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From the Shoreline: Depart from the upper dock which is the closest to the parking lots and halfway up the hill(You will see a sign and hear the start time for your race). Be sure to check in with the marshal on the dock as they will be able to confirm that your event is on schedule. As you leave the docks head UPRIVER staying to right of the blue buoy. | ww | ||
| Heading up river/Warming Up: As you head upriver you will notice the marshalling area on the other side of the river. Do not cross into those lanes and be sure head up past the large buoy which is next to the painted rocks on the Prince William shoreline. A marshal will be there to check you in and give you an approximate start time. Should you require more time to warm-up, there are over 8 miles of river upriver, but be sure to stay close to the marshalling area once your event draws near. | ||||
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In the marshalling area: Once the marshal has given you the green light you may proceed into the marshalling area. Its approximately 400 meters to the starting line at this point and you will need to make sure you are lined up against the other competitors in your event. As you approach the starting line you will need to make sure you are not crowding rowers ahead of you and that you are in line so that the starting judge can quickly start each event. | |||
| On the Course: THE STARTING LINE is directly across from the coaches dock(launches dock). Once on the course you will want to make sure you stay centered between the shoreline and buoy line(approx 3-4 buoys) as you will be required to almost immediately start slowly turning to starboard. We have found that folks that stay closer(about 25-30 feet) to shoreline throughout the ENTIRE RACE easily accomplish this and cut valuable time off their race. | ||||
| Completing the first turn and hitting the Straight away: The turn will continue until it has straightened you out onto the 2000 race course(you will probably end up in lane 6 or lane 7 of the standard 2000m course heading towards the 2000m starting line). Once on the course its full speed ahead for 1300 meters. Be sure to stay clear of lanes 3-4(middle of the river) which are closed to boat traffic. |  |
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| Approaching the Challenge Turn(Which is at the start of the High School Races, 500 meters before the 2000m starting line and 800meters from the Dam): As you pass the 1000meter mark you will note a large set of rocks on the Prince William County Starboard side. As soon as you pass them you will want to start easing over as there are buoys that push you over to the Prince William side of the river. | ||||
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THE CHALLENGE TURN turns at exactly 150 meters from the large set of rocks on the Prince William Side of the river. As you near the turn you will see a marshal and a very large set of 4 buoys that is the Challenge Turn. As you pass the first buoy you will want to start your turn either hitting hard on your starboard side or alternating by cutting power on the other side. The wide turn can easily accomplished tight to the buoy line and takes approximately 40 seconds to complete. Those crews that cut it close to the first buoy have been know to swing wide and have lost several seconds off the turn. | |||
| Heading
for Home: As you complete the turn you will be either in lanes
0-2 of the 2000m course(the 2000m course is not marked during the Fall and
is only used as a point of reference). It’s straight ahead for 1500
meters until you pass the grandstand and finish line of the 2000m course.
As you pass the finish line for the 2000m course you will want to stay close
to the shoreline on your starboard side as we have a series of buoys that
prevent you from heading straight off the course. Continue cutting to the
right until you see a large buoy and marshal who will be last marker and
represent 250 meters until the finish line. |
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THE FINISH LINE is right next to coaches dock(launches dock next to Sandy Run. Make sure to note that finish line docks which sit 30-40 feet from shore. You should center your bow between the FINISH LINE YELLOW buoys. As you complete the finish please head off the course and into Sandy Run(The nearest dock is the arrival dock). If you wish to warm-down please continue along Sandy Run(past the docks) which heads back about 1 mile. |
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Important
Landmarks |
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 Off
Limits Areas:
These areas are off limits. Any crews found in the center of the river
will be immediately disqualified. Good rule to use is to always start
no more than 100 feet from shore at ALL times. |
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| Sandy Run Regional Park. The entire regatta is operated out of Sandy Run Regional Park. Crews heading out the on the water should use the docks halfway down the hill leading to the water and crews returning to the park should use the return docks which are located at the bottom of the hill. Registrations will be run from the main boathouse building at the top of the hill and results can be picked up at regatta headquarters in between the both sets of docks. | ||||
| Prince William County. This is the land mass on the other side of the river. As you race down the river, PW County will be on your starboard side. Notable landmarks include the "Painted" Rocks where several marshalls will be on hand to get you lined up for the race and the power lines(which cross the river at about 1000 meters away from the start and finish line of the race. | ||||
| The Painted Rocks This is a collection of rocks that local HS crews have painted. It should serve as the approximate turnaround point for crews preparing to head into the course. Please note, you should not stray too far away from the course as marshalls will not wait for your arrival before starting the event. | ||||
| © Copyright 2003, Occoquan Challenge, All Rights Reserved | ||||