Park Race – Richmond Park, Tuesday 4th July
Invitation
South London Orienteers are delighted to invite you to the seventh event of the ten race 2023 Park Race Series in Richmond Park on Tuesday 4th July.
Location & Travel
Assembly is at The Albert, 57 Kingston Hill, KT2 7PX. The pub has toilets, and excellent post-race food and drink – our event would not be possible without the generous support of The Albert so please support them. The pub is a 5 minute walk from Norbiton Station (SW Mainline), with buses 57, 85 & 213 stopping directly in front of the pub. Transport for London website: https://tfl.gov.uk/
If you are driving, please do not park within Richmond Park itself. Free parking is available on the residential streets surrounding the park.
| Location | Richmond Park |
|---|---|
| Address | The Albert, KT2 7PX |
| Latitude/longitude | 51.4162, -0.2839 |
| OS grid reference | TQ194699 |
| Maps | Google Maps, OpenStreetMap |
/-0.283890,51.416160,14,0,0/455x455@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib29icmllbiIsImEiOiJjaWwyb2d6M2MwMGM2d2dtNXI0Y2dobjdkIn0._yVvYZuMnUokZRhdRs0ysQ)
| |
Course Details
These courses are offered:
- Long: approximately 5.5km, quite challenging
- Short: approximately 2.5km, quite challenging
No major roads are crossed by either courses and are suitable for under 16s. However, minor roads are crossed on the way to the start and back from the finish. Note that Richmond park is open to vehicles during the race. Competitors should take great care, particularly for fast moving cyclists.
Terrain
Richmond Park is one of the best orienteering areas inside the M25. It is the largest of the royal parks and a national nature reserve.
The park is a mixture of open grassland, solid paths, thick fern undergrowth and trees. There is a lot of vegetation at the moment, so you may encounter brambles – full leg cover is highly recommended. Not all areas of thick undergrowth are shown on the map.
In case of bad weather or following rain, surfaces can be muddy and slippery. Shoes with better grip recommended. Metal spikes are not allowed.
Please take care when running – beware of blind corners, cyclists, pedestrians and any incoming traffic. Runners do not have a right of way, please be respectful to other park users and pedestrians.
Deer are present throughout the park and may be encountered on your course. Please do not disturb them and give them considerable space – Richmond Park advises a distance of at least 50 metres.
Start Times
The starts and finishes for both courses are located approximately 700m from the assembly. Starts between 6:15 and 7:30pm. Course closing 8:30pm, when we will start to collect controls.
Entries
Opening now open at SiEntries The entry includes your copy of the full colour map of the course provided at the start.
| Senior Member | £5.00 | |
| Senior Non-Member | £7.00 | |
| Junior / Student | £3.00 | |
| Hire of Timing Card (if you don’t have your own) | £2.00 |
Other Information
If you start it is important that you subsequently download your timing card at the pub.
Even though the COVID situation has reduced, it is important that we are seen to take the protocols seriously, before, during and after racing so please read and abide by the COVID Safe Orienteering (available from the British Orienteering website).
The nearest Hospital (A&E) is Kingston, very close to the pub.
Leg cover is highly recommended – both for brambles/undergrowth and to protect against ticks. Please remember to check yourself for ticks after the event – further guidance is available here https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/visitor-information/tick-bites-and-lyme-disease
Photographs may be taken during the event.
Officials
Organiser/Planner – Eleanor Broughton & Ryan Sutton
Series Coordinator – Sarah Brown