Discussion: Introducing the TrailCross format

It's similar to the goat idea, but really geared to reeling in the TrailRunners and getting them using maps.

For experienced orienteers, the route choice challenge will be fun. Nothing like pack running to add some excitement!

Some information about how we are promoting the series: TrailCross series page

Sounds fun. If you want to attract more trail runners have you thought of promoting it as a trail run with marked course (on the terrain and on the map), with the twist being participants are not required to stay on the marked course. Only requirement is that they need to visit the "aid stations" marked on the map which would be the checkpoints.

Pros:
-No uncomfortable feeling for the regular trail runner without map experience
-Incentive for everyone to learn to take shortcuts by reading the map

Cons:
-You need to put the hours as for organizing both a trail run and orienteering race at the same time
-Might be too simple for your regular 'O-er' that is not interested in trail runs.

I think what Nikolay describes is the optimum format for such a cross-over event in order for it to be really appealing to trail runners, however it is a lot more work to mark the trail route than not.

Backstreet Boy, how are you reaching the trail running community, and what sort of response have you gotten, so far?

This is the exact format we started with in our adventure running series until we increased to teams and 25K. We marked out a 10K trail course in The terrain and on the map. There were 6-8 checkpoints that straight line distance made a 6K O course. We aimed for a 45 minute winning time.

We advertised it as 'a trail running race where short-cuts are not only allowed but encouraged'.

There were 4k flyers printed (for the whole series) and I was issued 400 of them and I'm on my last few dozen... I'd say 80%+ of the ones I had reached "a" trail runner. Backstreet Boy did the calendaring.

Hammer, I am wondering why you switched from marked trails and being more or less faithful to the trail running framework to unmarked trails and something closer to what we are doing. In our case, indeed sadly the increased workload would be unsustainable by club members, who largely are reluctant to contribute time to something that does not directly satisfy their closest desires (and in many cases to something that does).

We ran the 10K trail/shortcut format and the 25K team adventure run format together for a few years and the latter won out in participation so we just stopped doing the former. Still love that race format. It was cool in that 50% of the time a trail runner would win and the other 50% an orienteer would win.