IB Live

It’s time for Division 3!

Fri 23:02. 1x 📷. Posted by Chloe Woodburn - IB Marketing Officer.

Division 3

Division 3 - Brindabella Valley Road (-35.4016670, 148.7486110)

Drop time: 11:40pm

Scout time: 5-15 mins*

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering…what’s the deal with the scout time? Why is it a range? 

This is a question that I’m sure has been on the mind of many of the runners over the past few days, particularly the Division 3 scouts, who I’m sure have been stressing over whether they have a rather short scout time or a very very short scout time.

The reason that Division 3 was provided with a range is that until their arrival at Dropsite, Division 3’s scout time was actually still undecided! Depending on the conditions, this Dropsite either provides runners with an excellent view across the valley or is covered with fog - which you can imagine makes it a bit harder to pick Dropsite.

We’re still waiting to hear what Division 3’s scout time actually ended up being, but I’ll update you as soon as I can!

Just quietly, this is probably the easiest Dropsite of this year’s race. There are plenty of distinctive features in this area. (Though, that’s easy for me to say - it’s always harder in the field.)

From Dropsite, Division 3 teams should note that they are likely on a solid-line road. They should see that there is flat, clear land and a river to their west, and steep, densely-vegetated terrain to their east. This information already narrows down a decent chunk of the course area, because there are relatively few spots where steep terrain gives way to open land in this manner. The powerlines that cross the road north of Dropsite and then run parallel alongside it are also a defining feature.

Division 3 scouts are pretty lucky - not only do they not have to spend additional energy embarking on a long scout, they also get a relatively flat run. Scouts who run south should note that the river they were dropped adjacent to bends sharply away from the road after about 400 metres, while scouts who run north will largely follow the river. They may also see the start of Honeysuckle Trail (which is the path that all teams will have to take in order to leave Dropsite without breaking any race rules).

Division 3 teams should be able to pick Dropsite with confidence. The stakes are high here, though - if teams do accidentally run north from Dropsite and neglect to turn down Honeysuckle Trail, they will hit the Brindabella Road exclusion zone after just over 2 kilometres (of course, if teams did make this error, they should hopefully be able to use signposting and the fact that they have hit a sealed road to locate themselves before actually getting themselves disqualified). Similarly, south of Dropsite is private property and a dead end, so any team that inadvertently heads south will have to double back through dropsite once they realise their error. 

Let’s see how they go!

    Related posts