National Mall City Race

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December 1
Sunday

Welcome to Quantico Orienteering Club’s first official event on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This will be a unique opportunity to do urban orienteering in our Nation’s capital and a chance to finish off your holiday weekend by working off that last piece of pie. The event will use a score-O format, with control locations scattered around the mall and surrounding areas. This will be a zero-impact event, so we won’t be placing control bags. Instead control locations will be statues and other landmarks and you will be asked to answer a question about what you see at each location. Registration, start, and finish will be right across from the Smithsonian metro station on the mall.

Pre-registration was mandatory. but is now closed. [Registration closed at 5pm on Saturday Nov. 30 (the day before the event)]. Standard fees will apply. Starts will be from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. The event will close at 3:00 so you must check in at the start finish area before then.

Score-O Course Notes: There will be a single map for all participants with approximately 35 locations marked. You will be given a map, a scoresheet, and a pencil at the start. The scoresheet will have a question to be answered for each control location and three possible answers. When you arrive at a control location, you will be able to see which answer is correct and circle it on your scoresheet. There will be a 10 point penalty for wrong answers, but you can appeal if you think you’ve answered correctly. Googling the answers is not allowed. You must actually go to the control location. You will have 3 hours to visit as many locations as possible and return to the start/finish location. Each location will have a point value of 10 for getting the correct answer and -10 for an incorrect answer. There will be a penalty of 2 points per minute if your time exceeds three hours. You can start any time between 10am and 12 noon. You must return to the finish no later than 3pm. Timing and scoring will be done manually, so you will not need an epunch. You can compete as a group, but the group must stay together. You are not allowed to split up to go to different controls. Pets are allowed on the mall, but we can’t guarantee they will be allowed at all control locations, so bring your pet at your own risk.

There will be two competition classes, Foot and Mechanical Assist. In the Foot class, only walking and running will be allowed. In the Mechanical Assist class, you will be allowed to use any type of personal recreational transport you want to get around, including bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, hoverboards, and kayaks. Cars, busses, Metro, taxis and Uber are not allowed. You can also switch between allowed transportation modes. Just be sure to be safe and follow the rules of the road. You will write which class you qualify for on your scoresheet when you finish. You don’t have to declare beforehand.

There will also be a special competition to see who can clear the course in the least distance. You’ll need to use a GPS tracker for this competition.

Warnings: You must to cross streets only at marked crosswalks. Crosswalks are marked on the map with purple dotted lines. Wait for the crossing light if there is one. This is part of the competition, so plan your crossings carefully. Walking down alleys and through parking lots is allowed, but be careful! It’s crowded on the mall, so be respectful of other people and don’t run over anyone. You must walk in sculpture and plant gardens and near memorials. You are not allowed to go through any doors in buildings, but you can go under canopies and through walkways and tunnels.

Bathroom access: Please note we can not promise easy toilet access during this event, but you are welcome to check this online map that purports to show all public bathroom facilities around the National Mall. If you need to use a bathroom while on course, you must exit the building using the same door you came in.