Catalina Peg Race

Join us in the beautiful desert terrain of Catalina State Park for an exciting Peg Race! In this mass start race format the fastest orienteers will run more than the others, and the win is up for grabs! Don’t forget to join us on Saturday (12/6) for the Youth Orienteering Day in the morning and adult training opportunities in the afternoon!

Location:  Catalina State Park, Flycatcher Group Area. Note that the entrance fee to the park is now $20 for vehicles with 2-4 people and $10 for vehicles with 1 person.

There is camping available both Friday and Saturday nights at the neighboring Gila Monster Group Area. The cost is $25/vehicle, and you may pay directly at the park entrance.

Courses:  A peg race is a self-handicapping mass start orienteering race. Everyone starts at the same time and receives the same map. At some of the controls there will be a number of clothespins (“pegs”) attached to the control flag. If you arrive at a control to find a peg, you must take it and keep it AND visit an additional control as marked on your map. The winner of a peg race is the runner with the most pegs, with ties broken by total time. 

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There will also be a beginner course available.

Maps: Maps will be provided to all participants at the event site.

Schedule:

• 9:15 am Check in begins

• 10:00 am Peg Race mass start

• 10:10 am Free beginners’ clinic starts.  Please arrive 15 minutes early if you wish to attend.

• 10:15 am First change to start the beginner course

• 11:00 am Last chance to start the beginner course.

• 12:00 pm Courses close.

Registration:  Pre-registration is required in order to keep an eye on crowd size and prepare the right number of maps.  See the "Fees" section below for member's and junior's discounts.  Everyone must register as an individual even if you plan on going as a team.  Registration closes at noon on Saturday, December 6th.  Register here.  See who’s signed up.

Directions and Parking: Catalina State Park, Flycatcher Group Area.

What to Bring:

• Safety whistle is required (whistles can be purchased on site for $1)

• Compass (compass can be rented on site for $1)

• Water (and snacks if desired)

• Watch or phone (so you can finish on time)

​E-punch:  This event uses e-punching for timing and punch verification. We'll show you how to use it if you've never done it before and we'll have e-punch sticks for rent ($2) if you do not have your own.

Fees:

• Adults: $12, or $8 with member discount,

• Juniors (11-20): $6

• Kids (0-10): free w/adult

If you qualify for a discount (AZ club members, kids under 11, and Friend-For-Free), you will be able to apply it during registration. ​

Friend-For-Free: Tucson Orienteering Club (TSN) members may bring one qualified guest for free to this event.  To qualify, the guest must (1) never have attended a TSN or other OUSA club event before, (2) pre-register for this event, and (3) accompany the member to the event. To get this one-time free entry, the guest should select "Yes" on the Friend field in the Discount Codes section when they register online and mention the member's name in the "notes for the registrar" section.

Youth Participants: All participants under 18 must provide a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian. For details see

our Instructions for Minors.  These instructions are for anyone who will be bringing a minor child under 18 to an event.

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Volunteer to Help at Event: We can always use volunteer help at the event. Don’t worry if you haven’t volunteered before, we can show you. You can volunteer when registering online. Or you can volunteer here, and your message will be forwarded to the meet director.

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Safety Information: To ensure that all are safe, everyone, whether finished with the course or not, must check in formally at Start/Finish before courses close and before leaving the event site.