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Point Pinole Regional Shoreline

Date: (Sun.) Mar. 16, 2014
Location: Richmond, CA
Event Director: - 925.862.2978
Course Setter: Steve Gregg
Type: C; Middle-distance courses for beginners and experienced orienteers

Related Event Information

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

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


This year's Point Pinole event will feature standard-length Middle distance courses, more or less. No prologue/chase or Thomass mass-start race this year! Perhaps next year I'll be motivated to go back to some form of head-to-head racing format.

If you have questions or want to volunteer to help (hint, hint), please contact either or .

What is Orienteering

An adventure: Discover the outdoors and discover yourself! Teams of 1 to 5 find checkpoints in parks and wilderness areas using specially-produced maps. All are welcome at our events​—​runners, joggers, hikers, and walkers.

Schedule

  9:00 AM – Registration opens
  9:30 AM – Beginner's clinic instruction (free)
10:00 AM – Starts open, you can start on courses anytime until 12:30
  2:00 PM – Courses close, checkpoint pick-up begins

Enjoy snacks and refreshments from BAOC after you finish. Please check in at the Finish by 2:00 PM, so we can have everyone accounted for and start checkpoint pick-up on time so those volunteers can get home.

Courses

The control placements on the most advanced courses will be as technical as the map supports, although at Point Pinole, almost all of the terrain is no greater than Orange-level difficulty. There will be a few route-choice legs, but the courses will primarily test your ability to run hard between the controls, without needing to hesitate or stop to examine your map. So the courses could perhaps be more accurately described as "long-sprint" courses, not middle-distance courses.

White and Yellow courses for beginning orienteers will be offered as well. Since this is one of our flattest BAOC venues, which still provides some forested navigational challenge, it is a very appropriate place for beginners to receive their initial introduction to the sport.

Here are the (unchanged, final) course statistics: 

    Course           Length    Climb   Controls
    White            2.6 km     50 m      10  
    Yellow           2.5 km     50 m      10
    Short Orange     3.5 km     60 m      17
    Medium Orange    4.4 km     80 m      24
    Long Orange      5.5 km    100 m      30

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

What to Bring

For beginners' courses, comfortable outdoors attire and shoes are fine. Leg cover is recommended for the Yellow course because of the possibility of exposure to poison oak (see below).

For the Orange courses, leg cover or gaiters are recommended, as well shoes with some extra grip on the sole.

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.

We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so a SPORTident fingerstick rents for $3. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Venue Facilities

Picnic tables, piped water, and portable toilets are available, so please feel free to bring along a picnic lunch to enjoy after you finish your course.

Hazards

The Orange courses will cover some forested areas with fallen trees, branches, and stumps​—​watch your step!

Participants on the Yellow and Orange courses should be aware that the park has some poison oak that you'll want to avoid. It looks like this. Washing clothes and shoes and bathing exposed areas with dishwashing soap or a commercial product such as Tecnu (which removes the irritant oil) is recommended.

Costs

  $3 for juniors on beginner and advanced beginner courses
  $6 for beginner and advanced beginner courses (members & non-members)
  $5 for juniors on intermediate and advanced courses
$10 member price for intermediate and advanced courses
$15 non-member price for intermediate and advanced courses
$15 for the lowest-cost individual 1-year BAOC membership
  $1 for a compass rental
  $3 for an electronic fingerstick rental (if you don't own one, you'll need it to complete the course.)
  $6 per vehicle parking fee collected by the park at the entrance gate

For extra people on a team, add $3 per person on beginner courses or $5 per person for intermediate and advanced courses.

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ.

Location within the Park

Taking the walkway from the parking lot, you can't miss the event.

Request for Volunteers

The event is fast approaching. Steve Gregg has designed five courses this year, as described above. The weather forecast is great, so we expect a large turnout, and need a few more volunteers to make it all happen.

As of March 12th, we still need volunteers for the following:

If you can help, please contact . Thank you.

Driving Directions

Take the Richmond Parkway exit off Interstate 80 in Richmond, and go west for 1.3 miles. Immediately after the stoplight at San Pablo Avenue, turn right at the next light onto Atlas Road. After 0.8 miles on Atlas, you will cross over a set of railroad tracks and encounter a stop sign. Turn left onto Giant Highway at this intersection. You will pass a detention center on your right, and the park entrance will be immediately after that, also on your right. Pay the fee (if there is one), park, and walk over the railroad tracks to the staging area in the meadow.

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