What is the rule ?

[distracted]

We had a kid supposed to be running JM3 pick up a course 3 map (W21L and so on) at our badge event in January. He actually didn't realise and got round quite a bit of the course, before deciding he'd been out for a bit too long...

who said orienteering in East Anglia was difficult?

[PorkyFatBoy]

Unfortunately this is no longer the case in most events I go to these days. I find that they start us, we punch the start control and then run over to the maps.

Slightly off-topic, but at our CSC event, the maps were at one fence corner and the start kite was at another. Starters didn't make it clear where the start kite was and a number of people were caught out, thinking that it was the first control on the white course, and causing a 90 degree error.

Should the starters make it clear where the start kite actually is?

[gross2006]

Normally if the start kite is not on the start line (rare) you should follow tapes to start kite. It's compulsary to follow taped route to start kite.... so again it's the runners responsibility. But in the situation above it would help if started said maps are to left, start kite to right or whatever

All this passing the buck back to the organisers could get out of hand if we allow it to

[Simon]

It's compulsary to follow taped route to start kite....

And if there are no tapes to the start kite is the competitor still required to visit it?

[Klebe]

So do you reckon it made any difference to the final (team) result or was it really a hypothetical question?

No, I actually saw it happen, it was one of our club members and would not have affected the final result anyway.

I just thought it was wrong that they should be alowed to start again, because as others have commented it is up to the competitor to pick up the correct map.
I always have a look to make sure mine is the right one (Now there's tempting fate. )

[David]

It's compulsary to follow taped route to start kite....

And if there are no tapes to the start kite is the competitor still required to visit it?

I am under the impression that competitors are required to visit the start kite by IOF rules but not by BOF rules

[gross2006]

BOF Rules say.............

7.2.13 Competitors shall follow in its entirety any compulsory route, including that leading from
the start or to the finish of the course.

[Guest]

There was a case at the welsh last year of competitors not going to the start kite. The maps were just beyond the start tent, but the kite was 50m(ish) up a path. For a number of people the quickest route to the first control was back through the start, not going past the start kite. I remember a friend of mine being really annoyed about this as she went to the start kite (because she thought she had to) then spending longer getting to the first control.

I think in the end they voided the leg.

I think in this case from the planners point of view it was fine, looking at the course from the start kite to first control, no one would go back through the start, but if the start was counted as where the maps were it's a different story

[mharky]

I remember on Broughton(?) Burrows once and the Tamar Quadrouple or somthing the start kite was a few hundred metres on from the start, but my dads first control was off to the right, so not going to the start kite would have saved people maybe a minute or so.

It is compulsary to go to the start kite, failour to do so should mean DSQ.

back onto the wrong map.

at the other sand sand dune area which sounds like broughton, but the one with the contour change at the bottom, I picked up the wrong map, but had the right descriptions on my arm. managed to get myself to #4 as they were close or the same. then james furness caught me up, worked out i had the wrong map. so just used my initiative and got a 5th on a national event. yes!

[housewife]

How about a punching start, punch on the start kite, maps beyond.

[Guest]

would it be completely against the rules to get the maps at 10 seconds to go as we used to then have a punch on the start kite.

benefit would be that everyone would have to go to the start kite.

[gross2006]

Get the map before the official start??? No way Some people would take 5 mins to get from start line to the start punch................ and have a good look at the course as they go!

[red adder]

I don't know if its compulsory to visit the start kite but if it is the only way to ensure every one
visits it is to put a punch / SI Card there. As no one does then I doubt if its compulsory.
The idea of the kite is to show the runner where they are on the map therefore it is best to be near the map issue point(otherwise how can you guarentee people can locate themselves. I can't see much point in having the start line / maps / kite far apart as all you do is add dead running. For seniors you may want to hide the start the course to the masses waiting to start but for juniors or the inexperienced it can be quite confusing.

With regard to people coming back through the start its really down to the planner to design their courses to ensure that people who do this inflict on themselves a major time penalty . At the last event I planned a couple of runners did come back through the start. It was a bad route choice and the splits showed took 100 % longer (and cost 4 one individual places).

[Guest]

How close to the start banner do you have to go ?

Sensible planning avoids all these problems.
The start banner should be where you pick the maps up from and the timing starts.

If you want everyone to go to a control banner 200m away then it is called a control site and should be the first control on every course.

As for the arguement that competitors shouldn't see the way that runners leave the start, putting the start flag 200m away doesn't solve the problem. Everyone sees which way runners head off from the start box, which is where the timing has started.

Also note that if the start kite is 200m from the start box then the course is 200m longer than it says on the control descriptions.