2018 Fort Ebey Kettles Checkpoint Run

02/25/2018

44 checkpoints in 5 loops of trail and terrain running. Complete as many loops as you can in up to 6 hours.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Fort Ebey State Park, Whidbey Island, WA

Northwest Trail Runs and its sibling Mergeo Navigation Races have been brainstorming some fun new race formats for everyone, and this will be the debut of what we’re calling the Checkpoint Run!

The Checkpoint Run is a smashup of a trail run and a point-to-point navigation race, with a strategic twist, and also a tiny bit of DNA from the infamous Barkley Marathons. Come try it out at Fort Ebey State Park, which features beautiful forest, giant kettle depressions, and a twisty maze of sweet singletrack trails! Checkpoints are marked on a detailed topographic map of the park and we’ll be using orange and white flags for you to visit.

Check out the details of the race below!

Need a refresher on basic navigation skills? That’s okay! We’ll offer an Introduction to Navigation session before the race. The Intro session will include an introduction to the map, reading contours, basic navigation, and how to use a compass to orient the map.

Results & photos
Registration
Course Description & Rules
Schedule
Map & Terrain
Directions, Parking & Lodging
Safety & Etiquette

Results & photos

2018 Results & photos

Registration

	Early (through 2/14)	Regular (through 2/23)	Day-of-Event
6-Hour Adult (22+)	32.00	38.00	45.00
6-Hour Adult w/ Child (12/under)	27.00	33.00	40.00
6-Hour Youth (13-21)	22.00	28.00	35.00
6-Hour Child (12/under)	17.00	23.00	30.00
3-Hour Adult (22+)	22.00	28.00	35.00
3-Hour Adult w/ Child (12/under)	17.00	23.00	30.00
3-Hour Youth (13-21)	14.00	19.00	25.00
3-Hour Child (12/under)	11.00	14.00	20.00

Washington Trails Association Discount
*Members of Washington Trails Association may take off $5 by using code WTA#member

Search and Rescue Discount
*Search and Rescue volunteers may take off $10 by using code SAR#thanks

Cascade Orienteering Club Discount
*Members of Cascade Orienteering Club may take off $5 by using code COC#member

*Discount codes may not be combined.

Online pre-registration closes Friday, February 23 at 11:59pm.

Day-of-event registration is available, with payment by card, cash, or check made payable to MerGeo.

Course Description & Rules

The Checkpoint Run race course features 5 unique loops of checkpoints, and you have up to 6 hours to complete as many loops as you wish. The 5 loops vary in running distance and navigational challenge. The Loop 1 map is available here (9MB PDF), and we’ll reveal the other 4 loops 30 minutes before the race, at 9:00am (at that time, we’ll give you a paper map for each of the 5 loops).

Loop 1: 3.0km minimum (~4.0km fastest route)*, 7 checkpoints, easy navigation. All checkpoints are along trails.
Loop 2: 6.6km minimum (~9.4km fastest route)*, 10 checkpoints, easy navigation. All checkpoints are along trails.
Loop 3: 4.5km minimum (~6.5km fastest route)*, 7 checkpoints, intermediate navigation. All checkpoints are along or very near trails.
Loop 4: 2.8km minimum (~4.1km fastest route)*, 8 checkpoints, advanced navigation. Most checkpoints are off-trail.
Loop 5: 6.6km minimum (~9.8km fastest route)*, 12 checkpoints, advanced navigation. Most checkpoints are off-trail.

* The first listed distance is the point-to-point minimum distance between checkpoints, measured in straight lines “as the crow flies”. Your actual racing distance will be longer, since you’ll be running on twisty trails and off-trail. The estimates for the fastest routes are the second listed distance.

During each loop, you’ll need to find the checkpoints in order: Start to #1, #1 to #2, #2 to #3, and so on. In the terrain, the checkpoints are orange and white flags, roughly 1-foot by 1-foot by 1-foot.

LOOP ORDER
All participants will start the race on Loop 1. Size up the competition! Make alliances and work together! Once you complete Loop 1, you can choose to attempt the remaining 4 loops in whatever order that you like, as many loops as you like, until you reach the maximum time limit of 6 hours.

If you want to stay on trails the whole time, you can get at least 10 km of running by choosing only Loops 1 and 2. Are you a seasoned navigator? Cruise through Loop 1 and then jump straight into Loops 4 and 5!

There’ll be an aid station at the race center where all loops start and finish.

SCORING
Each completed loop is worth 100 points + challenge bonus for the loop number. For examples, Loop 1 is worth 101 points (100 + 1), and Loop 5 is worth 105 points (100+5). If you finish the race completing Loops 1, 2, and 4, your total score will be 307 (101 + 102 + 104). If there’s a tie between racers, then the fastest elapsed time wins. Only completed loops finished by the time limit will count, so make sure you’re back on time!

