The Verdict is in!

Well, they FINALLY tabulated the results for Sandmann. CP 16 was indeed in the wrong place, so they threw it out. They were not able to issue time credits to teams that spent forever looking for it (mainly US!) because it would have been too difficult to get accurate times from every single team. So we ended up Second in the Coed Division, which isn't terrible, but it is aggravating to know that had we skipped CP 16 entirely, we could have cleared the rest of the course with plenty of time to spare, and avoided all the drama in the last 5 minutes of the race.

Some people don't care about standings, but some of us do and when races have these types of issues, it just doesn't keep a level playing field for anyone. When points are in the wrong spot, it is generally the teams with good navigators that suffer most, as they go directly to the plotted location without stumbling around in every drainage and tree stump that they come across. I've also found that being in the lead is also a bad thing because you get to be the guinea pig and find all the problems with the course. (Fall Creek Falls 2007) While you run around wondering why the CP isn't where its supposed to be, other teams start showing up and benefit from your misfortune. As I get older and more cranky, I have less and less patience for races that have these types of issues. I KNOW putting on a race is hard work because I'm doing it right now, but PLEASE!!!! Take the time to have someone competent vet your courses and make sure that the folks hanging the CPs know exactly where to hang them. End Rant.