NYARA Viewer Mail

NYARA is a 501(c)3 and as part of it's mission we provide some of the following:

• Promote adventure racing in the tri-state area.
• Act as an informed source to our members on such things as gear, technical advice, upcoming races in our area, etc.
• Offer formal and informal group and team training sessions and educational clinics

Today I'll be "acting like an informed source" and answering one of the "ask an expert" questions that rolled in recently. What makes me an expert? Well, I can type.....

QUESTION: Is it better to plot all your points on a particular leg and then go out, or plot the first point and the navigator plot the next points on the fly. For example the navigator drop and plot after reaching a point while the rest of the team seraches?

ANSWER: Some racers can get themselves sweatier than two rats going at it in a wool sock just debating the race worthiness of plotting on the clock. But let's assume the gun has sounded, you have a list of coordinates along with a Sharpie and a UTM plotter in hand and the time for debating is over. The answer of what you should do next is dependent on a few variables. Some of the variables are skill based and can be practiced to precision. Others are course and condition specific.

1.) Do the maps have a grid on them or just tick marks? If the map doesn't have a grid on it I'd recommend taking a few minutes, using the straight edge(s) you've brought to the race and connecting the tick marks to build a proper grid on the map(s).

2.) So now you have a map with a grid on it. Plotting a coordinate onto this map is a two step exercise. Step one, find the grid box that has your coordinate. Step two, plot a point within that grid box. If I give you this map:


and this coordinate: 4549770 565440E we'll do a quick example. The last three digits in 4549770 and 565440 are there to help us with step two. In step one we use the rest (4549 and 565) to locate the bottom left corner of the grid box for our point.

In step two you can use your handy UTM plotter to slide 770 meters north and 440 meters east of the bottom left corner of your box and mark your spot.

Do you need to be standing perfectly still to do those two steps? Probably not.

3.) Do you really need the plotter? Think about the steps to plotting a coordinate above. Once you get to the right box the potential for epic-sized race breaking error is almost gone. Again using 4549770 565440E as the example get yourself to the 4549 and 565 box. Now without a plotter put your pen on a point that is a little over three quarters of the way up the box and a little under half way across the box. Not that hard to get in the ballpark. If you can do this and there is a control description provided in your instructions (trail intersection, hiltop, stream junction, etc....) then you can get near and then place a mark on the described feature. Be aware if there are multiple similar features in the area. Pick one of the features and if it isn't there when you arrive be flexible and scan the nearby similarities. Of course, bring your UTM card and stop to plot more precisely if the ballpark estimate doesn't pan out. In our example the description might read 'West side of knoll'. There are some other small knolls nearby but none so far that you couldn't head to the one you plot but quickly search the others if you weren't exact.

4.) Special course considerations: Is there a potential bottleneck early in the course? If you're in a short race and there is a ropes section you may want to plot only the points needed to get to the ropes and worry about the rest afterwards. If you are slow getting to the ropes it's something productive you can do while waiting. If you beat the crowd to the ropes by hustling onto the course then all the better.

5.) Special weather considerations: Is it a downpour at the start of the race and the maps are plain paper? You'll probably want to plot before starting. Is it 5 below zero at the start line with no indoor access but you know there are bonfires at each of the CPs? You'll probably want to plot one CP and get moving.

Like I said, there's no perfect answer. Only perfect answers given skill, comfort and conditions. In AR forward motion is only worthwhile if it is taking you towards the target.