How not to lay out the final control at a major sprint event

[IanD]

Quite rightly, the officials identified the need for multiple punches at the last control on an event with thousands of people running.

Unfortunately, the thought process then stopped. The punches are placed up against the thicket, so that only one side is accessible. Even worse, everybody approaches the control from the same direction, from behind the bush, turning left into the control, and then turning right to exit the left side of the photo heading for the finish. So only one punch is on the optimum route, and taking that optimum route means crossing the path of anyone trying to reach one of the other punches.

Here we see a young lady trying to get around the person at the first punch to reach the second, and the conflict created as the first puncher turns to head for the finish. I don't know whether there was an actual collision on this occasion, but certainly people were knocked to the ground during the course of the event.

I deliberately haven't identified the event, although most reading will know when and where it was. The intention is not to have a go at these officials, rather to draw the problems this time to the attention of future officials in the hope that they won't recur.

[Red Adder]

Has potential for a caption contest - can I start with "Leave it Dad, he isn't worth it".

[Red Adder]

A friend videoed bits of the EA JK in 1986, I still remember the map exchange at Brandon on day 1. Lots of M21s steaming in and out. Two M50+ officials watching, and standing on the obvious route away from the exchange. What was hilarious was that they kept moving back to allow the runner by and then stepped forward so they were in position to perform the identical manoevre for the next runner. |t was priceless - though perhaps having impeded the very first runner they felt duty bound to stay for the whole 6 hours of competition to impose the same problem on every other runner.

[awk]

Exacerbated by the fact that Emit only allows cards to be inserted one way - inevitably the wrong way when I arrived resulting in major contortions, two or three seconds lost (equivalent to two or three places). It wasn't just the last control that caused this problem, it was just the most visible one!

[graeme]

Hilarious, I must remember to run at full speed straight at marshals in future and see if they jump out of the way.
No sympathy for

awk

either, you just need to practice. On the other hand, it is annoying for the people queueing up behind you waiting to punch.

[awk]

Nothing to do with practice. Emit* is poor especially for sprint because the position of the 'box' makes a difference as to how smoothly or otherwise you can punch, unless you're willing to gamble, particularly with controls tight up against walls, in corners etc. And, as you say, there was the queuing issue .....

But, as Ian is trying to point out, final control layout has some more generic issues.

*Standard Emit - contactless was a whole different experience.

[andy]

awk - either practice or accept the fact it's the same for everyone, you don't lose 2/3 places every punch if it's the same for everyone, in fact you'd gain if you could punch properly!

[charles2]

in fact you'd gain if you could punch properly!

unless you are in a queue behind people who cannot punch properly.

[roadrunner]

awk - either practice or accept the fact it's the same for everyone, you don't lose 2/3 places every punch if it's the same for everyone, in fact you'd gain if you could punch properly!

Yes, everyone has the same chance of finding a control oriented the "right" or "wrong" way (from their perspective), so there's no way to gain an overall advantage* - but it still affects the results, I think that was Awk's point.

* - Unless you know how the planner sets out the controls

[awk]

Fair summary, roadrunner.
Fact is I have practised and, based on what experienced at controls, am pretty quick comparatively. But positioning of controls dictates that however practised, it will favour some. Just about ok in terrain, but bad in sprint. And then there is speed punching. Spot the red light in sunlight, take a gamble. Fact also is that throughout weekend heard not one word in favour but loads against. Seriously unpopular!

[AAH]

A positive - there were some controls with EMIT blocks in both directions... I liked that.

[denbydale]

One of the finish controls today did not light up, didn't want to risk a mispunch so used another - why oh why do some people persist in using EMIT?

[AndyC]

One of the finish controls today did not light up, didn't want to risk a mispunch so used another - why oh why do some people persist in using EMIT?

UMMMM What diference did it being emit make? SI boxes also fail to flash sometimes
(and an emit card with a display tells you when you have punched correctly on the display - I know the hire ones for the JK didn't but....)

[Roger]

I've seen some advice to planners to position the Emit units so that the high end of the unit (the functional bit) points towards the competitor on the normal line of approach, i.e. the red 'cliff face' points away. That makes it the same for both left-handed and right-handed competitors: elastic strap goes at the far end, which if you've got the strap round your ring finger is a fairly natural position for either hand.

The complication comes if (a) there's more than one possible direction of approach, or (b) the units are mounted on the plates in an orientation that means that the number would be upside-down if the recommendation were followed.

I find Emit easier than SI. The card is sliding into a corner so you've got a bigger effective target. It's like the difference between running through a block of forest to a control on a track junction, and trying to hit one in a pit.

[Snail]

At one of my controls on Day 2 it was impossible to get the "backup" punch because the control flag string went across the part with the metal pin, so the emit card couldn't be laid flat.

Didn't hang around to see if this was a temporary problem with the string becoming looped around mid-event, but this is also something that probably wouldn't happen with SI.