COMPETITION INFORMATION

Organizers will control the behaviour of the teams during the event.

Penalty will follow:

• Littering - 10 point / trash
• Moving in forbidden areas - disqualification
• Missing obligatory equipment - 10 points / equipment
• All team members not visiting control together - points of this control disqualified

Official language

The official language of the competition documents is English. All official documents are in English. All other languages are translations and are not official. Prize giving will be in finnish.

The jury

• Chairman of the Organising Committee: Riku Pulliainen
• Course setter: Tommi Lahtonen
• Result service Miika Pietilä
• Competitors' representatives Anu Kosunen (8 h), Jari Kaaja (MTB 8h) and Ilkka Lassila (24 h)

Mobile phones

The mobile phone stated in the obligatory equipment’s list may only be used in case of emergency during the competition. Mobile phone needs to work in a Finnish mobile network. Phone must be turned off from Saturday 11.30 am until Sunday 12.00 (noon).

Mobile phones, GPS trackers (with display), heart rate monitors (with gps or other distance measurement) and all computer based devices have to be sealed to a bag given by the organizers. The seal has to be presented when arriving to finish. Broken seal will cause penalty stated in the rules. GPS trackers without display and cameras are okay to use without sealing to bag. Plain heart rate monitors are okay too.

Exception: In 8 hour competition mobile phone usage is allowed for punching the controls and the phone is not sealed. Other use of mobile phone is forbidden.

Event Centre

Event Centre is Matkailutila Surkeenjärvi. Road address: Surkeejärventie 170, 41800 Korpilahti.

Location on kansalaisen karttapaikka.

Location on google maps.

Driving instruction from road 9 (Korpilahti)

Driving instructions from Jyväskylä

Driving instructions from Petäjävesi

Car parking will be on a field 400 meters from the event centre.

Accommodation

The teams can set up a camp in the same field that is used for parking. Camping is allowed from Friday 19.00 until Sunday 16.00. Water, showers and toilets are next to the field.

You can also reserve indoor accomodation

Registration and materials

After arriving, teams will register at the Competition Office to get the competition materials. The registration is possible on Friday August 9th at 19-22.00 and on Saturday at 08.00-10.00. Each team will get number bibs, safety pins, SPORTident-cards (24 hour only) and other materials used during the competition. The maps will be distributed at 9.00 on Saturday morning.

Teams are responsible for the material they receive. There is a fee of 80 euro for every lost SPORTident-card.

Timetable

• Friday 15.5.2015
  • 19.00 Event centre open, Camping area at Event Centre opens (toilets, drinking water etc. available)
  • 19.00 -22.00 Registrations
• Saturday 16.5.2015
  • 08.00 - 24.00 Office open
  • 08.00 – 9.00 Registration
  • 09.00 Distribution of maps. Mobile phone sealing is available.
  • 11.00 SPORTident clearing is available and metal clip pressing starts (24 h only)
  • 11.30 Entry to starting area opens, entry only with cleared SPORTident card (24 h) and registered phone (8 h)
  • 11.50 Entry to starting area closes
  • 12.00 Start
  • 14.00 Hash House at the competition centre opens
  • 20.30 Finish closes (8 h events)
  • 20.00-21.30 After Race Meal at competition centre. Special diets
  • 21.30 Prize giving ceremony at competition centre
  • 22.12 Sunset
  • 23:32 Dusk
• Sunday 17.5.2015
  • 00.00-14.00 Office open
  • 03.00 Dawn
  • 04.20 Sunrise
  • 12.30 Finish closes (24 h)
  • 12.00-13.30 After Race Meal Specia diets
  • 13.30 Prize giving ceremony
  • 16.00 Camping area closes

Map

The map is printed on A2-sized waterproof paper. Each team member will receive his/her own map. Plastic map covers are not available. Each team will also receive one smaller extra map to be used as an Intention Map.

scale: 1:41 000 with 5m contour interval

Map is based on maanmittauslaitos 04/2015 material. Contours are generated from latest LIDAR-data with karttapullautin. Map uses slightly modified and scaled standard orienteering symbols (ISOM)

As usual there are always new trails and new felling areas which do not show on the map. Rough open lands are marked on the map but they are usually several years old and are not open anymore. However you can most often recognize these areas from older forest and use them as a guidance. New rough open lands are not usually marked on the map.

