The Sting

THE

STING

BLACK MOUNT 12^th/13^th June 1999

THE JOURNEY: You are now going on a journey and will actually be starting the event within 1 – 1 ½ hours. We hope you will enjoy the experience. Please follow the instructions of our marshals who will take good care of you. Please don’t ask the marshals difficult questions that they may not be able to answer! Don’t worry about your start time as it will be allocated to you at the START when you are ready to set off. Should you feel ill during the journey, sick bags will be available!

HERE’S A SNACK to keep you going which has been provided by Kellogg’s of Manchester. Nutri.Grain is an excellent hill food for this type of event. It comes in a number of flavours, is an extremely palatable source of energy and used extensively by ultra-distance runners. Please don’t drop litter - you will find a bin bag on the transport.

WHILE COMPETING please remember not to touch any deer calves, even if they appear to be distressed as the mother will often reject them if human scent is detected. A number of rivers in this area soon become uncrossable after prolonged rain or even a heavy shower. If in doubt, move UPSTREAM, not DOWNSTREAM to cross and if moving downstream, ensure that if all else fails you can cross by a bridge.

HIGH FENCES MARKED ON THE MAP should under NO circumstances be climbed.

PROTECT MIDCAMP WATER SUPPLY: It is likely that teams will camp for a considerable distance along the banks of our fresh water supply. This supply must be protected for those collecting water downstream – so NO WASHING OR BATHING UPSTREAM OF THE LOWEST WATER COLLECTION POINT. This Point will be well marked with tape and bright marker boards. Please use the event toilets for all solid deposits!

DOCTORS: Please attach your ‘Barrier Tape Streamers’ to your tent so that we can locate you in an emergency.

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER: This is printed on the control descriptions and should only be used in extremis. Rescue facilities are only available to deal with potentially life-threatening situations.

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE (SNH) have asked us to issue you with the following note:

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES & CODE OF CONDUCT

The event is taking place in a particularly sensitive area both in terms of the flora and fauna present. Breeding birds will be present throughout the area and as such we would draw your attention to the fact that it is an offence to disturb Schedule 1 birds at the nest. The area is also partially designated as a site of special scientific interest for its woodland community interests. We have issued a Code of Conduct, which we expect all competitors will be both familiar with and will adhere to:

Take your litter with you – this includes vegetable waste and food scraps.
Be careful in your toilet hygiene – don’t urinate within 30 metres of fresh water and dig a hole to bury excrement.
At the mid-camp, use the toilet facilities provided by the event organisation for all solid deposits
Guard against all risk of fire and if necessary drench the ground around your cooking area.
Leave gates as you find them.
Only cross high fences marked as such on the map at gates or compulsory crossing points which are marked on the map
Try not to cause erosion – consider your route on steep slopes and avoid crossing wet ground where possible.
If you come across a nesting site, give it as wide a berth as possible.
Obey any instructions, which limit route choice in order to avoid sensitive areas.
Tell the organisers of any damage inadvertently caused to gates, fences, walls or other property.