Raccoongaine Rogaining Festival

Georgetown, PA, US
Jun 5–6, 2021

Type: Rogaining - Local

event website

added by: sherpes

Raccoongaine XI

Saturday & Sunday, June 5-6, 2021
Raccoon Creek State Park
(30 miles West of Pittsburgh)
3 hour and 6 hour foot race "mini" rogaine (orienteering - scavenger hunt)

Registration will open at Noon on April 15, 2021 All participants must preregister; there will be no on-site registration.

In a rogaine-style format, individuals or teams have a fixed time (3 or 6 hours in this event) to visit as many checkpoints as possible; walking, running and resting as they see fit. The checkpoints are spread over a large area, and are pre-marked on a map issued shortly before the start of the event. Point values for visiting each control vary (and are specified in advance) depending on such factors as distance from the start/finish area, elevation, navigational complexity.

Participants in a Rogaine come from diverse backgrounds: hikers, walkers, cross-country runners, trail runners, adventure racers, ultra runners, orienteers, hashers and family groups. Widely varying levels of competitive intensity are found, going from the casual stroller who wants a little variety added to the weekend hike to the serious athlete. Map reading skill is perhaps the most important technique needed. Route planning strategy is also very important since there won't be time to get all the controls, so the choice of which to try for is crucial in maximizing scores.

Date and Time:
Saturday's event is the 3-hour race. Although it uses part of the same maps used for Sunday, the controls will be completely different. The start is at 12 Noon. on Saturday, June 5, 2020. The registration desk opens at 9:30 AM. Maps will be distributed at 11:00 AM. There is a mandatory meeting at 11:45 AM. at the start location for all participants.
Sunday's event is the 6-hour race. The start is at 10:00 AM on Sunday, June 6, 2020. The registration desk opens at 8:00 AM. Maps will be distributed at 9:00 AM. There is a mandatory meeting at 9:45 AM at the start location for all participants.

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

Start/Finish area: Rec Hall in Raccoon Creek State Park. Located 30 miles West of Pittsburgh, near the town of Frankfort Springs. Rec Hall is located 1.3 miles west of the park headquarters which is on route 18. Directions: from Pittsburgh, take Parkway West (I-376) in direction towards the airport. Change to Route 22 West, and exit route 22 at Route 18. Follow Route 18 for 6 miles to the north to park headquarters, and follow signs and road for 1.3 miles West to Rec Hall. GPS coordinates: N 40 30.570, W 80 26.800 The start and finish are the same for both days.

Provided Equipment: A special-purpose topographic map at a 1:15,000 scale and 5 meter contour interval with a clear plastic bag will be provided to each participant. Saturday's map will consist of one 11 x 17 sheet; Sunday's map will consist of two such 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, 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 about 25 control points for Saturday and about 50 control points for Sunday distributed throughout the mapped areas.

Scoring: The point value of all control points visited is totaled. The lateness penalty will be 11 points for every minute late. Tie scores will be decided by the order of finishing times. If in a 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.

Awards 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. For example, a team of three women age 40, 44, and 57 would be in the Masters, Women category. Team members under age 20 are not considered in determining age category unless all are under age 20; then the team is Elite.

Entry Information: Entries received by 6/01/2021 will pay a fee of $30 per person for the 6-hr event and $18 for the 3 hour event. After that date, the fees are $40 for the 6-hr event, and $25 for the 3-hr event. On June 02, 2021, registration will be cut off. There will be no on-site registration. The 3-hour race is limited to 125 people; the 6-hour race is limited to 125 people. Because controls for the two races are completely separate, an individual or team may register for both races. ALL registration must be done online using the link provided above. There is a $8 discount per person for members of WPOC on the 6-hour event and a $5 discount per person for members of WPOC on the 3-hour event.

Camping: a group tenting site has been reserved for Friday night and Saturday night. It is conveniently located 2 km from event HQ. Anyone registered at the event, as well as their family members, are invited to use this camping site. The site is primitive and has a max capacity of 60 people. There are 8 picnic tables, one fire ring, gravel parking lot, primitive restroom facilities. No alcohol allowed. A small donation ($5-$10) is being asked to defray the cost of this camping site. GPS coordinates: 40°30'58.2"N 80°26'09.6"W (40.516177, -80.435987). Take this event opportunity as a means to transform it into a outdoor multi-day vacation. The park lake has a swimming beach, and kayak/canoe rental concession, if you are interested in side activities. Bring a story to tell at the campfire, of when you were insurmountably lost, and then, like magic, found your way. Just mark your intention to camp on the registration page, so we have an aprox idea on who is camping.

Other Stuff: Only 30 miles away, the city of Pittsburgh offers much to do and see. Here is a list that we recommend:
Bicycle Heaven
Randyland

Event webpage

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Attending:

72.7		Joe (log) registered for sunday after 7 hours driving
64.1		KFish
52.5		GlenT (log) Sunday
48.0		mjourdan70 mjourdan70
47.5		arthurd (log)
43.6		cumings
43.6		mikeminium
42.9		Brucewithamap
42.8		fossil (log) NCO
35.1		Sparks (log)
		sherpes gotta hang 'em flags in the thick brush...
		CHand Same weekend as NCO event; driving is fun
		Jerkface (log) Registered for Sunday. Solo.
		FredM
		Mr Wonderful
		Bswede (log)
		mayer22 Two Rivers the weekend before
		C. J. Meidlinger conflict