Retro - Lowther Park

RETRO EVENTS. Details below and also available to download HERE

We’re taking you back to the late 60s and early 70s.  This is how it used to be done.
It’s a different style of running .  There’s no chance of spiking every control, and every chance of joining in with other runners to do a sweep search.  Sometimes more ‘treasure hunt’ than ‘sprint’.

The maps will be black and white, probably at 1:20000 or 1:25000.  They aren’t waterproof.  They’ll be out of date - there might be map corrections for you mark on yourself.  When you get the map, there’ll be no course marked on it.  You have to do that yourself, as part of your race time.
Control descriptions will be on a separate piece of (non-waterproof) paper, in text.  If a feature is described as ‘the’ then it’s on the map.  If it’s ‘a’ then it isn’t.   So ‘ the fence corner’ would be on the map.  ‘A boulder’  is not shown on the map – you’ve just got a circle where it might be.
Control cards will be used (not waterproof, of course).
Timing will be basic – no electronics. We’ll use pin punches.  We couldn’t get any rubber stamps or bus conductor’s clippers as we used to use.

You’ll need:

• Good eyes – or a magnifying glass
• A flexible attitude – there might not be a lot of running involved
• A map case to take the map, control card, and control descriptions
• A pen or pencil that will write in the rain, on wet paper.  We used to use wax pencils (chinagraphs).  We also covered the map in transpaseal (sticky plastic) and sandpapered it so the crayon wouldn’t rub off.  Don’t bother.

Bob Barnby, Alan Cranke, and Pete Nelson