Comments on: Road to WOC 2021: A look at international WOC selection races in CZ

By: Simon

Simon — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 15:11:51 +0000

To add an anecdote from looong ago, back from the days of paper punching cards: an event in Germany, a leg basically from one side of a steep valley to the other. Some clever(?) athletes ran outside the map to a motorway-bridge (Autobahn), crossed the valley next to fast-moving traffic, exited the bridge, ran back onto the map and reached the control with barely any height climbed/dropped at all. It was a very hot discussion topic on the finish field, and no sanctionable rule was found.

By: Rob Plowright

Rob Plowright — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:04:46 +0000

It definitely SHOULD be forbidden in the IOF rules – it make a mockery the ideas for fairness. And think of the possible consequences (poor publicity or worse) if people cross private land for example.

But given there is no rule against it, it would be easy enough for the planners to simply put some purple OOB anywhere that it might be advantageous to run off the map.

By: Bernt O. Myrvold

Bernt O. Myrvold — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 03:09:39 +0000

It is not forbidden, but obviously risky as you don´t know what might be hidden there.
In my opinion it is obviously bad planning. As the runner cannot know what might be in the blank area (s)he cannot use the map to find the best route choice.

By: color

color — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 09:04:10 +0000

A question we came up lately: Is it allowed to run outside the map like done so by several runners at the “International Long” Long Leg to number 7?
Is it bad planning by the course setters if the fastest route goes over a blank spot on the map, but not forbidden to do so?