Rest Day

Wendesday 5th August is our rest day, and there are many great activities on offer in the Tayside area. Have a look at the Things to Do page for some suggestions.

There will also be two opportunities for you to keep active during the day, both provided by Tay 2009’s organising clubs: sprint orienteering and mountain-bike orienteering.

Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO)

Forth Valley Orienteers (FVO) invite you to the Scottish 6-days MTBO event, at Blairadam Forest, Kelty.

Blairadam Forest is only 25 miles south of Perth, adjacent to the M90 motorway. The event is suitable for all with both a short and medium distance course on offer.

More information and entry details.

Sprint Orienteering

Tayside Orienteers (TAY) have great pleasure in inviting you to the Scottish 6-days sprint race at Scone Palace, adjacent to the Event Centre. Get your entry into Fabian 4 by Fri 31st to save £1

Venue

The sprint race will be in Scone Palace Grounds and finish at Perth Racecourse. Bar and Restaurant facilities will be open at the Racecourse. If you are not competing, come and watch, and enjoy a drink while you do so.

Travel Directions

As for the Event Centre.

Organising Officials

Dave Prentice and Angela Dixon (both Tayside Orienteers).

Acknowledgements

Scone Palace Estates and the Earl of Mansfield for the use of their beautiful grounds. A donation of £1 will be given per senior runner to a local charity supported by the Earl.

Entries

We encourage you to use the Online entry system, which will be open until 31st July 2009 - this will be the cheapest way of entering.

Entries will also be accepted at the Assembly area Information Point at Day 1,2 and 3, and at the Event Centre in the evenings, up until when the Information Point closes on Tuesday 4th August (20.00hrs - not 20.30 as previously stated). Limited entry on the day will be available at the Event Centre on Wednesday 5th August from 14.00 up to 16.00.

Entry Fees

Entry fees are set at flat rates of £6 senior and £4 junior / student. A group of up to 4 people may enter at the senior rate (with one map).

However please note that all senior entries made after 31st July (i.e. not made using the online entry system) will be subject to a £1 surcharge.

Course Information

Two courses are available: Long, 4.5 km approx. and Medium, 3 km approx.. SportIdent electronic punching will be used.

Map and Terrain

The map will be at a scale of 1:5,000. For those competitors with some energy left on the ‘rest day’, the Sprint will provide what shuld be a really rewarding and at times quite challenging run around the Scone Palace grounds and parkland, with a grandstand finish at the Perth Racecourse main stand.

The nature of the grounds is well illustrated in the two map extracts shown. Easy to find your way round at walking pace, but perhaps a few challenges at sprint pace! The long course has three legs in the marvellous pinetum, and the shorter course goes into it and out. If you have chance, look at the trees.

The second part of both courses goes through parkland with a scattering of large trees, before an excursion onto the island. Amazingly, the island is tidal. If the tide is out, then you should manage to keep your feet dry; if it is high tide, you may not… If there is a high spring tide or major storms in the Highlands, then the courses may have two/three controls removed!

Note that the Medium course (3.0 kms) is easier than the Long course (4.5 kms), though both require careful navigation at times.

Also note when considering what footwear to use, the area has only a few gradual slopes, but there will be approx 200m running on stony ground and 200m on tarmac.

Map extract of Scone Palace, showing pinetum detail.

Start Times

Updated 23rd July Starts from 1530 – 1800, with a possible extension if demand requires it.

Advised start times will be displayed at Day 3, allocating competitors to a 15 mins start block.

Refreshments

Perth Racecourse have arranged for an Ice Cream van and a van selling strawberries and soft fruit to be at the race course on the Wednesday afternoon/early evening of the sprint race. Please support these facilities if you can - remember that Tayside provides some of the best strawberries and raspberries in the world!

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to: the three leading male and female competitors on each course; the leading male and female aged under 16 years old on each course; the leading group entry; plus other categories, to be decided, depending on entries.

In addition, a memento will be given to all competitors aged under 16.

Related News items

Sprint O Prize winners
Rest Day event results
Sprint O Event Start times and details
Sprint Orienteering - map and terrain description available
5-a-side football at Tay 2009
Rest Day Sprint event
Mountain-bike O event on Rest Day