There are some forbidden areas marked on the map. ALL THE PRIVATE PROPERTY, GARDENS AND OTHER AREAS NEXT TO THE HOUSES ARE FORBIDDEN. Also, it is forbidden to cross any agricultural land or pasture land (= field for cattle). Those areas are shown in dotted yellow on the map. Your team will be disqualified if you are seen on forbidden areas. If you want to follow a field then you must walk in the forest.

Forbidden areas

Forbidden area:

Forbidden route:

Field:

Terrain

The terrain is quite typical for middle of Finland. There a lot of steep hills, marsh and small lakes. Old hiking route Keski-Suomen maakunta goes through the area. There are also many old protected forests in the area.

The terrain is mostly in commercial use, meaning that there are a lot of small roads and forest’s age varies a lot – from fresh felling into an old forest. Due to that the runability of the terrain varies a lot in different areas.

Special attention must be paid on the lakes: IT IS FORBIDDEN TO CROSS THE LAKES BY SWIMMING – and for the information and guidance: If your intended route includes that option you are going to make a big mistake!

The wetland areas in general are quite dry and possible to cross. The nature is sensible and competitors must honor not only the specific rules but also the nature itself. ALL LITTERING IS FORBIDDEN – YOU MUST BRING ALL YOUR TRASH TO THE EVENT CENTRE.

In the terrain there is a plenty of water – lakes, rivers, trickles and some springs. The water in lakes and rivers is not suitable for drinking unless you use purification. Spring water is usually very good. There are very many springs in the competition area. Some of them have been marked on the map and some controls are located on springs. You can drink spring water but we can not quarantee that it is safe. All the water points marked on the map are springs. Do not spoil the springs.

Course

There are 70 controls in total. The shortest course for all controls is estimated around 140 km. Teams may visit the controls in any order.

Intention map

Each team must leave one map with the intended route to the starting area. The team number must be marked on the back side of the map. Please leave the map twisted so that only the backside with the team number marked on it is visible. This map will replace the intention sheets at the controls and only be used to locate the teams in the case of an emergency.

Controls

Controls are marked with an orange-white flag and a small reflector. There is also a SPORTident-unit and NFC/QR-code sheet at each control. Control flags are located at clearly visible spots and at about 1 to 1,5 m height. The value of each control is indicated by its first number (32 = 3 points, 56 = 5 points, 95 = 9 points etc.). Numbers are shown on the map, on the control descriptions and on the SPORTident unit at the control.

There is a model control at the event centre.

Control descriptions are printed with the symbol format used by the International Orienteering Federation on a separate waterproof paper. You can find the translations of the symbols from your national orienteering federation’s IOF controls descriptions. Refreshment controls (springs) are shown in the control descriptions.

Some extra springs which are not controls are also marked on the map.

Punching System

In 24 hour event we use the SPORTident timing system. SPORTident-card must be cleared before entering the starting area. If the SPORTident-card gets lost, it is possible to receive a new one from the competition office, but the controls on the lost card must be visited and punched again by the whole team in order to gain the points.

When punching, please wait for the beep-sound which confirms that the punching is recorded and everything is OK. At the controls close to the Event Centre, there will be multiple SPORTident- units which all can be used.

In 8 hour event we use smart phone punching with NFC-tags or QR-codes or manually entering control code.

SPORTident card fastening

Bands for fastening the SPORTident-cards to the wrist will be handed with the competition materials at the registration. Make sure the band is tight enough. Card must be fastened in a way for it to be impossible to fall off or to be able to get off during the race.

The metal clip will be pressed with pliers so that the band will not slide through. This will be done by the organizers. Fastening will be checked at the starting area entrance. You will lose your place in the queue if you need to attach it again.

A broken band may result in disqualification of all the points collected into it. You may restart with a new band if you like but all the controls collected before the new band is attached will be lost.

Start

Start and finish are located in the event centre area. Teams are responsible for clearing the SPORTident-card before entering the starting area. There are SPORTident clearing stations close to the entrance of the starting area. SPORTident card must be attached to the competitor's wrist before entering the starting area.

Each competitor must punch a SPORTident check unit at the entry gate of the starting area. Competitors failing to punch the check will not be considered as started.

