Rules

The Alpine Mountain Marathon - 19/20th April 2008: A Two-Day Competition for Teams of 2 or more with Overnight Campsite

The event will take place in a mystery Canterbury High Country Location. The muster area will be at Cathedral Square, Christchurch. Competitors will be bused to the event. The event can best be described as a two-day mountain orienteering competition with an overnight camp at a remote location. Teams run in pairs and carry lightweight camping equipment, clothes and food to sustain themselves for 36 hours.

TIMETABLE: The races will all be mass started. Day 1 Start will be programmed to be at 10am, the muster time will be announced closer to the time. Day 2 will start at 7am to facilitate an early finish.

THE MAPS: Each team will receive a set of maps per competitor at the start of each day. The maps will be of varying scale and type to provide an interesting challenge. All maps will come with a sheet of checkpoint descriptions inside a plastic bag. Competitors may like to adopt further waterproofing methods. All maps will be pre-printed with the checkpoints. The checkpoints must be visited in the order shown on the sheet.

CHECKPOINTS: Teams must stay within visual and verbal contact of each other and all members must visit every control. We are investigating using electronic timing for this event, but this will still be in the context of the cryptic clue system, as used for events such as TWALK, Cyclic Saga and the Taylors Mistake Rogaine Series.

6/7 HOURS: On both days teams have 6/7 hours to complete the entire core course and as much of the optional course as they can. After this 6/7 hour period they begin incurring penalty points. Teams longer than 30 minutes over time are disqualified and finish unranked. Unranked teams may complete the second day if their disqualification occurs on the first. The scoring and penalty system will not be announced until teams receive their maps.

OVERNIGHT CAMP: The overnight campsite will have a water source and basic toilets, please abide by announced camp protocol. The whole idea is team self-sufficiency.

RESULTS: will be displayed at the camp site. Those finishing within 60 minutes of the leader on each course will take part in a chasing start on day 2. The leaders will start at 7am with the rest of the field, followed for the next 60 minutes by their closest rivals. FINISH - THE EVENT CENTRE: Random kit checks will be made and this will be followed by a BBQ and small prizegiving. Teams will then be bused back to Christchurch. PLEASE READ THIS WARNING: You will be tackling some very challenging mountain terrain and the daily distances will reflect this. If you are not both competent and confident when moving across steep, rough mountain terrain, you will inevitably be spending longer on the hills than you anticipated. In view of this, please make a realistic assessment of your capabilities and ensure that you are tackling the course which best reflects your mountain skills. Please be prepared for the worst possible conditions as the competition area is very isolated and exposed to serious weather. Bear in mind that you are very much on your own once you have started. Although the organisers will ensure that the event is as safe as possible, your safety is ultimately your own personal responsibility, just as it is with any trip into the hills. Consider training for this event by running on mountain terrain where possible and by practising fine map reading and compass skills.

DISCLAIMER: When you enter the Alpine Mountain Marathon you accept full responsibility for your safety and any injury you sustain during the event. These are not the responsibility of the event organiser. You know your limitations and will retire from the event rather than jeopardise your own safety.

COMPULSORY KIT: Each team must carry a tent with ground sheet, food for evening meal and breakfast, stove and means to produce hot food/drink, first aid kit to include wound dressings, strapping tape, suncream & anti-inflammatory tablets/ointments, trowel for burying of human waste.

Each person must wear or carry a whistle, compass, map, pencil & paper, torch (not penlight) with 6 hours light. A sleeping bag, survival bag (not blanket), waterproof raincoat with hood, overtrousers, hat & gloves, polypro top/bottom, warm thicker top - fleece or similar, energy food for each day with a small amount of emergency rations to remain at the end of day 2. A Goretex bivi bag may be used as a sleeping bag but not as a tent.

Teams should be prepared for random gear checks on arrival at the overnight camp and at the end of the event.

WATER SUPPLY: If you feel there is any risk that the water you may drink en route or at the campsites is not pure enough, you should consider using suitable water purification tablets. This would be more significant after a period of unusually dry weather. All water consumed during the weekend is at your own risk.

FORBIDDEN KIT: GPS and any Satellite Navigation device such as Magellan and Garmin - altimeters are allowed.

WITHDRAWING AN ENTRY: Withdrawal from the event after payment is made will be entirely at the organisers discretion. This discretion will harden as the event approaches.

CAN YOU HELP?: If you are thinking of coming to the event but are not competing and would be able to commit yourself from Friday afternoon onwards to help with registration, the starts, finishes or overnight camp please contact Jamie @ 021 2934572


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