#1. I didn't expect this to be a route choice leg. The optimal route exits the passthrough going east, makes a quick north, then a quick west... (VERY quick, considering the map scale of 1:4,000.) Some people, however, started out going west as if to go to #13. I don't know whether they were following the wrong line (i.e. thought #13 was #1) or were just starting in that direction because they had seen a bunch of other people start off in that direction. (#13 on the sprint was #1 on the White course, so many people did start off in that direction.) Some people turned around & came back through the start 30 seconds later, while others exited the courtyard through the passthrough on the NW corner. Other people lost 30+ seconds at the start just standing still figuring out the route to #1 and getting used to the map.
#2. People who simplified this leg were able to run it quickly, although some, who didn't read the clue sheet to see that the control is on the N side of a wall and thus not visible from the south, lost a little time when they got to the control circle & didn't immediately see the bag.
#3. Here you encounter 3 junctions in about 30 seconds. How fast can you pull the necessary data out of the map: "straight, left, right"?
#4. Got to pay attention while flying along the trail that you don't overrun it on a 1:4,000 map.
#5 & #6. These were to get people to go up the paved path; most of the bushwacking options are officially closed for erosion control. That's actually a big hill to go up, but the only hill on the course.
#7. The best route choice leg. The most obvious route is to start off around the north side of the 2nd building, but upon closer inspection of the map you'll see an impassable fence & little building will force you down onto the very steep very green slope; not a good route. Someone who tried it had to backtrack from the fence. Others went west & south out of #6, but then continued W around the N side of 3 more buildings. That worked, but wasn't optimal. Optimal was to cut diagionally across the field and take the road or sidewalk to the bend SE of #7.
#8. Most people took the bridge, which was the best choice. You could see #8's building from #7 if you were looking.
#9. Trickier than it looks.
#10. This was a great place to run fast: straight, flat, & open.
#11. Short leg setting up #12.
#12. 3 options. Some people went E to the gap between the buildings, only then noticing the impassible fence on the map, and then chose between one of the other 2 options. A surprising number of people exited #11 to the west, (or even backtracked from the fence) taking the long way around the big building. The person with the fastest time on the course exited #11 to the NE then went S through the passthrough.
#13. One of the best legs of the course. The optimal route was to zigzag through the maze to the passthrough NW of the control. Most people did that, but some either didn't see that option, or didn't see it in time, and ran around through the start.
#14. Here you got to break the rule Mother probably taught you as a kid about not running down stairs.
Brian Moore
Results
30 Lisa Jhung F21 RMOC 21:38 29 Brooke Mann F21 RMOC 24:36 28 Sheryl Lehman F40 RMOC 38:59 30 Rich Kelly M45 RMOC 15:21 29 Troy Bozarth M21 RMOC 15:35 28 JP Ingebrigtsen M45 RMOC 16:09 27 Mark Bockmann M35 RMOC 17:17 26 Steve Levin M45 RMOC 18:37 25 Dmitriy Zamoshchin M40 RMOC 19:22 24 Bob Ellis RMOC 20:19 23 Ken Lotze M55 RMOC 20:31 22 Jason Poole M21 RMOC 20:59 21 Dougald MacDonald M45 RMOC 21:49 20 Sverre Froyen RMOC 22:57 19 Alex Zamoschin M16 RMOC 23:24 18 Michael Rounds M40 RMOC 24:51 17 Hutch RMOC 26:09 16 Jeff Borchavelt M45 26:43 15 John Oliva M21 27:02 14 Doug VanWinkle M21 27:40 13 Bill Campbell M55 RMOC 28:39 12 Shawn Verlinden M21 32:03 11 Kaelan Cessna 49:15 10 Jim Bowe M40 49:33