Previous Mapruns with Claro
The Maprun courses last year still available for you to enjoy as and when you please.
The format is similar to our Street-O series: a 45 minute score event – visit as many “controls” as you can, and get back to the start/finish point in 45 minutes. There will be a points penalty for getting back late.
The scoring system is 20 points per control, and 10 points penalty for each minute or part minute late finish (the “Victoria”)
For information on how to compete in a Maprun event, check the Getting Started with Maprun page.
Claro’s first published Maprun course is still available if you want to try it:
https://www.claro-orienteering.org.uk/wp/the-claro-lone-orienteer-challenge/
This is quite a tough one for 45 minutes! The page also describes how to load and use the software.
Valley Gardens Taster: As a shorter taster, and more suitable for Juniors, the first event in Valley Gardens is now available. Please use a printed map as the controls do not line up exactly with the features in the GPS world. The start/finish is near the playground, don’t go too close to the start until you are ready to start. Ensure your phone is not about to run out of power. Enjoy. Control descriptions are on the map.
Harrogate based Prologue event: This is our first event of this Summer’s series. The start/finish are on Stray Rein to which you can hopefully walk, run, cycle and if needs be drive and park. It is a LampO style map at 1:7500 with 20 controls which you have 45 minutes from when you start to visit as many as you can in any order and return to the finish. To keep things familiar all the checkpoints are lamp posts with the exception of number 4 which is a dog waste bin!
Knaresborough SE: The start / finish is the car park entrance to Knaresborough swimming pool. Plenty of street parking around – Aspin Lane is suggested. The course takes in the Aspin estate and Abbey Road, so there are no major roads to cross. There are plenty of hills though, so take that into consideration! The cemetery is one of the obvious route choices, so please be considerate and stick to the surfaced paths.
Note: if your phone fails to trigger quickly at controls, you can currently change the sensitivity in Maprun. For this event the default setting is 15, a good alternative would be 25.
HarrogateSW: The start/finish is on the Stray opposite Trinity Methodist Church. Please look out for a large boulder here that marks the location of Harrogate’s first railway station. The sensitivity has been set at 25m which appears to help Android phone users.
Pannal: The start/finish is a small tree just inside Crimple Meadows, this is to try and prevent you accidently running through the finish before you’re finished! The entrance to the the Meadows is at: GR SE305516, What3words cool.dating.every, nearest Post Code HG3 1LA
Knox Hill: Our first 1:5000 scaled map of the series however there are hills here to make it feel longer. Should you wish to visit control 30, please keep to the public footpath across the fields. Having started, take care not to pass through the finish on the way to controls before you really want to finish. The What3words for the start/finish are: overlaid.cursing.hacksaw , while the GR is SE298569 and the nearest Post Code HG1 3HY
Cold Bath Road: Back to a scale of 1:7500 and a wide scattering of controls which will make it hard to reach all of them in the time. The start/finish is at the junction of West Cliffe Terrace and West Cliffe Mews for which the What3words are: vocab.eager.venue, while the GR is SE295546 or the Post Code HG2 0PJ. Enjoy.
Knaresborough NE: The start finish is at the end of Flaxdale Close – the lampost on the paved pedestrian area joining on to Eastfield. Please park on Eastfield, not on Flaxdale Close.
A 1:5000 map, using the area to the N of the A59 and SE of the railway line, so no major road crossings needed; however please take care around the 2 sets of A59 traffic lights that you may pass during the event. What3words for Eastfield parking vampire.hammocks.rollers (now that I have worked out what it is!). A bit flatter – but also longer than Knaresborough SE.
When on the course, take care not to run past the start/finish until you are ready to finish – it’s not on an obvious route choice.
The start/finish is outside my house (Beech hedge No.8), so please do ring the bell and see if I am in for a hello/socially distanced drink in the garden (or check with me beforehand to see when I will be in). Allen.
Ripon West: This uses a relatively new housing estate on the west side of Ripon along with the surrounding paths and woodland. Some of this estate is still under construction and has been marked out of bounds (pink on the map) . It is suggested that you park in Ash Bank Road just outside the cul-de-sac where the start is situated. The map scale is 1:5000. The planner, David, has tested his wife’s Garmin watch through the wooded areas and claims satellites were visible to the device although he couldn’t see them. The start/finish is in Ash Bank Avenue for which the What3words are: cone.erupt.animates, while the GR is SE297713 or the Post Code HG4 2EJ Thank you David.
Harrogate East: The start/finish is at the junction of Devonshire Place and Lime Grove for which the What3words are: brands.humble.hogs, while the GR is SE310557 or the Post Code HG1 5AW. There is no need to cross the busy Skipton Road (A59) although it’s footpath beside it does provide one of two places to cross the railway. The lines beside two of the footpaths near Number 7 should be ignored.
With more traffic back on the roads be extra careful and make sure you are visible.
| Week Commencing | Course Map – pdf link | Maprun Name | Organiser | Results & Tracks |
| Available Now | ValleyGardens | HarrogateValleyGardens | Quentin | Results |
| Wed 27 May | Prologue | Prologue | Quentin | Results |
| Wed 3 Jun | KnaresboroughSE | KnaresboroughSE | Allen | Results |
| Wed 10 June | HarrogateSW | HarrogateSW | Quentin | Results |
| Wed 17 June | Pannal | Pannal | Tim | Results |
| Wed 24 June | HarrogateKnoxHill | HarrogateKnoxHill | Ruth | Results |
| Wed 1 July | HarrrogateColdBath | HarrogateColdBath | Edwyn | Results |
| Wed 8 July | Knaresborough NE | KnaresboroughNE | Allen | Results |
| Wed 15 July | RiponWest | RiponWestVer2 | David | Results |
| Wed 22 July | HarrogateEast | HarrogateEast as of 22/07 | Quentin | Results |
Some practical tips:
- Get your phone organised – Turn your phone notifications up to full volume. Make sure it is well charged and not on Battery Save mode (GPS doesn’t work well). You may wish to ensure it ‘never’ goes onto ‘AutoLock’ – everything will still work but you can’t see anything.
- Keep far enough away from the Start until you are ready to start! If you start by accident, exit and start again.
- An arm band for your phone is good, if not a bum bag or pocket is OK.
- If you use a compass, keep it away from your phone.
Safety:
Events take place on streets, footpaths and open public areas.
Events are suitable for adults. It is advised that under 16s are accompanied by an adult however these are not BOF registered events so you participate at your own choice.
You are responsible for your own safety, pay particular note to:
• Usual urban environment risks – use common sense. Possible wet surfaces, slip and trip hazards.
• Crossing of any roads – your safety is more important than saving a few seconds!.
• pedestrians, cyclists, dogs, blind corners, railway crossings.
• Out of bounds – if there any marked on the map with red Xs’ (Roads ) or red cross hatching.
• At the current time – observe social distancing.
If you have any feedback, or think it worth adding anything to help others, do let us know as this is a new venture for the club. allenb@claro-orienteering.org.uk
British Orienteering have confirmed that their insurance policy does not cover individuals who are out for a run on their own rather than participating at a registered organised event. Therefore anyone undertaking Maprun is doing so in their own time, run at their own risk: Claro Orienteering Orienteering Club and British Orienteering take no responsibility for any damage or injury whilst participating.
All this is possible thanks to the great work of Peter Effeney http://maprunners.weebly.com/
For a lot more information on Maprun, one of the leading UK clubs on the subject is NGOC http://www.ngocweb.com/maprun/welcome/