distance event will be at the Event Centre.

DOGS

The open mountain area is used by the local sheep farmers and as it will be the lambing season at the time of the competition, no dogs are allowed in any of the competition areas, or at the Assembly and Parking areas for the Middle Distance and the Relay events. Dogs should be kept on the lead at the Event Centre.

SAFETY and Terrain

In view of the exposed nature of the terrain, all competitors will have to wear their race number on the front of their O suits at all times and will have to carry a whistle. A policy of NO NUMBER NO GO will be enforced, as will NO WHISTLE NO GO

A decision on cagoules will be taken on the morning of each event based on the expected weather. A notice as to whether cagoules have to be carried will be placed beside the clear and check SI stations at the exit of the Assembly Area. The policy will be strictly enforced by the start team, and competitors will be disqualified if they do not have their cagoule at the finish.

Remember to pack a cagoule.

Slieve Foye is a fast running open mountain with stunning views over Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains. The terrain is steep in parts with multiple natural terraces and intricate rock and contour detail. On the map, crags are defined in several ways with tagged crags representing vertical rock and those with a thicker upper line representing uncrossable crags. Crags that form part of the slope and are significant, are represented by a single black line. In wet weather the rock is extremely slippery and some slopes have a thin covering of vegetation that adds to the slippiness. Competitors should take extreme care in these circumstances.

Boulders have been mapped relative to the size of other boulders in the immediate area.

The area is marshy in places with the extent of the marshes depending on the recent rainfall. Only significant marshes are mapped. Uncrossable marshes are as they say and should be avoided by competitors. Many seasonal watercourses are on the terrain with only the more significant being mapped.

The upper parts of the mountain are frequently covered with fog.

Competitors will encounter flattened bracken on the way to the start, and in the area of the penultimate controls.

As part of the safety measures (see separate notice on the website) three manned communication points will be located on the competition area of the Long Distance Event on the Sunday. The purpose of these points is to provide a quick response should a competitor be injured. They will be in contact with the Safety Coordinator who will arrange for the recovery of the competitor.

The communication points will be identified on the map course overprint by a non-standard symbol of a purple stick man.

All competitors compete at their own risk and the Organisers take no responsibility for accidents or items lost or stolen.

CLOTHING

Full body cover, with short sleeves permitted, has to be worn for all three events. The carrying of cagoules may be recommended or compulsory, depending on the weather. A notice as to this requirement will be placed at the clear and check SI stations in the Assembly areas, and it will be enforced by the Start Team.

On Days 1 and 3 no clothing transfer will operate. On Day 2 a clothing transfer point will be located close to the Lower Start that is 400 metres before the Upper Start. Clothing will be transferred in plastic bags to the finish

PRIZES

Prizes will be awarded to the leading competitors in the IOF World Ranking Event and the Irish Championship events. No prizes will be awarded for the entry on the day courses.

MEDIA

Media representatives should contact the Event Office if they require accreditation, information or assistance. PCs and Internet access will be available at the Event Centre in Carlingford.

Press Releases:

EVENT OFFICE

Until Friday the 28 April 2006, the competition office will be at:

From Friday to the end of the competition, the organisers can be contacted at the event centre.

EVENT OVERVIEW