March 7, 2009
Palos North

Meet Director: Oivind Naess Course Setter: Oivind Naess Schedule: 9:30 a.m. Registration 10 a.m. Mass start 11:30 a.m. Courses close, control pickup starts (Maximum time on course: 3 hours) Cost: (per individual or team) CAOC members $7 non-members $10 additional maps $3 rental compass $1 rental e-Punch $5 purchase e-Punch $30 (We suggest a maximum of four people per group.)

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Details:
The March 7th Madnaess event will take place on some of the great terrain the Palos area. There will be a beginner's course (similar to the usual white or yellow courses) plus the Madnaess course for more experienced orienteerers. Note that this meet is on a Saturday!

On-line registration is open until noon Friday.

This is the second year of the Winter Madnaess Series which features four individual races over the winter months. The format is very different from traditional orienteering as the race is a mass start. The race is broken into three parts. The first is a set of common controls where the runners go head to head. They then enter the Madnaess box which features 7-8 controls. The intent of this box is to equalize the race for all levels of skill and as such each runner gets to skip a certain amount the controls based on their age and sex. Elite racers will have to cover all of them while younger or older runners will do less. Coming out of the box they then cover a number of common controls once again and if planned out properly most of the runners should finish very close to one another.

Racers will count their best three out of four results to determine overall 2009 champions. For runners who are unable to get to at least three of the races to count for the total, this is not an issue as each race is a seperate competition so if you can only make one then come out a try.

For beginners and kids we will have seperate novice courses so bring them out.

The competition will go ahead through rain or snow.

Hot drinks and snacks will be served at the finish.

Hope to see you all out on the 7th.

The Winter Madnaess Rules

1. All events will have a mass start at 10:00 on the event day. You may start without penalty up to 20 minutes after the official start time. After that, your start time may be adjusted back to 20 minutes.
   
   
2. The time limit is 90 minutes--all controls will be picked up after this time.
   
   
3. At each event, every participant must sign an event waiver prior to the start, at registration time.
   
   
4. Pre-marked maps are guaranteed to all who pre-register.
   
   
5. Map cases may be purchased at pre-registration or on-site for $1.
   
   
6. To ensure competitiveness for all participants, each event will use a handicap system called The Madnaess Box. Using their creativity, course setters will attempt to choreograph that elusive mass finish.

The Madnaess Box

Each race will feature the infamous Madnaess Box, which consists of a set of controls labeled with letters (A,B,C, etc) somewhere on the course. Participants may attack the controls in the box in any order. Additionally, participants may drop controls equal to their handicap point total. Handicap points are awarded as follows:

Examples:

• A 46-year-old female may drop 4 controls in the box.
• 19-year-old male may drop 1 control in the box.
• A 28-year-old male must visit all the controls in the box.

Directions:
Public Transportation: Take Pace bus #381 from the 95th Street Terminal (in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway) on the Red elevated line at either 8:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. Get off as the bus turns left at 88th Avenue about 40 minutes later. Walk west on 95th Street past Willow Springs Woods to turn left on Archer Avenue. The start is about 1 mile on the left.

Driving:
From the Loop, take I-55 (Stevenson Expwy) to Exit 279A, LaGrange Road - South (Hwy 45). Go south 1.7 miles and exit on Archer Avenue - South. Go southwest for 4 miles and watch for the orange and white orienteering signs to the start on the left at Red Gate Woods, about 1 mile southwest of 95th.

From I-55 South take Kingery highway (route 83) south to Archer Avenue. Go east. At the split bear left. Red gate woods is about half a mile further on the right.