U.C. Berkeley
Date: (Sun.) Jun. 5, 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Event Director: 
- 510.526.9071
Course Setter: Martin Kunz
Type: C; White & Yellow courses; Prologue + Chase sprint event
Course Setter's Notes
By Martin Kunz
The O-event on the Berkeley campus offers interesting courses for both beginning and advanced Orienteers. The campus is located on a gentle, west-facing slope. Various college buildings are grouped around the central clock tower, the Campanile, which can be seen from everywhere on campus.
The area is park-like, with an abundance of paved trails and roads, some fields, a Redwood grove, and even a patch of denser forest (which will be used only in the Chase).
The map is updated as of Spring 2005 to include changes due to construction. However, the campus is an eternal construction site, and, although the latest changes were made 10 days before the event, it is possible that some of the temporary construction fences have moved since then. In order to avoid confusion between sequence numbers and control numbers, both numbers are printed on the map. Course descriptions are also printed on the map.
Schedule
Registration will be open near the Campanile from 9:30 am to noon. Registration, Start and Finish will be at the foot of the Campanile. Starts will be available 10:00 am to 12:30 pm for the White and Yellow courses; 10:00 am to 11:30 am for the Sprint.
The Chase will start as quickly as possible after the last runner from the Prologue is back, but not later than 1:00 pm (we hope).
All participants must check in at the finish by one hour after the last Chase start, whether or not they have finished their course.
Courses
The course characteristics are as follows:
White: 1.7 km, ~30 m climb. Very easy, short, and straightforward. Everything on paths. Manual pin punch.
Yellow: 3.1 km, ~40 m climb. As easy as White, but double the fun. Some route choice. Manual pin punch.
Sprint: It is impossible to include advanced orienteering problems on this campus map. But, as an elite runner, tenth in the sprint at the World Orienteering Championships of 2003, has put it: "If you think an O-course is too easy, you are not running fast enough." So expect an ultra-fast course with route choices. The Sprint event will consist of Prologue and Chase courses, as follows.
- Prologue: 3.3 km, ~50 m climb. Not difficult, but some route choices. E-punch.
- Chase: 3.2 km, ~50 m climb. More route choices. E-punch with butterfly configuration. For an explanation of the butterfly, go to http://baoc.org/wiki/Training/Description_of_a_Butterfly_Loop.
Experienced Orienteers are encouraged to run the Sprint. Like the "traditional" Pinole event, there are two stages: a Prologue and a Chase. The Prologue is a short, fast O-race with individual staggered starts and E-punch timing. The finish times of the Prologue are the basis of the assigned starting times in the Chase. The fastest time starts first. Then each competitor starts the number of seconds after the person they were behind. For example, if you finish 25 seconds behind your rival in the Prologue, you will start 25 seconds after him/her in the Chase. If you then catch him/her and finish 2 seconds ahead, you have won the race overall. Thus, the real time finishing sequence of the Chase is the final result.
The center of the butterfly loops brings the Chase into the immediate vicinity of the start/finish area. This allows fans and spectators to watch the race unfold. You can see the Chase in full action.
Directions to the Event
Take the University Avenue exit from I-80 and head east up University Avenue toward the hills until you run into the campus. Registration is at the North foot of the Campanile, the tall easily-visible landmark clock tower in the center of campus. Parking is rather difficult and limited. There is public fee parking in Berkeley, for instance at Telegraph and Channing.
If you live close to a BART station, we suggest taking BART (Richmond line). The Berkeley station is only 2 blocks west of campus.