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Thursday, 3 April 2014

Butterflys

Butterfly loops are an increasingly common feature of courses whether they are to provide separation in mass start situations, for spectator appeal or simply to make the most of a small area. The TONIC 2014 Classic had the interesting example below.  This was made more challenging by the 1:15000 scale and quite thick vegetation. With legs this long (or short) on 1:15000 you can simplify your plans to only a few key steps per leg. The first and most important being making sure you have a good compass bearing from the control each time (this is called your exit direction).  For example 13-14 my steps would be 1) good exit direction 2) confirm I am running up an open spur 3) make sure I stay on my compass and look for the formline shape funnelling me into the control. I wish I had followed this recipe in the race!


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