POM Day 1 – PreO Sprint

PreO Sprint Presentation

In a few months’ time, it will be thirteen years since Ori-Estarreja organised, in 2013, the first National PreO Classic Championship. The stage was the picnic area of Praia da Tocha — and since then, the sand dunes have become terrain to be explored.

Over the years, this terrain has inspired several organisations: in 2014, Dunas PreO and Dunas TempO (the first National Championship of this discipline); in 2015, the PreO event of the Portugal “O” Meeting, in the Dunas de Vagos; and in 2017, the PreO da Boa Hora, in Vagueira, held simultaneously as the National and Iberian PreO/TrailO Championships.

Dune terrain has consistently established itself as technically demanding for TrailO — and, in particular, for PreO.

With the evolution of the discipline and the introduction of PreO Sprint, Ori-Estarreja has once again decided to focus on what it does best: delivering high-quality technical challenges.

At the Portugal “O” Meeting 2026, we invite athletes to accept this challenge and compete in the Precision Orienteering stage, set in a unique environment.

The competition will take place along the boardwalks of Praia de Mira, on terrain that promises one of the most technical and intense Precision Orienteering experiences — possibly even more demanding than the PreO Sprint at ABOM 2025, in Aguiar da Beira.

The map, carefully surveyed by Daniel Silva and selectively revised by Rafael Miguel, covers the entire dune environment at a scale of 1:3000, with a 2-metre contour interval. The result is an extremely detailed and accurate map, where micro-contours and every vegetation element can play a decisive role in the decision-making process.

The planning of the POM 2026 PreO Sprint benefited from the contribution of all Ori-Estarreja athletes who are part of the Portuguese National Squad training group, with the final course layout being the responsibility of Nuno Pires. Control placement was further supported by André Pedrosa.

Our objective is clear: to provide control points that represent genuine challenges of interpretation and decision-making — technically demanding, fair, feasible, and unambiguous.

We hope correct answers come naturally, and that mistakes are merely the result of competitive pressure.

In the end, it all comes down to Alphas and Zeros.

Is the control in the correct position… or not?

Parking, Key Locations and Competition Flow

Parking

Parking for the PreO Sprint is located at Praia de Mira Parking (shown in green on the diagram).

Praia de Mira Boardwalk

The boardwalk has four access points. Access is forbidden via the northern access and via the two accesses located next to the parking area (marked with red crosses on the diagram).
If any athlete enters the boardwalk through these accesses before their competition, they will be disqualified.

Access to the PreO Sprint Competition Area

Access to the Competition Area is only allowed via the access point indicated on the diagram (blue arrow), located approximately 300 metres north of the parking area.
Athletes must arrive at the Competition Area fully prepared. It is strictly forbidden to carry mobile phones or any electronic devices, except for a watch/stopwatch and the SI Card.
Athletes will be checked in by the organisers at the entrance to the boardwalk.
Check-in should take place approximately 20 to 30 minutes before the start time.

WarmUp

Upon entering the Competition Area, athletes will receive the Warm-up map, allowing some time to become familiar with the terrain, mapping, and to solve the proposed challenges.
Leaving the Competition Area is not permitted.
The WarmUp runs from North to South.

PreO Sprint (Competition)

From the Warm-up finish to the PreO Sprint call-up, athletes must walk approximately 50 metres southwards along the boardwalk.
Athletes will be called two minutes before their start time for the beginning of the PreO Sprint and must strictly respect their call-up time.
The PreO Sprint consists of two parts, with time neutralisation at the end of the first part, in separate sections of the boardwalk.
After finishing the competition, athletes must continue southwards to the Tabuínhas Baby Bar, where SI download and the prize-giving ceremony will take place.

Return to Parking and Prize-giving

After finishing the competition, athletes may exit via the southern access of the boardwalk to return to the parking area.
If their competition is already completed, they may then return to the Tabuínhas Baby Bar to wait for the prize-giving ceremony.

Terrain and Visibility

The competition takes place along the Praia de Mira boardwalk, built over a protected dune area, with generally very good visibility of the terrain. The boardwalk is almost completely flat.

