Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
Date: (Sun.) Oct. 4, 2009
Location: San Ramon, CA
Event Directors: - 925.699.3127, - 510.526.9071
Course Setter: François Léonard
Type: C; Relay event; no beginner's clinics
Late Breaking News
Due to technical limitations with our e-punch equipment, the Las Trampas relay will be limited to 25 teams.
- If your team has not yet pre-registered, do so right away to be sure of being able to participate.
- If you need to be matched up with others to form a legal team, please contact the immediately to be sure of being able to participate.
Schedule and Fees
- Registration from 9 AM to 10:30 AM.
- Mass start at 11:00 AM.
- Courses close at 3:00 PM.
- Note: You must check in at the Finish by the course closing time, even if you have not completed your course. Otherwise, we'll have to assume you are still in the park, and will initiate a search for you.
- Fees are as usual per person (not per team).
Event Format
- Each team will consist of 3 runners.
- There will be 3 different courses: short, medium, and long.
- Each of the courses will consist of 2 loops. The order will be short loop 1 (runner #1), medium loop 1 (runner #2), long loop 1 (runner #3), short loop 2 (runner #1), medium loop 2 (runner #2), long loop 2 (runner #3).
- Each team will use only one e-stick, which will be exchanged after each loop.
- To be eligible, each team must have a total of 13 points, determined by the USOF course that the runner should do based on their gender and age, as follows:
Course Gender/Age (*) Points
White F-10, F-12, M-10, M-12 12
Yellow F-14, M-14 10
Orange F-16, M-16 8
Brown F-18, F50+, F55+, F60+, F65+, F70+, M65+, M70+ 6
Green F-20, F35+, F40+, F45+, M-18, M50+, M55+, M60+ 4
Red F-21+, M-20, M35+, M40+, M45+ 2
Blue M-21+ 0
(*) A minus sign before a number indicates the age shown or younger; a plus sign after a number indicates the age shown or older.
- For example, a team consisting of a Blue runner, a Green runner, and an Orange runner would have a total of 12 points and would not be eligible. A team consisting of a Green runner, a Brown runner, and an Orange runner would have 18 points and would be eligible.
- Runners can run any of the three courses, but cannot mix loops from different courses. For example, a beginner F-21+ runner should normally run Red, so they would count as 2 points, but they can run the short course, which will be technically easier.
- But if an F-21+ runner were to run the short course for the first loop, she would have to run the short course for her second loop.
- The short course will be as follows:
- If the orienteer is an Orange, Brown, Green, Red, or Blue runner, they will get a map with all of the trails shown. The total course length for the two loops will be about 3.3 km, with intermediate-level orienteering.
- If the orienteer is a White or Yellow runner, they will get a different map with a course that mixes controls of White and Yellow difficulty. Total course length will also be 3.2 km. Shadowing will be allowed.
- The medium course will be 4.2 km in length for the two loops, with advanced-level orienteering. On both loops, the trails will be on the map (that's a change from the original announcement).
- The long course will be 5.3 km in length for the two loops, with advanced-level orienteering. All the trails will be on the maps (that's a change from the original announcement).
- The entire race will be on the south side of the park. The exchange zone will be about 600 meters (distance) up the hill to allow a partial view of the runners as they go through their courses.
So get to your supercomputers to figure out the magical combination that will make your team the orienteering Dream Team. Send your team composition and team name to . Can't find a team? Just send a post to the (assuming you're a member of that list). Still don't have a team come race day? No problem, just show up and we'll find you a team.
Need Help Finding a Team or Team Member?
If you don't have a team and want to be assigned randomly, you can send your name and I can try to create teams before race day. To give me the best chance of matching everyone up, I will wait until the day before the race to actually make the selections and email out the team lists. We will still allow race day team construction, but getting legal teams together for everyone might be difficult on race day.
If you want to be added to the need-to-be-matched-up list, send me your:
- Name
- Email address
- Gender
- Age
- Loop(s) you are willing to run (short, middle, long)
If two people want to be on the same team, but need a third person, send me the same information for each and tell me the name of your two-person team.
If, after asking me to add you to the unassigned list, you connect with some other orienteers to form a team, be sure to let me know immediately.
I will do my best, but cannot, of course, guarantee to match everyone up into legal teams.
Wes Erck
925.699.3127
Course Details
Here are the preliminary course statistics:
Course Distance Climb Controls
White/Yellow, loop 1 2.0 km 135 m 6 White/Yellow, loop 2 1.2 km 60 m 8
Short, loop 1 1.6 km 180 m 6 Short, loop 2 1.7 km 160 m 9
Medium, loop 1 2.3 km 200 m 9 Medium, loop 2 1.9 km 208 m 5
Long, loop 1 2.7 km 215 m 11 Long, loop 2 2.6 km 300 m 7
The climb appears higher than normal because the runners will be returning to the exchange area, which is up on the hill to provide a view of the courses.
See the Course Setter's Notes for more information about the courses.
Scout Groups
As a team event with some courses in advanced terrain and some maps without trails marked, this would not generally be a good event for scout groups.
Miscellaneous
Please note that, due the the special nature of this event, there will be no beginner's clinics. We apologize for that, and hope beginners will attend another event in the future.
As requested by park rangers, parking for the event will be in the Little Hills Picnic Ranch off Bollinger Canyon Road. It is a 1-km walk from the parking area to registration. Only volunteers setting up event equipment should park in the lot near registration.
Toilets and drinking water will be available near the registration area.
The weather should be nice, but come prepared for anything.
Since the relay exchange zone will be about 600 meters up the hill (160 meters rise), and you will need to stay to see how your team is doing (not to mention being available for your second loop), you will be out in the sun for at least several hours.
In addition to your usual orienteering paraphernalia, you may want to bring food, drinks, chairs, hats, and binoculars with you when you trek up to the start.
Hazards
- Poison oak is common in the park. This time of year some of it has leaves and some of it does not. Take appropriate precautions and wash with Technu after your run.
- There are lots of star thistles which can be painful. Gaiters AND long pant are highly recommended.
- There are some cattle in the park. Do not get between a cow and its calf.
- Horse riding is common in the park (Little Hills stable is south of the Start area). Please do not run closely past a horse. If you are on a narrow trail, step aside and let the horse and rider pass. Horses can be startled by sudden movement.
- The ground is (presently) dry and there are many leaves on the creek banks. Take special care on steep slopes so you don't slide into the creek bed (like the event director did).
Driving Directions
From the north, east and south, take I-680 to the Crow Canyon Road West exit in San Ramon. Go west on Crow Canyon to Bollinger Canyon Road. Turn right (north) onto Bollinger Canyon Rd, and continue about 4 miles to the Little Hills parking area on your left, near the end of Bollinger Canyon Rd.
From the west, take Highway 238 east from Highway 880, or Highway 580 southeast from Oakland. Shortly after the merge of Highways 238 and 580 (about 3 miles from 880 when taking 238), take the exit for Center Street and Crow Canyon Road. Turn left onto Center St, turn right onto Castro Valley Blvd, and turn left onto Crow Canyon Road. Follow Crow Canyon Road north several miles to Bollinger Canyon Road. Turn left (north) onto Bollinger Canyon Rd, and continue about 4 miles to the Little Hills parking area on your left, near the end of Bollinger Canyon Rod.