TrailO

Overview

There will be a TrailO event in Earlham Park operating from about 11am to 2:30pm, intended to provide an activity for competitors in the period between morning and afternoon races, but open to all.    Appropriately enough this will be a Sprint format PreO with a 22 minute time limit.

The course will qualify for BriTOL points, but is also suitable for TrailO beginners.

The TrailO course will be free to enter for all entrants to the Sprints Championships (bring your dibber and bib).  An entry fee will apply to those not running in the sprints event.    Entry on the day only. 

To register and try the course just follow the signs to Earlham Park, then follow the TrailO signs.  Registration will be about 250m from the entrance to the park (i.e. about 550m walk from the BSC arena on the signposted route) and the return from the Finish/Download will be 500m to the park entrance (800m back to the arena).

Please consider Earlham Park embargoed if you intend to compete in the TrailO.

Final Information is available as a PDF:

TrailO Final Information 13Aug

Date and Time

Sunday 31st August 2025. Registration open 11:00 to 14:30, courses open 11:00 to 15:00.

Venue

Earlham Park, adjacent to the UEA campus.  Travel and parking are the same as for the Sprints Championships, please see the Sprints Championships page of this website for details.   There are blue badge parking spaces in the UEA main car park.

Public toilets including accessible toilet available at the cafe in Earlham Park, near TrailO download.   

Registration

Entry on the day only.  Registration is in Earlham Park.

Entry Fee

British Sprints Championship entrants turning up at registration with their sprints bib and an SI dibber can enter for free. 

For others, entry fees apply as follows:

Please note we can only accept cash payments.

Format

PreO Sprint with 20 controls. These will be divided into three clusters, each with separate map and timing.  Remain inside the taped box. The extent of the tapes will not be marked on the map.  The start and finish for each section are adjacent.  A kite will be hung only on the finish box for each section; it is also the start kite. Moving between clusters will not be timed.

Scoring will be based on the number of correct answers, with the total time for the three clusters used as a tie-breaker. There will be a time limit of 22 minutes, after which your score will be reduced (one point per minute or part thereof over the limit).

The course will qualify for BriTOL points, but is also suitable for TrailO beginners. There are no other prizes.

For the benefit of those unfamiliar with TrailO and particularly PreO Sprint: Once you have registered, cleared and checked your dibber you can go to the viewing zone for the first cluster. At the entrance to the zone, you will dib a Start SI box and a marshal will hand you a map.

Using the map, you decide whether each of the controls viewable from within the taped zone matches its mapped location. If you think the actual control site matches the mapped location you pin-punch A for that control, otherwise you pin-punch Z.  Once you have completed all the controls in the cluster you hand the map back to the marshal, and dib the SI box at the exit.

You now make your way to the second viewing zone where you will dib an entry box which will restart your course time count, and you will be given a second map corresponding to the controls in the second cluster. The same process happens at the third viewing zone. When you leave the third and final zone you dib the final exit box (which is the finish) and walk to download where you hand in your pin-punch card, download your dibber to obtain the course time, and return your dibber and pin punch (if hired).

Course length: 250m. Start will be about 250m from the entrance to the park (ie about 550m from the BSC arena and the return from the Finish/Download will be 500m to the park entrance (800m back to the arena).

Terrain

Urban park, grass surface but firm. Course height change 5m downhill. Return to Assembly is therefore uphill. There are no surfaced paths but the area is wheelchair accessible.

Zero tolerance: 4 metres.

Punching: Answers should be pin-punched, competitors may bring their own punch or may borrow on the day. Timing will be SI, again bring a dibber or borrow on the day.

Maps: Course maps will be 1:3000 scaled from 1:10000. Map revision is 2018, so some vegetation has extended since then. Some trees in one part of the area are not well mapped. This will not affect the solutions.

Some copses mapped white are not runnable.

Classes

There will be a single class (no separate PC or Junior classes), however the results will indicate the PC and Junior status of competitors.

Results

The winner will be announced at the BSC prize-giving if possible.   Results will be published on the British Sprints Weekend 2025 website, along with the solution map.