Central New York Orienteering

ROGAINE 2024

6 / 12 / 24-Hour ROGAINE for teams of 2-5 people
Hammond Hill, Yellow Barn, and Robinson Hollow State Forests

Past: Register at Orienteering USA’s Event Register: 2024 CNYO ROGAINE

Date: July 6-7, 2024

Time: Mass start at noon on Saturday. Map issue for planning at 10am on Saturday.

Duration: There will be options for 6, 12, and 24 hours.

What is a Rogaine? The concept is very straightforward—teams of two to five people have a fixed time (6, 12, or 24 hours in this event) to visit as many checkpoints as possible, walking, running or resting as they see fit (solo entries will be allowed in the 6-hour event this year, but not in the longer 12 or 24 hour competitions). The checkpoints (controls) are spread over a large area, and are pre-marked on a map issued shortly before the start of the event. Point values for visiting each control vary (and are specified in advance) depending on such factors as the distance from the start/finish area, elevation, navigational complexity, and the whims of the course setter. The members of the team must stay together throughout the event, for reasons of safety.

Who may participate? Participants in rogaining come from diverse backgrounds, including hikers, cross-country runners, trail runners, adventure racers, ultra-runners, orienteers, and family groups. A wide variety of competitive intensity is found, varying from the casual stroller wanting to add some variety to the weekend hike to serious athletes expecting to vie for the top spots in their category, going with no sleep and at a running pace for most of the event. Map reading skill is perhaps the most important specialized technique needed in the event. Route planning strategy is also very important.

Organizers: Central New York Orienteering

Base Camp, Start/Finish area: A primitive camping area in Hammond Hill State Forest. Drinking water and portable toilets will be available during event. Free overnight camping is available Friday and Saturday nights. Bring tents, sleeping bags, etc. Camping will involve a short walk to carry equipment from your car, which can come fairly close to the camping area for unloading, but will need to be parked further away (1-200 meters).

Required equipment for each team: Whistle, Water bottle, Watch.

Recommended Equipment: Compass, Liquids, Food, Sunscreen, Insect Repellent, Long Pants, Extra Clothes (including rain protection), Extra Socks and Shoes, Flashlight or Headlamp (for those in the 12 and 24 hour events), First Aid Kit, Small Pack for carrying the above equipment.

Rules: A full listing of the rules for rogaining may be found at the IRF website.

A number of the more important rules for this race include the following examples, some of which vary from the customs in adventure racing or individual orienteering events. 

  • No vehicular transport is allowed during the race.
  • No GPS systems or altimeters are permitted (except for dataloggers without a display, or GPS watches used in a non-navigational mode, if you want your GPS track for after-event route analysis).
  • No aid from others away from the base camp is allowed during the race (including drops of food or supplies before the race). It is permissible to return to the base camp area to replenish supplies, eat drink, etc. at any time during the event.
  • Team members must stay within sight and speaking distance throughout the event, for reasons of safety.
  • In the case of our race where there are three concurrent events, teams must select the race duration before the start—no changes allowed later (related to initiation of search and rescue operations).
  • If you decide to quit early, you must notify the finish personnel before leaving the area.
  • In this event, you must stay on public land (which includes public roads and a few trails crossing private property).

Checkpoints: Each checkpoint is marked by an orange and white “control”, a triangular prism with sides about a foot square, or more often, two or three metal sheets of about the same size and the same color pattern wrapped around a tree trunk at about eye level. You will use a pin-punch hanging from the control marker to punch a Tyvek card carried with you to verify your visit. You will also be asked to sign a log at each control point, indicating your intended next stop and the current time, to assist in search operations if a rescue should become necessary. It is not compulsory to go to the control indicated on the intention sheet if plans change en route, but please do not intentionally fill in incorrect information in an attempt to mislead competing teams. The control flags will usually be visible from some distance, not intentionally concealed, but also usually not within view of trails or roads. Reflective markers will aid somewhat in locating control points after dark. There will be about 50 control points distributed over the roughly 100+ square kilometers covered by the maps.

Scoring: The point value of all control points visited is summed. The point value of each control is ten times the value of the first digit of the control code printed on the map. A late penalty of 10 points per minute (or fraction) is subtracted from the score of any team finishing after 12 noon on Sunday. Any team finishing more than 30 minutes late will be disqualified. Tie scores will be decided by the order of finish times (faster team winning).

Awards: We will keep track of placings in all of the the usual IRF rogaine categories (Men, Women, Mixed, in each of the various age subcategories of Junior (all under 23), Open, Veterans (all over 40), Super Veterans (all over 55), Ultra Veterans (all over 65)), as well as the overall placing, in the printed results of the event. We may possibly provide some sort of physical award for some of the placements in at least some of these categories!

Terrain and weather: This area has rolling hills, mostly forested. There are many trails and dirt roads in the area, and a few paved roads. This area is not particularly noted for either ticks or poison ivy, but you might run across either annoyance. The weather at this time of year can provide high temperatures in the 50’s or 90’s (Fahrenheit), so come prepared for either extreme. What weather pattern will prevail on the weekend of the event should be sufficiently evident at the start of the event so that you are unlikely to need to carry the clothing for both extremes during the race.

Directions: The base camp will be located in Hammond Hill State Forest in Freeville, NY. General parking will be in the small lot on the right side of Hammond Hill Rd., with overflow parking on the east shoulder of Hammond Hill Rd. going back down the hill towards Irish Settlement Road. Caution: set your GPS to follow a route that that passes through the intersection of Irish Settlement Rd. and Hammond Hill Rd, since some of the other options would involve more than just a moderate clearance for a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The latitude and longitude for the base camp are: 42.438087,-76.306042 (Google map).

Accommodations: Ithaca or Cortland is the nearest town with a significant number of motel accommodations.

Fees: Preregistration is strongly preferred. Registration is done online via EventReg. Cost per person will be $45 for entries received by June 1, $55 for entries received by June 21, and $65 for later entries. PayPal is available on EventReg, or payment by check may be made to Central New York Orienteering and must be postmarked by the indicated registration deadlines. Day of event registration on site will need to be paid by cash or check.

Waivers: All participants will be required to sign a liability release waiver. Minors will need a liability waiver signed by a legal guardian. On-site registration by minors will require the presence of a guardian to sign the waiver if the form has not been filled out in advance.