Have you seen the Possum Trot from Okansas?

[EddieH]

What a briliant idea for a novel fun event from the States (Okansas blogsport).
Mass start convoluted course - miss out any 2 controls of your choice. I think it looks brilliant - what do others think? Is anyone oing to try it, maybe instead of a score event. Possibly a new type of handicap - the bigger the handicap, the more controls you miss out.

For those who want everyone running at once there is potential here, other than the score format (of which I am not a fan).

[Wattok]

A similar format was used for a race around Edinburgh after the EUOC 40th anniversary as far as i remember (was quite hungover). Can't remember if it was mass start or not but you had the option of leaving any 2 controls out. most people left the same 2 out so needs to be planned carefully.

[DB]

We already have it.
Go to the MDOC site and check out the annual John of Goats charity event on January 5th at Lyme Park (Stockport area).
http://www.mdocmembers.plus.com/events/lyme2008.htm

Miss out 1-4 controls dependent on your age class, and three types of course, Long, Medium and Short. Mass start at 11.30.

Good fun in a good area.

[Rookie]

similar to a series of races here in Ontario, 2nd one tomorrow http://www.dontgetlost.ca/gho/thechase.htm

THOMASS BOX & HANDICAP: This race will feature the Thomass Box which consists of a set of 6 to 8 checkpoints which participants may visit in any order. Particpants may skip check points in the box equal to their handicap point total. Handicap points are awarded as follows:

Females = 2
12 or younger = 4 (new)
14 or younger = 3
16 or younger = 2
19 or younger = 1
20 to 34 = 0
35 or older = 1
45 or older = 2
55 or older = 3
65 or older = 4 (new)

The rest is a mass start normal course (this one is different with several starts depending on the handicap).
It's been going a few years now, and used as an inter-club competition as well

[graeme]

Novel It's in its 29th year

http://www.billygoat.org/

Probably the second highest profile race in the US, after the US champs.

[RJ]

For those who don't like the score format.... then along similar lines to the above event.... straightforward cross country course with any number of additional controls to be picked up along the way. There will always be a choice, less for the younger/older runners, with more but not necessarily all of them for the senior course. You can have two/three basic courses so you cater for everyone.

[SeanC]

A variation on the possum trot format could be a colour coded version. Brown leave 0, Blue leave 3, Green leave 6 etc.

Sometimes in club meetings we ask ourselves "can we do something different". It seems like there are lots of variations on the score format out there. Would be nice if they could be collated into one doc and put on the BOF site (or are they already?).

Anyway on the subject, this gives me a chance to plug the next round of the Kent Night League for those in the South East. Mote Park, Maidstone, Thursday evening (1 mile from station with direct trains from London). A score event with controls in two groups. Both groups scattered evenly round the area. Competitors can start with either group and dont have to collect all controls in a group, but cannot mix and match. Once competitors move onto the second group, they cannot visit any more controls in the first group.

Its designed for small areas to prevent the need for competitors to return to the start for a second map

[Rookie]

Feedback from the Thomass:

It was great fun (helped by a few inches of snow and in what I thought was the nicest forest I've been in over here yet), since it was only handicapped by age/sex and not ability there was still a huge spread in times.
It was about 1.4 km from the start to the start kite, but depending on your handicap you started closer (eg. M21 ran the full 1.4 km, while W60s only had about 300m) with all start locations starting simultaneously. After the start kite there was the score part of the course, 7 controls and you missed the number equal to your handicap points, followed by another visit to the start kite then about 4km of normal course to the finish, first person there won.

An addition to the handicap system was that anyone ranked top 10 M/W in Canada didn't get any age related handicap points (eg. good M35s didn't get to miss anything) and anyone doing there first ever Thomass was able to miss one control (and only have about 1.2 km to the start kite). This applied to me which was nice. I was a bit reluctant to take the handicap point but my club president is super competitive and wanted me to score as high as possible for the inter-club comp. I missed the control that was 35 m descent down an escarpment and a climb straight back up again.

Turned out I came 2nd behind a person who did the full thing when I was caught by a group after a miss part way round. I slipped away from the group with the winner about 1 km from the finish.

I think it was a great format for an informal event - it allows the small field to all compete with each other. Getting the handicap right is the hard part though, but I think it was reasonable bearing in mind that ability didn't factor, 3rd was M55/60 ish age.
(and I have no idea why it's called Thomass - but it does mean they can use the slogan "Kick some ThomASS")

[Adventure Racer]

A score event with controls in two groups. Both groups scattered evenly round the area. Competitors can start with either group and dont have to collect all controls in a group, but cannot mix and match. Once competitors move onto the second group, they cannot visit any more controls in the first group.

Not an original idea (I don't suppose you thought it was?) - I did an OD night score event exactly like this last year. Works very well as a format, with the added route planning challenge of working out where to switch (which still applies even if you do as I did in that and get the lot). Is a good example of something you can do with e-punching.

[RJ]

There have been a few illustrated variations on informal events in this year's CompassSport magazine. Most use the score format in one form or another, and are very adabtable for use in small areas. In fact, being able to reuse areas time and again with an interesting format that keeps the runner thinking, is a real bonus of these formats.

December issue has a great 'snooker-o' variation!

[DM]

We already have it.
Go to the MDOC site and check out the annual John of Goats charity event on January 5th at Lyme Park (Stockport area).
http://www.mdocmembers.plus.com/events/lyme2008.htm

Miss out 1-4 controls dependent on your age class, and three types of course, Long, Medium and Short. Mass start at 11.30.

Good fun in a good area.

Free entry to Lyme Park, all donations in lieu of event entry go to Amnesty International.

Prizes for course winners.

Raffle with many prizes.

Weather forecast looks like bright and clear.