SOLO or TEAM?
At most of our trail runs, we only allow registration for individuals. At our traditional nav races, we also allow team registrations (teams must travel together- this isn’t a relay!). This event will allow both! If you have a squad ready to conquer the course together, then sign up as a team! Otherwise, you can register as an individual and see what happens. You can form alliances at the starting line or at any time on the course!

Schedule

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25th

7:45am – Registration opens
8:00am – Introduction to Navigation (free!)
9:00am – Distribution of Maps
9:30am – Start!
3:30pm – Time limit ends

Map & Terrain

MAP
All 5 maps (1 for each loop) will have a scale of 1:10000, and a contour interval of 5 meters.

The map of Fort Ebey State Park and Kettles County Park is owned by the Cascade Orienteering Club, and it’s a very detailed orienteering map of the area. It shows all of the trails. The maps for Loop 1 and Loop 2 will have many trail names on the map. The maps for Loop 3, Loop 4, and Loop 5 will not.

In addition to more accurate contour lines, orienteering maps also provide color-coded vegetation mapping to let the orienteer know how passable an area might be. Open forest (white) for instance, is far more passable than thick forest (dark green). Orienteering maps are also field-checked by the map maker, providing an additional level of human interpretation and insight.

If you are not familiar with orienteering maps, check out the Loop 1 map (9MB PDF) and its legend, which helps explain what all the colors and symbols mean.

TERRAIN
Fort Ebey State Park and Kettles County Park truly exhibit classic kettle topography! The area contains many large kettles (depressions) that are up to 50 meters deep. For Loop 4 and Loop 5, small depressions are frequently used as checkpoint locations.

The vegetation is very thick with more than half of it mapped as dark green (less than 20% running speed compared to a trail). This dark green is mostly due to salal (a thick waist-high bush that covers the ground continuously with very few gaps) and wild rhododendrons which grow tall and impede visibility. However, there are few thorny plants, such as blackberry, so it is quite doable to push through narrow bands of dark green on the edge of trails to get to the faster woods in the interior. The medium green areas on the map are mostly due to thick sword ferns and are usually about 20-40% running speed. The pattern of the vegetation is such that the most runnable areas (light green, 60-80% running speed) are at the bottom of the kettle depressions. There are almost no sections of open (white, 80-100% running speed) forest and the only areas of open land (yellow) are near the start and finish arena. The arena has a beautiful view of Puget Sound and is a great place to hang out for spectators. The area is covered by an extensive trail network. The trails are winding with some roots but not rocky. There are virtually no rocks or water features used for courses in this area.

There are a few of out-of-bounds areas to be aware of. One is the main campground, where you are permitted to run on the roads within, but not through the sites. The second are erosion-sensitive areas on the steep bluffs.

Directions, Parking & Lodging

A DISCOVER PASS IS REQUIRED to park at Fort Ebey State Park. You may buy a $10 one-day pass at pay stations at the park, using cash or check. Alternatively, you may buy an annual pass for $30 by ordering a pass online or purchasing it from a retailer. Visit the Discover Pass website for more information or to buy a pass. When you arrive, please follow the directions of the staff regarding where to park. Also, you may choose to ride a ferry to get to Whidbey Island. See below for more information.

Google Map

FERRY
Those approaching from the south may opt to take the Mukilteo/Clinton Ferry. On Sunday morning the ferry leaves from Mukilteo at 6:00am, 7:00am, and 8:00am. There is often a line at the ferry dock, so it is advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before the departure that you intend to catch. The ferry ride itself takes approximately 20 minutes. The drive from the Clinton (Whidbey Island) ferry landing to the start at Fort Ebey State Park takes approximately 50 minutes. We advise catching the 6:00am or 7:00am ferry.
View the ferry schedule here. Alternatively, you can skip the ferry and choose to drive around via Deception Pass; it’s more driving, but may be faster.

LODGING
Alternatively, Whidbey Island is a fabulous place to spend a weekend! Consider staying in the cozy town of Langley or even closer to Fort Ebey State Park in Coupeville.

CAMPING
Unfortunately camping at Fort Ebey State Park will still be closed for the winter during the event.

Safety & Etiquette

OTHER USERS
The trails will be open to other users during the event, including pedestrians, cyclists, and horseback riders (horses only allowed in Kettles County Park, which is the eastern half of the area) . Please be courteous. Horses have the right of way, and if you encounter a horse in your path, stop running and talk to the rider; you will probably need to step to the side of the trail to let the horse past, but sometimes the rider will tell you it is okay to walk past. The amount of trail traffic will depend upon the weather.

Roads within the park will have light traffic.

DOGS
Dogs are allowed on-leash at this event. Since not everyone is comfortable interacting with dogs, please only bring your dog with you on the course if you can ensure that it does not approach or otherwise interfere with other participants.

EMERGENCIES
Participants are responsible for their own safety while participating, and the organizers are neither qualified nor equipped to render medical care in the event of a serious injury. In case of an emergency, call 9-1-1. You are encouraged to bring a cell phone with you as a safety precaution, if you wish; though know that you may not have cell reception while out on the course or even at the start/finish area.