Visiting controls

All team members must stay together, i.e. within 20 meters from each other during the whole race. Team must punch within 120 seconds at every control they wish to gain points from. If the time between the punching of the team members is more than 120 seconds, no points from that control will be recoded. The behaviour of the teams is monitored during the event. Competitors are not allowed to rest within 100 meters from controls unless the control is a refreshment control. Competitors are not allowed to spoil or damage controls, refreshment controls or any other structures built by the organizer.

If the SPORTident unit is not working, there is a code letter marked on the punching unit below the control number. In that case team should write down the code letter into the reserve stamping area on the control description sheet (= first column on the control description table).

Water and refreshment controls

Recommended spring locations for drinking water are shown in the map. It is not recommended to use water from the lakes, creeks or rivers as drinking water. You can also get drinking water from the hash house.

All refreshment controls and other water locations marked on the map are springs

Finish

Start and finish are located in the event centre area. Competitors must finish at latest on Saturday at 20.00 (8 h) or on Sunday at 12.00 (24h).

For missing the time line, team is punished with 1 penalty point (-1) for each starting minute. Teams finishing more than 30 minutes late will be disqualified and stated as late arrivals.

Finish punching is used for timing. All team members must punch at the finish line. Time ends when the last team member punches at finish. There will be multiple finish controls which all can be used. There is no rush after the punching.

After finishing there is no rush and team shall move to the SPORTident readout stations. The team will receive prints with calculated points for each card used in the competition at the SPORTident readout. Teams should inspect the list and if there are any remarks they must be done at once. Remarks done afterwards will be ignored.

Obligatory equipment

For your own safety each team must carry:

• a mobile phone in a waterproof package
• a first aid kit with emergency blanket
• first aid gauze (pack or two rolls)
• plaster
• sports tape
• waterproof pen or pencil

Each competitor must have:

• a whistle
• a water container
• some food
• a cap (not in MTB 8h)
• spare undershirt (not necessary in MTB 8h)
• windproof jacket
• torch (e.g. head light) (only 24h)
• helmet (only MTB 8h)
• bike repair kit (only MTB 8h)

MTB 8h: Competitors must use helmet all the time during the race, also when they are running in the forest without a bike.

All obligatory equipment must be carried during the whole race. You cannot leave those on the trail when you are visiting a control point.

Obligator equipment can be checked by the event organizers at any time. Missing pieces of equipment results loss of points. The time used for checking won't be reimbursed.

Meals during the competition

During the competition competitors can eat and drink at the Hash House tent. Hash House at the competition centre is open from Saturday 14.00 till Sunday 12.30 There will be: bread, cheese, potato chips, raisins, bananas, juice, instant coffee, tea, metwurst, cookies, pea soup

Competitors are advised to carry with them sports drinks and nutrition which they are used to use (eat / consume) during events of this kind.

Competitors or supporters are not allowed to sleep or camp at the Hash House.

Food from the Hash House is to be eaten in the Hash House. Competitors are not allowed to take food with them because of the hygienic rules.

First aid

Each team must have a first aid kit (see obligatory equipment). At the Competition Office there will be first aid equipment for injuries, but not to be taken along.

In case of an emergency

If your team faces an emergency during the competition, you must notify the event organizers immediately if further assistance is needed. In life threatening emergencies call 112 (the common emergency number) first and also notify organizers.

If it is a less hazardous emergency, please call the organizers +358 40 8053275. There is a 24-hour service at this number. Please register this number on the mobile phone which you carry with you during the race.

You may call +358 50 583 6044 if a checkpoint has been vandalized or you come across any other technical problem along the course.

Each team must leave one map with the intended route to the starting area. The team number must be marked on the back side of the map. This map will replace the intention sheets at the controls and will only be used to locate the team in case of an emergency.

Washing

There is a shower and sauna possibility after the race.

Meal after competition

After race meal will be served on Saturday from 20.00 till 21.30 OR on Sunday from 12.00 till 14.00. Meal is free for the competitors, be sure to bring the meal ticket with you when you go to have an after race meal.

Inform us about your special diet

Prize giving ceremony

During the ceremony there will also be some lottery prizes for the participants. To receive such prize, you have to be present to collect it in person.

Special rules for 8th Retki-Rogaining

Making an open fire is totally prohibited at any location, including the competition centre area.

There will be a group (40 people) of dog owners at the competion center area. Try not to disturb the dogs.

Animals

There are moose, deer, lynx and hare in the area. There can be wolfs and bears too, but it is not likely to meet them during the competition. If that happens, stay calm and back of slowly away from the animals.