Petrified Forest Rogaines

Petrified Forest National Park
Arizona

Saturday, October 15, 2016: 4-Hour Rogaine
Sunday, October 16, 2016: 4-Hour Rogaine

(Directions to the Event Headquarters)
(Event Registration) (See who is registered)

(Pictures from 2015)

October 2, 2016 Updates:

Event Headquarters - South Entrance, Petrified Forest National Park
(Directions to the Event Headquarters) Participants must check-in at Event Headquarters each morning between 7:00 and 8:15 AM, then must organize into carpool vehicles and drive 10 minutes to attend the mandatory pre-race briefing at 8:30 AM. (See details below.)

Packet Pickup:
Friday, 18:00 to 21:00 at the Motel 6 courtyard (List of Preferred Accommodations).
Saturday, 7:00 - 8:15 AM at Event Headquarters
Sunday, 7:00 - 8:15 AM at Event Headquarters

Competitor Limit: 75 each day. As of Oct 2, we have 51 participants signed up for each day.

Late registration extended to Monday night, October 10 at 11:59 PM. There is no on-site registration.

Carpooling is required. We are allowed a limited number of vehicles in the park. At check-in, we will provide parking passes to carpool vehicles and provide directions to event parking.

DESCRIPTION:

Please join the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club and the Tucson Orienteering Club as we present two days of orienteering events at the Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona. On both Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16, 2016, we will offer a 4-hour event called a "Rogaine" in which participants navigate on foot using only a map and compass to different locations within a designated area. Participants are allowed to visit as few or as many locations as they can within the 4-hour time limit.

Our orienteering events at the Petrified Forest National Park offer an excellent opportunity to practice your navigation skills while at the same time exploring an incredibly beautiful and unique location. The Petrified Forest National Park has offered us an excellent and rare chance to practice our sport inside a National Park. We hope you'll take the opportunity to join us and discover this amazing national treasure.

NOTES:

Pre-Registration (Event Registration) (See who is registered)
Pre-Registration is Required! The Petrified Forest National Park does not allow any money exchange within the park. In addition, there is a strict limit of 75 participants each day that the Park is allowing for our events. Because of this, pre-registration is required for the events using our on-line registration site. Late registration extends to Monday night, October 10, at 11:59 PM. There is no on-site registration.

Registration/Fees (Event Registration) (See who is registered)
Because of the pre-registration requirement, we have setup an on-line registration site to help with the registration for the Petrified Forest Rogaines. Fees for the events are set on a staggered scale to encourage you to register early. (Early registration helps when it comes to printing the maps!) The entry fees are the same for each event and are per participant. Individuals who wish to compete as part of a team still must register and pay individually. We are allowing solos and teams of 2-4 individuals. If you would like to compete as a team, we ask that you include the name of your team in the "Notes" box of the registration screen.

Regular Registration: Register by 11:59 PM Arizona time on Saturday, October 1. The regular registration fee is $20 per person per day ($40 for two days of orienteering).
Late Registration: Register by 11:59 PM Arizona time on Monday, October 10. The late registration fee is $30 per person per day.
Final Registration: Registration will close at midnight, October 11. No further registration is available after this time. There is no on-site registration.

Parental Consent Required (Click here for more information)
All participants under age 18 are required to have a signed parental consent form on file with the club. You can complete the form before the event and either scan it and send it to us by e-mail or bring it with you to the event.

Packet Pickup

Friday, 18:00 to 21:00 at the Motel 6 courtyard (List of Preferred Accommodations).
Saturday, 7:00 - 8:15 AM at Event Headquarters
Sunday, 7:00 - 8:15 AM at Event Headquarters

Event Headquarters
For both day's events, the "Event Headquarters" is located just outside the south entrance to the Park, approximately 20 miles southeast of Holbrook on US 180. (Directions to the Event Headquarters).
The Event Headquarters IS NOT at the north entrance to the park along I-40!!! Participants are required to check-in at Event Headquarters each day.

Carpool Requirement
On the days of the events, we require participants to meet at the Event Headquarters, check in, then carpool to the start location. The National Park management this year requires us to limit the number of vehicles we allow into the park. After you check in, you will be asked to organize into vehicles containing a minimum of 3 individuals. We will provide each car with a parking pass that allows access to our parking area. Please note that there is a $20 fee for each vehicle to enter the park. Annual national park passes are accepted.

Parking Passes: Parking In the Park
We have been assigned a special area for event parking each day. We will provide parking instructions when you check in at Event Headquarters. To help control our use of parking spaces inside the park, we will provide each carpool vehicle with a parking pass. We will only allow vehicles with this parking pass to park in our assigned area. Please respect the carpool requirements this year. We really want to show the National Park management that we're able to meet their request to minimize our impact on their park.

Accommodations
The Holbrook area has many options for your stay. Our preferred lodging includes a deluxe and standard motel, RV sites, cabins, paid camping, and free camping. You can click on the List of Preferred Accommodations to see accommodation options. Please note that we have not made any special arrangements for lodging. Each participant or group will make their own arrangements.

