Fountainhead West

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January 6
Sunday

Happy New Year! and welcome back to Fountainhead Regional Park for the first QOC event of 2019 in the fun and challenging terrain of Fountainhead West with a new twist that we hope will make the event even better than it has been before. Victor Lin, our course setter, has designed a full set of courses to help you run off all that roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (course setter comments and stats are now posted below). As with any winter meet, there is always a possibility that weather might impinge on its execution, so continue to check this site as we approach the event date.

Please read the following information carefully as our concept for this Fountainhead West event is modified from what we have done the last two seasons:

First, parking and registration this year will be in the Fountainhead main parking lot at Shelter 1 (NOT at Bull Run Marina parking lot.) We will shuttle participants both ways between the registration site and the start/finish/e-punch/download location, situated at the Kegley House (pictured), which sits at the end of Wolf Run Shoals Road--about a 10 minute bus ride either way.

This arrangement will eliminate the somewhat long and boring run back through a narrow corridor of park land to the finish that orange through blue runners have experienced in the past and allow Victor to make maximum use of this great piece of terrain. In addition, White and Yellow course participants will, unlike last year, have the same start and finish as the Orange-Blue runners, using the shuttles likewise, and, therefore, experience an entirely different piece of terrain at Fountainhead West than in the past.

Two shuttle buses will be on station at the registration point at 10:30am, moving runners back and forth until 3:30pm, and you shouldn't have to wait more than about 12-15 minutes between shuttles. This set-up means that, even more than usual, it will be important to be off the course at 3:00pm to download and then catch the last shuttle departing at 3:15pm to return to the main parking lot. (Please don't forget to download at the e-punch table BEFORE boarding the shuttle!) You should take clothing with you to the Start/Finish to keep warm while waiting for the shuttle—a tarp will be provided.

SPECIAL NOTICE ABOUT $5 SURCHARGE FOR SHUTTLE SERVICE

In order to access some of the best orienteering terrain in the park, as outlined above, we will be hiring vans and shuttling participants to a remote start area. To help cover the added cost of running the shuttle service, a $5 extra surcharge will be added per start (i.e. per individual or per group) to the regular meet fee for participants on all courses.

Event timing is standard: register between 10:45am - 1:15pm, start anytime between 11am - 1:30pm, and be out of the woods by 3:00pm. Full course details and course setter comments are now posted below.

Port-a-johns will be located near the registration site in Shelter 1, in the Main Park. There will also be a port-a-john at the e-punch/start/finish location on Wolf Run Shoals Road.

Newcomers are always welcome, and beginner instruction will be available at all times. An introduction to the course colors and difficulties can be found on our home page, and our volunteers can help you select an appropriate course if you are unsure.

Dogs on leash are welcome.

Any youth or large groups attending, please contact the Event Director so that we can coordinate pre-registration and print sufficient maps for your group; the group registration and waiver form is part of the information on our For Group Leaders page.