Photo gallery image (click to enlarge)

Indian Valley Open Space Preserve

Date: (Sun.) Jun. 12, 2011
Location: Novato, CA
Event Director: - 415.895.6039
Course Setter: Deron van Hoff
Type: C; White and Yellow beginner courses, Orange intermediate course, Brown advanced course, and a Sprint course

Related Event Information

Course Setter's Notes Last Year's Event Event Results

Please note that fees and time limits apply, unless otherwise mentioned below. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Once again, we return to the Indian Valley college campus and surrounding meadows and hills. This year we will be enjoying the flora and fauna a bit later than our traditional spring date, but late spring wildflowers should still be found. Campus construction has been completed, and we will enjoy a current map touched up by Bob Cooley. Deron van Hoff has graciously agreed to set courses.

The campus has a network of trails, oak forested hillsides, and meadows, and even some interesting gullies, in addition to the campus core of buildings. The hills are typical of Northern California terrain, so Orange and the advanced courses are guaranteed to have some steep patches. And there is a very nice large sunny lawn next to Registration/Finish where you can share a picnic lunch afterward with old or new friends.

Registration opens at 9:00 and closes at 12:00. A short, repeating beginners clinic will be available from approximately 9:30 through 11:00, depending on demand. All courses close at 2:00 and controls will be picked up at that time. Please honor the course closure time, come to the Finish and download your epunch stick, even if you have not completed your course by 2 PM.

Registration will be next to the swimming pool — the same spot we have used in past years.

Oh, the wildflowers are still out, too.

Courses

We will be offering White (beginner), Yellow (advanced beginner), Orange (intermediate), Brown (short advanced), and Green (longer advanced) courses, as well as a Sprint course. The Sprint course is quite nice, and appropriate for anyone who has completed an Orange course or a few Yellow courses. It can be either your first or second course, as there is no control overlap, and not much terrain overlap with the other courses. The Green course is somewhat long and physical, and I think Red and Blue runners will be happy with it as well. The other courses are standard. Deron van Hoff is the course-setter, and has done a wonderful job of laying out challenging and interesting courses — probably the best courses we have seen at Indian Valley in several years.

The course statistics are as follows: 

   Course    Length    Climb   Controls   Map Scale

   White     2.1 km     60 m      11       1:7,500
   Yellow    2.0 km    100 m      13       1:7,500
   Orange    4.0 km    230 m      11       1:7,500
   Brown     3.2 km    190 m       9       1:7,500
   Green     5.1 km    300 m      16       1:7,500
   Sprint    2.6 km     90 m      13       1:5,000

Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes for more information about the courses.

Request for Help

We do need volunteer help at Indian Valley, especially for the e-punch table, and control pickup. And it would be good to have someone at the Finish who could greet first-timers, congratulate them on their course, and make sure they download their e-stick.

E-punch is easy. Even computerphobes can do it. It takes five minutes to train, and you will be doing an essential job. If interested in helping out, let either (Event Director) or (E-Punch Director) know.

Driving Directions

To get to the Indian Valley campus, take Highway 101 through Marin County to southern Novato, and exit at Ignacio Blvd. Go west on Ignacio Blvd as far as you can go, where it terminates at the College of Marin Indian Valley campus entrance. Follow the campus road to its end, and park in the huge parking lot.

There's a map here that shows the location of the event.

Public Transit

Unfortunately, there is no weekend public transit to the Indian Valley campus.