Discussion: MerGeo Nav Races - NEW WEBSITE!

MerGeo Nav Races just got a website overhaul! Check it out at: www.navraces.com

There's still some fleshing out to do, but we pressed for it to go LIVE so that we could share details on September's Cleman Mountain Navigation Race-- the site of 2012's North American Rogaine Champs!

It looks great!

Thanks!

While I'm excited to bring a more colorful and sleek look to MerGeo, I'm even more excited about filling out the "First Time?" section and YouTube channel over time.

My goal is to make our content as newcomer friendly as possible, which means explaining step by step all the little things we take for granted.

Sweet! Street Scramble up next?

Looks awesome!

Yes, Street Scramble is next! Same design. www.nwtrailruns.com looks the same too.

Unifying the brand-- weeee!!

Oh, and MerGeo.com will get a simple treatment. Basically the 4 logos. MerGeo centered, 3 series below, with short summary of each. That' s it.

No 24 hr. option, dang.

Yes, we ran some numbers, and unfortunately, cannot put on a 24-hour event without losing money.

However, those looking for a longer event are welcome to have up to 24 hours hunting for all of the 8-hour controls. This option is not listed on the website yet, but we've had interest in it.

there may be an increased draw for both US and Canadian rogainers to the next event that is put on as the North American Championships, since that would be a primary means of prequalification for WRC2015 in Finland and WbRC 2016 in Alice Springs. both of those WRCs are likely to be oversubscribed, due to their proximity to the largest concentrations of rogainers in the world. australia has already indicated that there will be no automatic prequal for ultravets, so even the old folks might show up, like the buzzard (although the buzzard may prequal anyways). something to think about.

The 2014 North American Rogaining Championships are being put on by our friends at Get Lost! in California:

http://getlostxx.com/Get_Lost_in/Panoche_Hills/201...

Aye, we are all friends. That event is the US champs, not the NARC. I was hoping to teleconference on this with E in the most recent committee meeting, but he was off running around and doing great in other parts of the world.

Ah, that's right- my mistake.

We did consider designating Cleman as another North American champ. However, being so soon after World Champs and US Champs, and also announcing it relatively late, we weren't sure that we'd get the full boost of being a NA championship. 24-hr events also require more labor, regardless of being a championship.

In any case, we are not adding a 24-hour event at this point, though folks are welcome to be a unique category: 24-hours to find all the controls set for the 8!

Understand that, yes it's a labor load and a cost. Not sure how much additional it is in regards to the workload and cost of already setting up two days of events, since it could include the 8 hr. controls. Hash house would probably be a key factor.
the Panoche event may be lightly attended, due to proximity in time to the WRC and the characteristics of the venue - a really great place to rogaine, but significantly hot at that time of year. a six week interval between WRC and Cleman Mountain is pretty comfortable for most folks.
would it be worth putting out a brief query as to level of interest in a NARC?
You don't really need my help in running your show, of course, but it is my job to encourage rogaining as much as possible and also I want to do a full 24 hr. event up at Cleman Mountain, it is such a great venue.

Putting out queries to gauge interest is difficult. Say I post the question here on AP and 5 people reply, "yes, I would fly to a 24-hr at Cleman Mountain." What does that mean? What do those 5 people represent? And how many people would say "no" but decline to say so publicly on the post, for fear of being a Debbie Downer?

We are setting 2 days of events to increase our use of this great venue without having to travel farther afield. A 24-hour, naturally, covers more ground.

Hey Buzz, this is for you!

Due to popular request for a longer event and a desire to get the most out of this fantastic map and venue... Cleman Mountain Nav Race on Sep. 27-28 will now feature a very special 24-hour option! Read on:

"In a typical navigation race, there are enough checkpoints set so that it is unlikely that any team will be able to find all the checkpoints within the stated time limit. This 24-hour version we are presenting is a bit different. The course is set for a typical 8-hour event with more checkpoints than 8-hour participants would find, but we are challenging you to find them all within 24 hours, or to “Clean the Course!”

An average team should expect to be on the course for the better part of 24 hours and may or may not actually find all the checkpoints, but will at least maximally enjoy this great terrain. Faster and experienced competitors may indeed, Clean the Course!"

Visit www.navraces.com for more information

And who said whining was a lost art?? Thanks so much Bosco - Thistle Star and I will be signing up as a team. FYI, I will want to talk with you at the event, I have some info for MerGeo that may be of interest.

I'm in for 24 hours (unless I fall apart between then and now). Partners?

P.S. if no partners, I can help out.

Woo hoo! :)

I am actually excited about this "Clean the Course" idea. Knowing that you're likely to string all the checkpoints together makes the route planning strategy a bit different. Can't just lop off inconvenient low-pointers. I think this is a fun twist!

Plus, those that do clean the course will get a "soapy" prize. ;) hehe

Look forward to seeing you guys!

And thanks for offering, TD!