Discussion: Pre-plotted Maps

So....as a follow up to some Wilderness Traverse comments I have been reading on FB.

Pre-plotted maps for an AR. Who likes?

I prefer pre-plotted - requires less map prep time = more route strategizing, more gear org time and more pre-race sleep. I would be curious to hear the reasons why anyone wouldn't prefer pre-plotted. At the same time, I don't think they're the be all and end all of a good event, and not a necessary requirement. Having been on the other side of ARs (the organizing/hosting side) and knowing the ridiculo-hectic-crazy time, details and energy that go into course design and event prep, I'm very understanding of races that do not provide pre-plotted maps.

I know our team prefers pre-plotted for the same reasons AngrySeagull mentioned.

As a racer, I prefer pre-plotted for the reasons stated by AngrySeagull but I know it takes more time/effort/software skill to make them that way. For RDs who can't do it, an alternative is to post pre-plotted master maps on the wall so that teams can copy the CP locations onto their own maps, using UTM coordinates and control descriptions in the instructions for increased accuracy.

These days there is no good argument for forcing racers to plot UTMs without any guidance. Some people feel it's an important skill; some people like anything that increases the suffering. I don't think plotting UTMs is an important enough skill that we need to test it at an event. Most importantly, as someone involved in organizing events, I want to be certain that each competitor has every CP plotted correctly on their maps. If they don't appear at a CP on time, I never want to worry that they may have headed in some random direction, thinking they were enroute to a CP.

Excerpt from Benoit Letourneau's comments on the subject on Facebook:
"Plotting maps is not something that helps determine the best team. Anyone can do it."

Pre-plotted maps, gear bins waiting for teams at TA's, all teams finished by the time limit... Oh Wilderness Traverse where were you when I was still adventure racing?

Interesting....I always just figured that plotting was part of the game.....maybe next year's Race the Phantom will feature pre-plotted points, sure it may be more work during the planning phase but it would save me checking everyone's points pre-race as they are plotting them.

NSAR, I think plotting was part of the game in the early days of AR when there was more of a military, "make 'em suffer for the sake of suffering" mentality. These days, races like yours involve plenty of challenges and strategy out on the race course, so they don't need extra "make work" tasks - especially ones that send the racers out with less time for sleep and route planning. As an RD, I think your life is made simpler knowing that your racers are aiming for the areas you had planned them to be in. (Whether they actually get there is another story, of course! :) )

Route planning=intellectually engaging
point plotting=sheer boredom

I hate the stress of feeling like if we transpose one number or make some minor mistake we can wind up way out in left field. So we wind up double and triple-checking when we plot. Consequently, plotting CPs goes into the category of mowing the lawn and going to work--things you don't want to do, but have to do so you can do the things you want to do.

Master maps with plotted CPs are a nice check, but RDs who pre-plot map always start me off in a better frame of mind.

I like plotting UTMs because I'm really good at it, and with my usual teammates we have an excellent system that speeds through the process where I know other teams struggle, or at least aren't as fast as us. It might amount to 10 minutes, but combined with the other pre-race things we do well it's part of what can add up to an hour or more that we'll have and other teams won't.

Though at the end of the day, it boils down to what the RD wants the racers to experience. I want to go through what they had in mind.

I don't know any organizations that *prefer* for teams to plot UTMs in the abstract sense, but as a practical matter there are a few reasons at our events (Untamed et al) teams end up plotting points:

1) Plotting checkpoints on your map locks in your course, and we have often ordered our maps months in advance to save on costs, ensure they arrive and are appropriate, and honestly -- a lot of a wilderness course can be shifting in the final month leading up to a race, whether permit issues, weather concerns, or findings from a final course vetting. Ordering maps last minute is such a giant risk -- we did this for Apex in Switzerland (pre-plotted all our maps last minute, as an experiment) and I brought this giant roll of maps over with my luggage from the US just days before the race, but if that piece of luggage were to be lost, it would've been a disaster. We also had to rush ship the maps to me from the printer. Too many failure points for such a critical part of a big race! Not my preference! A lot of stress at the baggage area!

