Dear Highlander and Lowlander participants,
Meet and Course Notes are available for you to review. We will only have a few printed copies at the event so please print your own if necessary.
Meet and Course Notes
There is still time to register! Late fees are in effect starting today, Monday, October 12th, and registration closes completely at midnight, Thursday, October 15th.
Weather forecast right now is pretty good, though crisp: sunny, with the temperature just above freezing when we start.
What food (if any) will be provided by the organizers at the mid-course aid stations for the Highlander and Lowlander? The text describing the stations specifies "drinks only" or "drinks & first-aid" while the accompanying graphic says "food and drink" (including between the first and second loop where the text specifies "drinks only").
Hi Glen! Sorry for the confusion between the graphics and text. Here is what we will be doing:
Highlander :
Loop 1:
Control #2 (water only)
Loop 2:
Start of the trail run (organizer provided snacks, water, gatorade)
Mid-trail run (water only)
Loop 3:
Map exchange #1 (organizer provided snacks, water, gatorade + runner's own snacks)
Control #15 (water only)
Loop 4:
Map exchange #2 (organizer provided snacks, water, gatorade + runner's own snacks)
Sebago Beach road (water only)
Lowlander:
Loop 1:
Control #15 (water only)
Loop 2:
Map exchange (organizer provided snacks, water, gatorade + runner's own snacks)
Sebago Beach road (water only)
For both highlander and lowlander, the "organizer provided snacks" will include: pretzels, pre-cut bananas, cookies.
Thanks chinghua. That's what I thought it would be but wanted to be sure. And the selection of snacks is perfect.
why don't you just hold my hand and lead me around the course. wow. so much info. old school Hudson Highlander never had this kind of support. ; ))
We are nice! Especially to Joe ;)
We'll have gluten free options at the map exchanges...
Yeah, old school Hudson Highlander didn't even have water on the second half of the course.
(Well, none left by the time I got there, anyway.)
("old school" meaning 2013 in this context)
(*ducks*)
Hey Gang,
Sorry that I'm late to the Highlander conversation, but as some of you know I don’t read Attackpoint that often, not because I don’t want to, but mainly due to time constraints (don't take it personally, I’m not on Facebook, or Tumblr, or most of the other social networks either :-) )
Anyway, I’ve scanned through the conversation here very quickly, as well as the course notes, and I’d just like to ask for some clarification about the trail run: Will there be a map of the trail run, or are participants only going to be able to rely on streamers to navigate that portion of the race?
If there is going to be a trail map, great, but if the plan is to only have streamers and no map, I’d like to ask if there might be some way to please, please, please, produce at least a very simple map, as has been done in the past (i.e. a small black and white photocopy of a large-scale trail map with the trail highlighted). Some of us who are color blind have a VERY difficult time following steamers and any type of map would be helpful. At the last Highlander, there were only streamers to follow and I know at least one or two of us DNFed because we lost the trail and spent way too much time trying to get back on track.
If a trail run map is not possible at this point, and by some luck you haven’t put out the steamers yet, might it be possible for you to please use, long, blue streamers that are placed as close together as possible?
I know that setting up the Highlander is challenging and very time consuming, and I DEFINTELY appreciate all of the effort that you guys put into it.
Many thanks for anything you can do at this late date. I’m really looking forward to one of the best orienteering races of the year! I’m very grateful for all you do to make the race happen.
Cheers,
Dave O
p.s. Joe or Greg, I’d be happy to have you lead me through the course, even hand in hand, especially the trail run :-)
There was a map for the trail run last time, David (there has been for every Highlander). The one in 2013 was among the best, in fact: a color hiking map at 1:17000 with trail blazes noted. (This makes it all the more pathetic that I got off route twice and went several extra kilometers.)
My apologies for the lack of clarity in the course notes about the trail section. This is counted as Loop 2 on the Highlander and is marked on the map, which is the same map that is used for Loop 1 (this is why there only two map exchanges and not three). So, definitely you will see where to run on the map. In the woods the trail will be steamered very well by a competent individual. Unfortunately, the streamers will be bright pink instead of blue. I hope that you will not too much trouble while out there, David.
"competent individual" indeed
Oh god, is it Balter? Then those who can't see the streamers will be better off...
That's Great that there will be a map! Many thanks for the clarification.
Looking back on everything (I just found my maps from 2013--which are all Silvermine, except for the trail run to the east of the Palisades Parkway), I see my memory is VERY, VERY, faulty. Not only was there a VERY FINE color trail run map produced, but I did not DNF.
I'd like to offer Joe B a VERY BIG APOLOGY!!! You definitely supplied us with a fine map when you course set two years ago. So yes JJ, it does make it even more pathetic that some us (you, me and some ARer that hopelessly followed me on the trail run) lost the trail for so long. I remember having had such a fun time at the race up until the trail run. It was some great course setting.
I guess the disappointment of me taking at least an extra 43 mins on the trail run, and dropping some twenty places during that time, has made me repress some key points. I just remember spending seemingly countless time looking for the underpass that went under the parkway at the end of the trail run and never finding it. I eventually ended up in some large stream area to the S of #2 (about 1 km south of Control 2, and just on the east side of the parkway). From there I eventually gave-up and bailed over the parkway to get back on Silvermine and eventually worked my way to the end of the trail run near #13.
So, once again--many thanks for the clarification about the trail run at both the 2013 race, and the one coming up.
I'm REALLY looking forward to the event.
Until then--Cheers,
Dave O
We're looking forward to having you, Dave!
Declan is in charge of placing steamers, I just carry water to controls. Trail markers are not so easy to follow, for those who has not run on trails in Harriman SP before. I loose the trail here and there on bare rocks. Not so easy to hang streamers there (on bare rocks) either, I am sure some will loose the trail for short period of time, hopefully.
BTW, Highlander, since 1995 has a history of potential winners loosing the trail, Peter Nelson was one of them.
Yeah, and I suspect we may be on the same trail where he got so lost that, despite being in the lead, he gave up and DNFed... (if I'm thinking of the same anecdote -- 1998?).
A few more notes...
We will have bibs this year -- with numbers assigned per Highlander tradition. Lowlander runners will have bib numbers >100.
Also, anyone, who registered for the Highlander course, with an SI-5 (1-499999) or SI-8 (2000000-2999999) will be loaned an SI-6 card; it will be pinned to your bib.
We are planning a self-service check-in for participants who have paid in full -- bibs (and rental/loaner SI-cards, as applicable) will be laid out on one or more picnic tables in alpha order by last name.
Those who still have a balance due will need to check-in with me, and provide payment by cash or check.
USMAOC cadets: Your bibs & SI-cards will be in one package; please have one representative pick it up -- and bring the check.
Thanks, everybody!
See you tomorrow!
Declan did a great job streamering the trail today. He tried to leave long tails...he has some color blindness himself, so I think everyone will be in good hands. So just check your own hands ;-)
This discussion thread is closed.