Port Seton and Cockenzie Sprintelope
Wednesday 14th June 2023

Port Seton and Cockenzie Sprintelope  Wednesday 14th June 2023

Sprintelopes are lightweight informal events featuring Urban style races around the streets of towns in East Lothian and other areas in and around Edinburgh on Wednesday evenings.

In 2023, ELO are contributing six races to the series – this is the fifth of them, around Port Seton and Cockenzie. Expect some deviously similar looking sections on a brand new map with plenty of scope for making parallel errors!

Orienteers of all abilities are welcome to join us on the day when we will have a range of courses to suit everyone.

Results

  • Simple results are here.
  • Routegadget allows you to plot your route, either by hand or by downloading a gpx file from a watch or phone and to look where you and others went.
  • British Orienteering collect results from all events and publish ranking scores for larger events.
  • Munro Leagues collate the series results

General Information

Type of event:

Local event in the summer Sprintelope series.

Because they are informal, there are only SI units for the start and finish – the rest of the controls are usually drainpipes (which are less conspicuous than flags)!

There will be a long (5km) and a short (3.5km) option although these are straight line distances so expect to run further than that.

Because of the road crossings ALL under 16s must be accompanied at all times by an adult when running.

Terrain:

  • Urban.
  • Please observe any out of bounds areas.

Other Users

The area is very well used by the general public including dog walkers and families. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.

Dogs

The area is well used by dog walkers so dogs are welcome to come with orienteers.

Toilets:

Public toilets are available in the community centre

Accessibility:

Generally speaking, level paved routes exist between all controls. However:

  • The shortest route choice for some legs is not always completely step-free and paved (it may involve areas of grass, unpaved paths, steps, etc.) and finding a step-free paved route will be longer.
  • The surface of some paved areas is a little uneven, and there may be low kerbs to descend or ascend, or small detours to find a dropped kerb.
  • Some controls cannot be reached entirely via a step-free paved route, in the sense that the final few metres involve grass, an unpaved path, steps, etc. (but bear in mind that the controls are not dibbable anyway!)
  • Some gates/paths may be a little tight to negotiate (roughly a metre wide).
  • There may be unmapped steps.

What to Expect

Sprintelopes are informal events and as such there is no electronic punching at most of the controls.

It’s taken on trust that you visit them and instead of looking for a large white and orange kite you are looking for a more discreet white drainpipe which is usually hung on a tree, a drainpipe, a fence etc…

A drainpipe control

The only time you need to “dib” a control is at the start and the finish to record your total time.

At the start there is an all-in-one board to clear, start and then indicate whether you are running the short or the long course.

Start Board

After you’ve punched the long or short option its time to find the rest of the controls (but don’t try to stick your dibber into them as they won’t beep) and enjoy yourself.

You MUST report back to the finish and download even if you don’t manage to find all the controls so that we don’t go out hunting for you!

Location

Nearest Town: Cockenzie
Grid Ref: NT407756
Nearest Postcode: EH32 0BQ

Directions

Head to the Port Seton community centre on South Seton Park. Parking is in the community centre car park and the start is to the west of the centre.

Public Transport

Take the 26 towards Seton Sands and take a short walk south from the Park Road bus stop. Port Seton is also served by the 111, 118A and X26.

Nearest Defibrillator:

On the South side of the Community Centre.

Registration & Start Times

Registration

This will be in advance online (with some maps available on the night) – look out for the ELO flag at the community centre!
Please come early if you think you might take a long time to complete your course.

Start and Finish:

Start times will be from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

The Start and Finish locations are on the east side of the community centre

Courses Close:

The courses will close at 8:00pm, so if you have not completed your course by then, you should stop and must return to assembly. 
Controls in the first half of the course will be brought in from 8:00pm.
You must report to the Download point, whether you complete the course or not, so that we know you are not lost or injured in the town!

Course Information

Map

The map is printed at 1:4000 (or 1:5000) with 2.5m contours.

Timing

There will only be SI Units at the start and the finish – we will take it on trust that you visit the rest of the controls.

Courses

There will be Long and Short courses.

Course Length / Ascent Description
Long5km / NegligibleModerate difficulty (no unaccompanied under 16s)
Short3km / NegligibleModerate difficulty (no unaccompanied under 16s)

More details about the colour coding is available on the Scottish Orienteering website.

Organiser:

Michael Atkinson

Planner:

David Robertson

Other Information:

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer an under 16s course on this occasion.

Entry Charges

Entry is cheaper if you are a current 2023 member of a club affiliated to Scottish or British Orienteering.

Please ensure that your membership has been renewed for 2023.

British/Scottish Orienteering member* (Pre-entry)Non‑member
& late entry
Seniors£3£4
Juniors
(over 16s only)
£1£2
Pair of Seniors£4£5
Pair of Juniors 
(both over 16)
£2£3
Junior and Parent
(for Juniors under 16)
£2£3

*Members of any orienteering club will receive a discount for advance entry only (usually by the Monday before the event so we can order maps).

Safety and Risk

A comprehensive risk assessment has been carried out by the organisers, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event

Medical Conditions:

If you, or anyone in your group (including juniors), have a medical condition that first-aiders or health professionals should know about in the event of accident or illness during the course of the event please print off the Medical Form, complete it fully and bring it along to the event.   You should complete a separate copy for each individual who has a medical condition.  Please leave the completed Medical Form at Event Registration.  If it is not in a labelled sealed envelope, it will be put in one and will be opened only in an emergency.  It will be shredded immediately after the event if you do not claim it back.

Privacy

When entering our events your name will appear in the results section of this website and may appear in newspaper reports.
We may also take photographs at the event for publicity purposes – please let us know if you do not want us to use your photograph in this way.
Read our privacy policy.

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