[24/6] Right its almost upon us the Open12.. Tim has been working hard to create a top event. He has passed us a few pointers..

• The ground is hard and the going is fast at the moment - if it rains it will turn very slippery instantly.
• The views of snowdonia were amazing last night - lovely sunset.
• The midges are out
• mobile reception at the event centre is very poor
• There will be massage available saturday pm - £5 to have your legs made brand new
• In addition to the cafe food available in the evening there is a BBQ running until around 5.30 on the Saturday.

On that note of food - post race on Sunday when you wobble across the finish doing the funky chicken, there will be a free buffet for all finishers in the visitors centre.

We have tweaked the timings for the Saturday with the prologue briefing now being at 5pm. Check the event details page for more info.

[13/6] Well the news a few of you have been looking for.. The event centre for this years New Balance Open12 is Coed Lllandegla. Check out the website for the local forest centre here - its kind of between Ruthin and Wrexham. Use the directions found on the forest centre website to get yourself there.

Tillhill are not excusing us from the normal parking charge so there is a little incentive to share vehicles. Its £4 per vehicle - you can get a token from us at registration. Don't use the ticket machines as they will only provide a ticket for one day (and you need one for two). Be sure to follow the signs for Open Adventure parking as we are in a slightly different parking area.

If you want to come up a little early and stay over Friday night, great little campsite here with obligatory tea shop.

Check back later in the week.

[29/5] Right a little gem with just four weeks to go. For those who have not guessed our guest planner for the Open12 is Tim Higginbottom. Tim is pretty accomplished in Adventure Racing and fell running having won the Endurance Series with Chris Near in 2007 and has won all of the UK mountain marathons - a little known fact is that he is also Flintshire Man of the Year..

Anyway to the point we have had to cool Tim's devious mind in planning this event, when we first talked about the event with Tim he had just returned from the X-Race in Switzerland and was buzzing about it so expect some real twists to the Open12 never seen before - yet also don't expect to be running over Alpine passes.

We will realease the location of registration and a recommended campsite 2 weeks before the event so check back nearer the date. We will be printing the maps for you so don't worry about downloading Anquet files or buying paper maps.

Just to forewarn you - there is a scoring prologue to this event and for some this will involve up to one hour of strenuous exercise. Please don't ask what this is because in summary we won't tell you.

You should also be prepared to carry running footwear whilst on the bike. You should also bring a duffle bag or similar to be shared as a pair which can be accessed during the event. The bag with contents should not weigh more than 10kg's - you will have plenty of time to pack this once you know about the event and there will be a set of scales to check the weight. Please don't pack water (will be available where the bags will be) and be prepared that other bags could be stacked on top of yours.

Your harness, climbing helmet and climbing shoes (and nothing else) will be transported to the right place for you. We will provide a drawstring New Balance bag with your race number affixed to it to you on the day.

You might get wet..

 

[17/3] A note from the planner..

This year's event is going to be very accessible by road - approximate travel times are Manchester - 1 hour, Birmingham 1.5 hours, Tebay 2 hours. The event centre is well equipped and looking forward to hosting you. As ever car sharing would be welcomed and environmentally sound, and the car park is hard surfaced and weather-proof (apart from ice - but that hopefully won't be a problem on the day!)

The area has never been used for an event like this and is covered with bridleways, small lanes and a surprising number of hills. The key to doing well will be careful planning and knowing when cut your losses and run!

I don't want to give too much away at this point, but with a slightly different format to usual every second will count. This certanly won't be a 'long Open5', and hopefully all your preparation will be turned into points on the day.

Just a reminder - you will have to be able to fit your own climbing harness and be able to belay each other with a simple friction device (ie NOT a gri-gri). It will be an advantage to have climbing shoes. If you don't have your own start asking around to borrow some for the event - you'll be pleased you did!

It will also be an advantage to have done some orienteering before and be used to the different symbols, colours and scales used on orienteering maps. If you haven't orienteered before then most clubs run summer evening events specifically designed for beginners - these will start usually in April and run all summer and into the autumn. Go to the British Orienteering Federation web site (http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/) and follow the 'find a club' link on the left to find out who your local club is and what they're planning.

Take a look at the kit list for the latest developments. Nothing on the list will be taken off, but there might be more added later....

 

Details on the 2008 event can be here
Details on the 2007 event can be here

For the 2008 Race report and photos click here. (will open in new window)
For the 2007 Race report and photos click here. (will open in new window)