Manassas

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April 3
Sunday

General Jeb StuartQOC invites you to the historic Stuart's Hill section of Manassas National Battlefield Park once again! Stuart's Hill terrain is more open, with large fields rare for our venues but also with woods of all degrees of runnability. Event timing is our standard: register any time between 10:45 - 1:15, start any time between 11 - 1:30, and be back before 3pm.

Course lengths and comments are posted below. For those of you thinking of moving up a level, this is probably a good event to go for it, since the park is fairly flat and constrained, so you may enjoy running on a course that is a bit longer than your usual.

Youth groups or other large groups planning to attend this event: make sure to let the Event Director know in advance about your group so that we can coordinate pre-registration for your group; the group registration and waiver form is part of the information on our Group Leaders page.

Nearby Attraction: The park's Henry Hill Visitor Center, located at 6511 Sudley Road, Manassas, VA, will be open from 8:30am - 5pm, and it's free. This museum has both static and dynamic displays, plus a 45 minute movie ('Manassas: End of Innocence') focusing on the Civil War battles that took place here, including over the terrain covered by our orienteering courses.

Surprise! Directions: Take I-66 to Exit 47 in Manassas. Go South on Sudley Road (route 234). After a short distance, turn right onto Balls Ford Road (route 621). Proceed ~2 miles, then turn right onto Groveton Road (route 622). Go North ~1 mile to the picnic area entrance on the left. Google map link is below (in Location Details).

Please note the following about this park:

  • Good news! This national park no longer charges any entrance fee.
  • Climbing on cannons and monuments is not allowed.
  • Pets must be kept on a leash.
  • Hunting for relics is strictly forbidden.
  • Map scale and sizes will be posted closer to the event date.
  • Surprise! A special Bulgarian treat will make it's QOC debut as part of the snacks available to all those who've finished an orienteering course - enjoy!


Five Guys

Post-Race MeetUp: We like this Manassas location for their burger & fries but especially because it's roomy and has plenty of free peanuts. It's located in the shopping/cinema area just northwest of the I-66 exit at Sudley Rd; driving directions from our event are here.

Location

Manassas National Battlefield Park, Stuart's Hill, Manassas, VA (Classic)

RegistrationNo advance registration required. Just show up and have fun!
Start TimesYou may start your course any time between 11am - 1:30pm.
ScheduleSunday, April 3
11:00 am - 3:00 pmClassic:
Volunteers
Event Director:Petya Aleksieva
Course Designer:Vido Aleksiev
Location Details

Classic
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Stuart's Hill
Manassas, VA
Google Map

Take I-66 to Exit 47 in Manassas. Go South on Sudley Road (route 234). After a short distance, turn right onto Balls Ford Road (route 621). Proceed ~2 miles, then turn right onto Groveton Road (route 622). Go North ~1 mile to the picnic area entrance on the left.
Course DetailsClassic
Course NameLength (km)Climb (m)No. Controls
White 1.8207
Yellow 2.5208
Orange 4.43015
Brown 3.95013
Green 6.37021
Red 7.28024
Blue 9.29024
Course NotesClassic

The Start and Finish locations for all courses are next to the registration and download area. All courses have little climb and this is usual for this pretty much flat park. The map was partially updated during the course preparation. A few rootstocks (green X) have been added to the map. Many of the dot knolls indicated on the map no longer exist in the terrain or are quite indistinct. The "black circle" symbol indicates either Park Benches or Historical Markers. The "black x" illustrates rusting farm machinery or other human junk. Some of them are used as control features. All water features are dryer than they appear on the map, but this may change if it rains the days before the event. All creeks and the main river were crossable the weekend before the event. There are barbed wire pieces from old ruined fences. Some of the missing ruined fences are added to the map and probably, there are some that are not. No courses cross roads with vehicle traffic, but the first or/and the last legs cross the parking lot, so watch out for moving vehicles when you start and finish. This is a pretty friendly terrain and it is good for moving up a level in course difficulty.

The map scale for the beginner (White and Yellow) courses is 1:5000. The scale for intermediate (Orange) and advanced (Green and higher) courses is 1:10000. Every course has at least 2 water controls. The contour interval on all course maps is 2.5 meters contours, rather than the usual 5 meters, so the terrain looks stepper than actually is.

Beginner (White and Yellow) courses use the large fields next to the parking lot. Some portions of the fields are mowed (bright yellow), and some are not (pale yellow). Unmowed areas have very tall grass and can be very difficult to pass through. The beginner courses do not cross the main river.

Advanced courses will cross some areas of deadfall (vertical green bars). There are few places with significant deadfall (closely spaced vertical green stripes) and it may be very difficult to pass through these areas. These areas will slow you down a lot, and it is better to be avoided.

And as always now that warmer weather is here, make sure to check yourself for ticks after being outdoors.

Entry FeesIndividual Entries

Note: juniors = under 21

Club Member, adult Club Member, junior Non-Member, adult Non-Member, junior
Epunch Owner $5 $5 $10 $5
Epunch Borrower $10 $5 $15 $10

Team or Group Entries

Participants are welcome to compete together as a single team entry. Teams containing one or more nonmembers are charged the nonmember individual rate. Teams containing one or more adults are charged the adult individual rate. For teams to receive member or junior rates, all members of the team must be members or juniors, respectively. Each extra team map beyond the first is an additional $2. Individuals or teams desiring to compete on a second course can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map.

Important Notes
  • At the event, we can only accept payment in cash or check; online, you may use a credit card or PayPal account.
  • If you have access to a smartphone, you may become a member at the event by joining online via this webpage (which also explains the member benefits). Membership is completely optional. If you wish to join or renew, we strongly recommend joining (or renewing) online before the event rather than at it to save time and because it's easier.
  • Most of our events use an 'epunch' timing chip for electronic timing. Individuals or groups without their own epunch pay a higher entry fee (see above), which includes the loan of an epunch for that event. Loaned epunches that are lost incur a $40 replacement fee. Epunches (also known as SI-cards or finger sticks) are usually available for sale at each event as described here.
  • Former QOC members who have let their membership lapse pay non-member fees.
  • Compasses are available at no charge, but if lost incur a $15 replacement fee.
  • Please provide collateral (driver's license or car keys) when borrowing a compass or epunch.
  • For additional safety, whistles are available for sale at $1/each.
  • Free beginner instruction is always available - just ask at the registration table.