Event Description
Mazeophobia: The Best Bad Idea
This event is the antidote to the feelings of malaise that pervade our modern society.
It's a protest against a culture that pushes passivity, comfort, and retreat into abstraction at the detriment of our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
"But, in the long run, in the great battle of life, no brilliancy of intellect, no perfection of bodily development, will count when weighed in the balance against that assemblage of virtues, active and passive, of moral qualities, which we group together under the name of character." - Theodore Roosevelt
The Race Schedule
8:00 AM - Race materials will be available for pick up. Race materials include 1-topographical map with a 1:24,000 scale, 1-waterproof map case, 1- clue sheet, and 1-race passport. Racers must plot all coordinates from the clue sheet on the topographical map. They can double check against a master map.
8:30 AM - Mass Start
2:30 PM - Teams must be back to avoid penalty. Teams will have exactly 6 hrs to complete the course. For each minute over 6 hrs, the team will lose 10 points. At 6 hrs and 31 minutes the team will be disqualified.
The Rules
No GPS devices allowed to help navigate. Taking pictures and tracking your activity is allowed on a device, but no GPS mapping..
All team members must remain within 100 ft of each other at all times.
Teams have 6 hrs to complete the course. Most teams will not be able to clear the course.
No outside maps are allowed.
Private property or other areas indicated on the map are off-limits.
The course is under embargo beginning Monday, January 31 . Anyone who is found on the course from the 31st till the 8:30 am start will be disqualified along with the rest of their team.
There will be no aid on the course. You must carry whatever you need to get you and your teammates safely back to the start.
Everyone must be on a team, even if you are a team of 1.
No Complaining
Team scoring will be based on most points earned, by proof on your race passport. This year checkpoints will have a point value. Some will be worth more than others. Where a tie exists, it will be broken based on fastest time.
Required Gear (If you need more info, let me know)
Compass - I prefer a baseplate style compass like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Brunton-F-TRUARC10-TruArc10-Baseplate-Compass/dp/B00LUKO7IA/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=brunton+truarc&qid=1609518948&sr=8-15
UTM 1:24,000 map plotting tool - I prefer corner tools like this one:https://maptools.com/product/Mini24
Pens (various colors is a good idea) for marking the map
Water and whatever else you need to stay alive
The Cost
Its free, because I like you. If you want to donate a couple of bucks to help offset my costs, awesome, but not necessary. I simply want to get people in the outdoors doing hard things.
The Course
The start/finish will be at Touch of Nature. The specific start/finish will be disclosed closer to race day.
There will be 19+ checkpoints scattered across the areas encompassing Touch of Nature. Checkpoints will be off -trail. Expect to cover 20k+ to clear the course.
The area is rugged and it will be cold. Plan accordingly.
Practice
How to plot coordinates on the map:
https://maptools.com/tutorials/utm/quick_guide
Here are some great videos from some of the best navigators I know on Trekking and Navigation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cs0VmHcQJE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK-RoM4ued8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ8537dKTHM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWz-3NDsDxk
Final Thoughts
I am hoping to do some sort of training on plotting, compass and map work prior to the event. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime check out the training problems under training menu above. I am sure I am missing something, so please ask and I'll answer to the best of my ability. In part, what makes these events fun , is simply not knowing...