Balls Bluff
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PDF versionShareThisOctober 21
Sunday
Late-Breaking News! We **WILL** be employing a shuttle to move runners from the parking area at Ball’s Bluff Elementary School to the registration site at Edwards Landing AND then on to the start and finish area which is now located at the the park's main parking lot. A 24-passenger bus will be on station at Ball’s Bluff Elementary School at 10:30am to begin shuttling runners. We will have guides to facilitate bus movement and help runners deal with the last-minute change at the elementary school and on the bus. Registration remains at Edwards Landing with the e-punch station set up near the start/finish.
QOC is returning to Ball's Bluff Regional Park for the first time since December, 2016, and, as it happens, our meet is scheduled for the 157th anniversary of the Battle of Ball's Bluff, fought on October 21st, 1861.
Given that October 21st also marks the 213th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, it is fitting that the event is generously being hosted by the cadets of the Loudoun County Public Schools Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) who will be stepping up to fill all the volunteer positions for the event. QOC's Tom Strat is designing a full set of classic courses for the meet.
Our registration site will be in the pavilion of the very small Edwards Landing Municipal Park, which abuts the south end of Balls Bluff, so make sure to read the driving and parking directions. Please do not park in the minuscule Edwards Landing Park parking lot unless you are a meet volunteer, nor on Powhatan Court, the narrow cul-de-sac immediately outside of Edwards Landing Park.
CHANGE TO PARKING GUIDANCE. PLEASE READ (but see also update above):
The primary parking area for this event is the Ball's Bluff Elementary School parking lot. See overview map here. The walk from the parking lot to Edward Landing park, where the event registration is being held, is a little over half a mile. Although parking is legal on the main through-streets in the vicinity of Edward Landing Park such as Hunton Place, Graywood Way, and Wood Edge Drive, the local authorities have asked that we instead park at the elementary school. In order to maintain good relations with those who grant permits to use Edward Landing park, we should make every effort to comply with their guidance, treating the half-mile walk as a warm-up. The walk should take about 10-12 minutes. There will NOT be shuttle service between the elementary school and the registration site for this event. Those with special needs/circumstances or who are unable to find an open parking slot at the elementary school can park nearer Edward Landing along the above-mentioned streets. Organizational buses (and all other vehicles) can drop off passengers at the mouth of Powhatan Court near the event site and then move to the elementary school to park. Portable toilets will be on site.
Ball's Bluff has undergone restoration over the last several years to more accurately reflect its 1861 condition, and attendees will have the opportunity of touring the battlefield area and the associated National Cemetery above the Potomac River. Free Battlefield tours are conducted by expert volunteer tour guides from the group, Friends of Ball's Bluff, every Saturday and Sunday at 11AM and 1PM from early April through the end of November, so orienteers can take part in a guided tour out of the park main parking lot (not Edwards Landing) either before or after they run their courses. Tours include about one mile of walking on woodland trails and last from one to two hours. Those wishing to take tours on their own may pick up a brochure at the visitor's kiosk in the main parking lot.
Any youth or large groups attending, please contact the Event Director 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.
| Location | Balls Bluff Regional Park, Edwards Landing Pavilion (School Parking), Leesburg, VA (Classic) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registration | No advance registration required. Just show up and have fun! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start Times | Start any time between the specified times (usually 11am - 1:30pm). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule | Sunday, October 21
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| Volunteers |
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| Location Details |
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| Course Details | Classic
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| Course Notes | Classic Balls Bluff features ridge and valley terrain, which can be quite steep in places. The woods are mostly very runnable, although vegetation tends to be thicker in the northern sections. The flood plain along the Potomac River was recently inundated and is quite muddy now. All private property (mapped as olive green color) is out of bounds. Some mapped rootstocks have decayed considerably. Many new rootstocks have appeared, and only some of them have been added to the map. The contour interval is 3 meters. Black circle on the map may indicate a bench, sign, or other man-made object. Black circle as a control description always indicates a bench. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Entry Fees | Individual Entries
Note: juniors = under 21
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
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