Awards/Categories
Standings are determined first by overall points collected during the two days, then by time. We will present awards to the top 3 overall finishers of the two-day competition. We will also present awards to the top 3 finishers in each class of teams: Male Open, Female Open, and Mixed Open. For purposes of these events, a "team" consists of one to four members.

Map and Terrain
The map scale for both day's events is 1:15,000. The map will not use the standard brown color for "open terrain" but instead will use white (to avoid wasting ink when printing the maps). While the map will not meet the standard for high-quality orienteering maps, don't worry. We promise we'll only place controls on easy-to-see mapped features. For those of you who love running in the forest, you've come to the wrong place! We haven't decided yet, but we're considering offering a special bonus for each tree over 5-feet tall you're able to photograph during the events. The unique landscape in the Petrified Forest National Park is very rugged and very barren. You'll get to explore a badlands of rocks, gullies, cliffs, and most of all, petrified wood! We have specifically chosen sites for the controls which will take you through geologic layers with some of the heaviest concentrations of petrified wood in the park. You will NOT be disappointed you came!

Course Notes

Water: We'll have at least three water stations on each course. Two of the water stations will be manned by a volunteer with radio communications back to Event Headquarters. We want these events to be as safe as possible. We hope you'll all plan to visit our manned water stations to help keep our volunteers entertained.
Punch System: We will use standard manual controls. This means you will record your visit to a control by punching a control card using the punch attached to the control bag. We will NOT use electronic punching. For some of you, this is a throwback into prehistoric times, which is somehow appropriate with all the petrified wood laying around you. We hope you're not too disappointed that you won't be able to use the fancy SportIdent card you just purchased.
Map Distribution: We'll hand out maps just after the mandatory pre-race briefing at 8:30 each day. The events don't start until 9:30. We have a remote start each day. Saturday's remote start is 400 meters from the pre-race briefing. Sunday's remote start is about 1500 meters away. While you have some time to look at the map and plan your route, you'll want to plan enough time to get to the start line by 9:30.

SCHEDULE:

Friday, October 14, 2016
18:00 - 21:00	Packet Pickup	Motel 6 courtyard (just behind the motel office) (Holbrook Accommodations)
Saturday, October 15, 2016
07:00 AM to 8:15 AM	Check-in at Event Headquarters, carpool to the pre-race briefing location. Packet Pickup (for those who were unable to get their packets beforehand). NOTE: It is VERY important you check in on time. There is a short drive to the pre-race briefing location and you are required to carpool. Carpool vehicles must obtain a parking pass. We'll provide details describing how to arrive at event parking at check-in.	(Directions to the Event Headquarters)
8:30	Mandatory Briefing, Map Distribution You'll have at least 30 minutes to plan your route. There is a 400 meter walk from the pre-race briefing to Saturday's start location.	Pre-Race Briefing Location - We'll inform you of the pre-race briefing location when you check in. Note once again that you will be required to carpool to the pre-race briefing location.
9:30	Rogaine course opens The start location is 400 meters from the pre-race briefing location. You have to walk to the start line. Please allow enough time.	Start/Finish location. We'll inform you of the start/finish locations at the pre-race briefing.
1:30	Rogaine course closes Participants are assessed a 10 point per minute penalty for every minute they arrive after 1:30.	Start/Finish line (see packet).
Sunday, October 16, 2016
07:00 AM to 8:15 AM	Check-in at Event Headquarters, carpool to the pre-race briefing location. Packet Pickup (for those who were unable to get their packets beforehand). NOTE: It is VERY important you check in on time. There is a short drive to the pre-race briefing location and you are required to carpool. Carpool vehicles must obtain a parking pass. We'll provide details describing how to arrive at event parking at check-in.	(Directions to the Event Headquarters)
8:30	Mandatory Briefing, Map Distribution You'll have at least 30 minutes to plan your route. There is a 1500 meter walk to Sunday's start location.	Pre-Race Briefing Location - We'll inform you of the pre-race briefing location when you check in. Note once again that you will be reqired to carpool to the pre-race briefing location.
9:30	Rogaine course opens The start location is 1500 meters from the pre-race briefing location. You have to walk to the start line. Please allow enough time.	Start/Finish location. We'll inform you of the start/finish locations at the pre-race briefing.
1:30	Rogaine course closes Participants are assessed a 10 point per minute penalty for every minute they arrive after 1:30.	Start/Finish line (see packet).
2:00	Awards	Event Headquarters

FOOD:

We will have drinks and snacks at the Event Headquarters and at the finish location. You just wandered around through the desert for 4 hours; you deserve something for your efforts!

WHAT TO BRING:

The list below is recommended gear for the rogaines.

Whistle (Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1)
Compass (Mandatory for all. Available for rent for $1)
Water. There will be water at the start/finish. We will also have one or two water stations on the course. However, you are strongly encouraged to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.
Sun screen. There is little or no shade on the course.
Sturdy hiking shoes and long pants are recommended. You won't encounter a lot of vegetation but there is a fair amount of loose terrain.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Please direct any questions to the Meet Director at birks(at)yahoo.com (The (at) refers to the "@" symbol.)

Directions to the Event Headquarters

Follow this hyperlink for directions to the Event Headquarters located just outside the south gate to the park.