Registration is now OPEN All participants must preregister; there will be no on-site registration.

For what you need to register or to register, go to Information and Registration
For driving directions, go to Event Directions
3-Hour Race: 9 slots left     6-Hour Race: 15 slots left
To see who is currently registered, go to Registration List
If your team is already registered but you have not signed the waiver, you may go here to Sign the Online Waiver
If the registration limit is reached, you can get on the waiting list at Go to Waiting List
To view 2023 results, go to Results from Last Year

Organizers: Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club (WPOC)  - website     www.wpoc.org

Start/Finish area: Picnic Area of the Babcock Division of Gallitzin State Forest.  Located 4 miles east of Windber on the south side of Route 56.  Here is a link to the Start Area on Google Maps   The GPS coordinates of the Start are N 40.215679, W 78.763344   The Picnic area itself has several small parking areas, capable of holding only 2 to 5 cars.  The main parking area is on the opposite (North) side of Route 56.

Driving Directions: From the East on the PA turnpike (76), take the Bedford Exit to route 99 and go North for 3 miles, then go West on route 56 for 24 miles. From the East on route 22, at Ebensburg go South on route 219; then take route 56 East for 8 miles. From the West on the PA turnpike, take the Somerset exit to 271 North for 3 miles to route 219; take 219 North to route 56; then follow route 56 east for 8 miles. From the West on route 22, at Armagh take route 56 east through Johnstown and Windber.

Provided Equipment: An orienteering map at a 1:15,000 scale with a 5-meter contour interval in a clear plastic bag will be provided to each participant.  The map will be on two 11 x 17 sheets.  In addition to maps, each team or solo competitor will be provided control descriptions and an SI card for recording found controls. Water is available at the base camp and at selected points marked on the map. Food will be available at the end of event. Recommended equipment: compass, whistle, water bottle or camelbak, watch, snack food, sunscreen.

Rules: No help from others is allowed during the races away from the base camp. If in a team, team members must stay within sight and speaking distance throughout the event.  Portable GPS systems are allowed as long as the intention is to simply record the route taken for later analysis, discussion and sharing.

Checkpoints: Each checkpoint is marked by an orange/white 3-sided control flag, with sides approximately one foot square. The control flags will usually be visible from some distance, not intentionally concealed, but also not in view of trails or roads. There will be 40 control points distributed throughout the mapped area.

Scoring: The point value of all control points visited is totaled (the Maximum is 2260 points). The point value of each control is easily determined - it is the same as the control number.  The lateness penalty will be 17 points for every minute late. Teams with tie scores will be differentiated by their finishing times.  If in a multi-member team, all members of the team must be present at the finish.  After finishing, the team will need to download the information from their SI card to get a score and a report on their progress through the course.

Categories: There are three age categories:  Elite (age 20 and over), Masters (age 40 and over), and Veterans (age 55 and over).  Within each of these categories are  gender categories:  Men, Women, and Mixed.  You will be placed in the most competitive category that fits all team members.  As examples, a team of three women age 40, 44, and 57 would be in the Masters, Women category; and a team of two men ages 22 and 63 would be in the Elite, Men category.  Team members under age 20 are not considered in determining age category unless all are under age 20; then the team is Elite.

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