2018 Nav-X Challenge @ Briones

Quick Info

• Date: Saturday, March 10, 2018
• Location: Newt Hollow Picnic Area at Bear Creek Staging Area - Briones Regional Park
• Event Director: Kyle Peter (contact)
• Course Director: Heidi Cusworth
• Courses:  2 & 4h Map Trek

List of Registered Entrants

Follow this link to an updated list of entrants.

Event Summary

The 2018 Nav-X Challenge's season opener brings us back to a Wilderness a mere 40 minutes from downtown San Francisco (70 min from Sacramento).  Briones Regional Park is a vast wild area with oak studded green hills, tucked in between Martinez and Lafayette, West of Walnut Creek. Using a quality map specifically designed for navigation sports, course setter Heidi Cusworth will be treating us to a Map Adventure sure to please any navigation sports enthusiast, whether you are looking for a scenic 2 hr hike in the green hills, or a 4 hr endurance race against some of the best in the West.

Schedule

New to Map Trekking or Rogaining?

Map Trekking is a “Navigation Sport” that has elements of a few other sports and activities like Trail Running, Fell Running (XC hill running), Hiking, Orienteering and Geo Caching.  More specifically, Map Trekking is a time-based challenge, 2 hrs or more in length, where participants try to score as many points as possible within the time allowed, by visiting checkpoints scattered across a vast, wild landscape.  Participants are free to decide which checkpoints to visit, and in what order.  Typically, a set time is allowed before the start for participants to study the map, and determine their route.  Participants travel on foot and navigate their chosen route using the map and a compass (No GPS allowed except for recording your track).  A late finish comes with point penalties, adding another layer of challenge to the sport.  Checkpoints vary in difficulty and the point value reflects the same, so that easy ones yield a lower point value than difficult ones.  To encourage beginners, course setters typically provide plenty of easy checkpoints near the start and finish location.

Venue / Park Info

With its rolling, grassy hills and secluded, shady canyons, Briones is a secret wilderness surrounded by the towns of central Contra Costa County. Although the park is close to Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Concord, and Martinez, there are peaks within it from which you can see only park and watershed lands for miles in every direction.
From Briones Peak, the highest point in the park, there are panoramic views of Mount Diablo and the Diablo Valley to the east, the Sacramento River and Delta to the north, the East Bay hills and Mt. Tamalpais to the west, and Las Trampas Regional Wilderness to the south.    

About the Map

The map we will be using for this Map Trek is a high quality Orienteering map produced by the Bay Area Orienteering Club.  It is scale 1:15,000, meaning that 1 cm on the map is 150 m in the terrain.  The contour interval (elevation between two contour lines) is 7.5 m (~24 ft).

Courses & Divisions

There will be two courses offered:

• 2 hr Map Trek
• 4 hr Map Trek

Participants can compete in the following divisions:

• Junior (19 & Under, 1-5 person teams)
• Open Female (20-49, 1-5 person teams, All-female)
• Open Male (20-49, 1-5 person teams, All-male)
• Open Mixed (20-49, 2-5 person teams, mixed Male-Female)
• Masters Female (50 and up, 1-5 person teams, All-female)
• Masters Male or Mixed (50 and up, 1-5 person teams, All-male)
• Masters Mixed (50 and up, 2-5 person teams, mixed Male-Female)
• Family - Adults (20+) + children (12 & under)

Results from this event count toward the 2018 Series Championship.

PRICE

Early fees (25% off) through February 25th (via online registration).  Regular fee is February 26th - March 7th (via online registration).  Day of Event Registration is cash only.

Discounts for orienteering club members (BAOC/GCO/etc...), $4 for adults and $2 for juniors.  Discount applied during online registration process.

For family teams (2-hr course only), it is required to have at least one adult (20 & over) and at least one child (12 & under).  Children 12 & under race free.  Children must be registered and accompanied by an adult.

Additional fees to rent an e-punch ($5) and/or compass ($2).  Only one e-punch number or rental request is required per team.  On the registration page, please enter "0" for e-punch number if you are not the first person registering for your team.

REFUND POLICY

Refund policy: 100% refund up to 10 days before event. Future race credit 1-9 days before event. No refunds for no-show.

WHAT TO BRING

Wear what you would normally wear for a strenuous hike in Northern California.  Here are some tips:

• Sturdy shoes with a good tread
• Long pants or gaiters
• Visor hat
• Compass (you may rent one for $2)
• ePunch (SI stick with 50 control capacity - you may rent one for $5 if you don’t have one)
• Pen and maybe a highlighter marker (for marking up your map and making notes)
• Water (enough for the time you will be out on the course)
• On the go snacks (energy bar, gel, etc.)

MAP AND DIRECTIONS

From San Francisco
Take Bay Bridge then Highways 80, 580 and 24 toward Walnut Creek.  To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From South Bay
Take Highways 880, 980 and 24 toward Walnut Creek.  To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From Marin
Take Highways 580 East and 24 toward Walnut Creek.  To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From North Bay
Take highway 80 West (South), exit San Pablo Dam Rd, head South toward Orinda. Turn left on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.

From Sacramento
Take Highway 80 West, then 680 South and 24 West toward Oakland.  To reach the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road, exit Highway 24 at the Orinda/Camino Pablo exit and head North toward Richmond. Turn right on Bear Creek Road and travel 5 miles to the staging area on the right.