We've experienced all these above issues in the weeks leading up to a race before, and I'd rather have teams plot 25 points on a map than have to cancel, move, or otherwise change points that are plotted on all the maps already. Map printing can be $3000+ expense, not the sort of thing we do over casually.

2) Strategically giving UTMs for teams to plot while on the course can ensure that nobody scouts/tampers or otherwise gains an advantage from knowledge of the entire course. If you have a loop section on bike, followed by a loop section on foot, if people know the entire course they can cover a lot of ground on their bikes and potentially "cheat" on the section they will complete on foot later. In this contrived example, we would only give the foot CPs out after a team has completed the bike. Those foot CPs must be manually plotted by teams.

This being said, we have a new workflow we're trying for Untamed New England 2012 ( *** shameless plug: http://www.UntamedNE.com now has preliminary race details posted and registration opens Oct 1st *** ) that will let us have pre-plotted maps for every map teams get. It involved us investing in our own giant laser printer (my office is 20% laser printer now!), negotiating a sponsorship with a waterproof paper company, and a few other logistical hurdles.

I don't relish plotting UTMs at a race, but I also know the barriers a race organization faces with this and so I'm very understanding.

Very interesting insights Grant... thanks for sharing.

Expedition Idaho had pre plotted for the first 4 sections. After that it was UTMs and master maps. It seemed to be a good mix.

For me, AR is a thinking sport where clarity of mind is just as important as a strong pair of lungs. For this reason, I like plotting UTM's by hand. Sure, it takes time away from other activities but that's part of the fun and prep required. Sure, races have been won and lost based on people's mapping of UTM's correctly and or incorrectly but that's part of the game. If you want to have something super prep'ed and sanitized, stick with triathlon. AR is an adventure!

Transfering CP's from master maps is a middle ground. O-events use this all the time so it is a compromise I guess. You can still slip up so double check!

For what it's worth, at the first Raid the North in '98 we gave out original Canadian topographic maps - eg. what you'd buy at the store (even Tyvec versions!). From there, the only way to have a racecourse on them was to supply the UTMs on the Competitor Instructions and have teams plot them after the briefing. The MyTopo type of software didn't come out until years later where pre-plotting was possible. So, I think this type of 'part of the adventure' that is described above was more of a logistical reality than anything else back in the day.

Mostly I would like a set for each teammate, whether you mark them or not.

Maps are surprisingly expensive, that would be costly. However, it's something that people request all the time. I'm considering offering extra sets of maps to teams at Moose Knuckles at an additional (cost recovery only) cost.

We do that in the Salomon Dontgetlost.ca Adventure Running Series but I haven't seen it in multisport adventure races yet. Although I'd like to get a second set, I'm not sure I'd want 4 maps for 4 racers in a multisport event - except maybe for an orienteering section on foot. For racers, it takes time to mark up maps and waterproof them, and if they're going to be used, they need to be carried, clipped to a canoe or stuck in a bike map holder. That's a lot of overhead work for 4 people to do individually, given all the other things there are to do. Unless you're just talking about sticking extra sets of maps in the bottom of a pack for safety, which is different from having multiple people help with the nav.

When my buddy and I race, we both have map holders rigged to our bikes anyway. I end up copying down road names and turns (not always a lot of time for that!), and wondering where we are. When we are on foot and I have the map, he feels like dead weight, unless it's a wide trail with comfortable two-abreast walking. Note I mostly do six hour races with more orienteering style nav in the foot sections.

Sounds like it's just a team of two then, which is less common around here. In races like that, I'd like a 2nd set of maps too.

It really is a cost factor for Phantom, for other races I host it really comes down to not a lot of requests for a second set.

Akin to what grant said, When I was putting on races, we always had a couple points that were moveable depending on conditions on race day. That way, if we had a flash flood, low water, etc, we could pull out "UTM Course A/b/c" , and those would be the points. similarly, if a point had to be moved last mintue for whatever reason, we could just post it at check-in and tell all teams.

We've also used plotting points as a way to separate teams in the beginning. Mass starts/follow the leader are more stressful for everyone I think than taking your time. Just have RD's build that time into how long they expect the course to take, or give the UTMs a few hours/night before. Or, if you're doing it in a short race, give the teams the option of having their points checked by the RD/volunteer/master map