Sprint Towards Summer

Event Notice for the Sprints on Friday and Saturday.
The event notice for the forest event on Sunday is here
Local weather forecast
[Thursday:] Link to knock-out sprint details added at the bottom of the page.

Refreshments: Bring your own water and snacks.
Advisory: Like most cities, Edmonton has an unhoused population and you may see evidence of old camps throughout the river valley parks; a few active camps have been marked as out of bounds on the maps.
Timing: The SI units at the sprints will be programmed for SIAC, [but not for the forest event]
Any participant on a Course 5 who does not have their own SIAC will be loaned one. A punching start will be used; the start unit will not be in SIAir mode and will require inserting your SI stick.
The Saturday afternoon Knock-out will be a series of short, mass start sprints with no start punch.
Start Times: The Course 5s and the Qualifier will have assigned start times Start Lists are here
New to Sprints?: Thick black lines, fences or walls must not be crossed. Olive green areas on the map must not be entered or crossed.

Sprint # 1, Mill Creek, Friday afternoon:
Parking in Mill Creek Outdoor Pool upper parking lot. Turn north off 82nd Ave onto 95A street. Parking lot on the left st the bend. Walk down to the assembly area near the Pool; 300 m maximum from parking to the assembly area/finish.
There are no public washrooms on site.
Check-in opens at the assembly area at 1:30pm.
First Start 2:00 pm
Mill Creek Sprint – Course Planner’s Notes
Map scale: 1:4,000, 5 m contours
Start 20 to 40 m from assembly area.
The creek has been designated as IMPASSABLE! You may not cross the creek other than at bridges or roads.  This decision was made due to the uncertainty of what the water depth and especially, flow rate would be on the day, as these are quite variable for Mill Creek (depends on the extent of any recent rainfall).  So even if the creek is a babbling brook on the day, no wading!
The contour interval is 5 m, which is unusual for a sprint map.  This means trails and hills may be much steeper than you have been visualizing – which may come as a surprise once you are out on the map.
When the smaller footpaths are muddy, they are slippery, so their state will depend on whether it has rained / snowed recently.
Keep your head up!  Some of the small trails have trees that have fallen across them, which are suspended at chest or even head height (depending on how tall you are), so if you are running with your head down you could get an unpleasant surprise.

Sprint #2, Coronation Park, Friday evening:
Parking at north west corner of the park, enter at the junction of 114 Ave and 139 St.
There are no public washrooms on site: closest are at Westmount Mall and McDonald’s and Tim Hortons on Groat Raod.
Check-in at the NW corner of the parking lot opens at 5:30pm.
First Start 6:00 pm
Coronation Park Sprint – Course Planner’s Notes
Map scale: 1:4,000, 2 m contours
Distance from Check-in to Start 750m. Directions given at check in.
Map symbols: from a previous iteration of the map, coniferous trees are shown as a green circle, and deciduous as a dot. The City spent the pandemic cutting down some trees and planting new ones – not all shown.
Adding Challenge: Some areas that would normally be crossable have been marked in olive green on the map and must not be crossed. Stay on the paths through these areas. Thick purple lines on the map are marked in the terrain with tapes and must not be crossed.

Sprint #3, Kinsmen Park, Saturday afternoon
Kinsmen Park is a the bottom of Queen Elizabeth Park Road and Walterdale Hill, both one-way roads.
(Public washrooms in the Kinsmen Sport Centre).
Follow the road on the north side of the park (close to the river) to just past the tennis courts, but before going under the High Level Bridge.
Check-in from 10:00 am, at the SW corner of the parking lot.
First Start: 10:30am
Distance from check-in to start 200m
Course planner’s notes:
Map scale: 1:4,000, 5 m contours
The Course 3/Qualifier race starts and finishes in Kinsmen Park but crosses Saskatchewan drive onto the U of A campus; take care crossing the road. In the park, some of the trails are quite steep and could be very slippery if wet.

Getting to the University;
This is the tricky part. You have to exit left when you leave Kinsmen Park. After crossing our splendid new bridge, turn left onto River Valley Road. Then cross back over the river on the Groat Bridge.
Easiest way to find the assembly area is to drive up the hill and turn left at the ‘mock’ traffic circle onto 87 Avenue. Turn left at 116 Street and immediately right into the parking lot.
Note: all parking in the university area is paid parking. Off-campus parking is with resident permit.

Knock-out Sprints, UofA campus, Saturday afternoon
We have rented some indoor space, where there is access to toilets.
NO studs at this venue.
Arrive in enough time to find somewhere to park, and make your way to the starts by 3:00pm.
Knock-out sprint details


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