The terrain is coastal dune terrain, close to the sea, with gentle to moderately undulating micro-contours, formed by semi-fixed dunes, with sandy depressions and exposure to wind.

The vegetation is exclusively psammophilous, low and discontinuous, composed of typical species such as marram grass (Ammophila arenaria), sand couch-grass (Elymus farctus), sea holly (Eryngium maritimum), acacias (Acacia spp.), and Hottentot fig (Carpobrotus edulis).

Competition Format

The competition format is PreO Sprint, and the course will consist exclusively of A/Z tasks.
Athletes are ranked according to the highest number of correct challenges/points.
For each started minute exceeding the class time limit, the athlete loses one point.
- In the event of a tie between athletes with the same number of points, the shorter execution time will be used as the tie-breaker.

NOTE: An A/Z task is solved by answering Alpha (if the control flag is correctly positioned on the terrain, at the centre of the control circle on the map) or Zero (if the control flag is incorrectly positioned).

Course Dynamics

The course runs along a wooden boardwalk, with no significant gradient.
Movement on foot or by wheelchair is easy.
The competition consists of two parts with time neutralisation, with one map provided for each sector. Each part has its own Start and Finish, and SI download is not required during the neutralisation.
The control numbers on each map do not follow a specific order, being arranged to optimise map legibility.
The control observation points are numbered sequentially along the course and are located on both sides of the boardwalk, starting from the Start.
At the end of the first part, athletes must keep their map and hand it in at the finish of the competition, at a location to be indicated.
After completing the first part, athletes must walk continuously, without stopping, to the start of the second part.
A controller judge will ensure that the transition pace between the two parts is appropriate.
- Any athlete who deliberately slows down or stops during the transition will be disqualified.
After the transition area, the athlete receives the second map and restarts the competition by punching the START of the second part.
The FINISH of the second part is located on the boardwalk, after the viewing point of the last control.

Control Punching and Timing

At each viewing point, two SI stations will be available on the opposite side of the boardwalk to ensure access for punching.
- For each control, there will be two SI stations, marked with the control number and the identifiers A and Z.
The SI stations are configured with AIR+ disabled.
- It is not possible to punch by merely passing an SIAC over the station.
- Athletes using SIAC must punch in the traditional way (physical contact with the station).
If an SI station fails, a mini control card will be provided on the map, with spaces for three controls, each with A or Z answers.
- For each control, between the A and Z SI stations, a manual punch will be available.

Specifications and Guidelines

Course – Technical Information

Course Planner: Nuno Pires
Planning Assistants: Daniel Silva and André Pedrosa
FPO Supervisor: Jorge Baltasar

Starts
- First Check-in: 14:00
- First Start: 14:30
- Start Interval: 1 minute
- The organisers will optimise start times for athletes competing in the Middle Distance GOLD WRE, ensuring they have sufficient time to complete their race, recover, have a meal, and arrive in time for the start of the PreO Sprint.
- If it is possible to advance the start of waiting athletes, while respecting a minimum interval of 3 minutes between athletes from the same club, the organisation will call-up as soon as possible.
- Portuguese athletes will be grouped as much as possible, taking into account that the event counts for the Portuguese TrailO Orienteering Cup, in order to ensure as similar stage conditions as possible among peers.

WarmUp
- Length: 70 metres
- Tasks: 5 points
- Recommended Maximum Time:
  - Open Class: 8 minutes
  - P-Class (on foot): 9 minutes
  - P-Class (wheelchair): 11 minutes

PreO Sprint
- Length:
  - Part 1: 205 metres
  - Part 2: 65 metres
  - Total: 270 metres
- Tasks:
  - Part 1: 13 points
  - Part 2: 10 points
  - Total: 23 points
- Maximum Time:
  - Open Class: 32 minutes
  - P-Class (on foot): 35 minutes
  - P-Class (wheelchair): 40 minutes
- Climb: 0 metres

Note:

The course planner requested additional competition time from the supervisor so that all challenges created during planning could be included in the PreO Sprint competition.

Nevertheless, it was decided to create a Warm-up, in addition to the PreO Sprint, using challenges that were originally part of the competition planning, allowing athletes to adapt to the map and terrain beforehand.