What Courses and Competitive Classes Are Offered?
Orienteering has seven standard courses, shown below. At local recreational meets, you may do any course that's within your navigational and physical abilities. At national A-meets, you run in your competitive age class (award-eligible) or an open class (all ages). Distances shown are for national competitions. In the Bay area, due to our steep terrain, course lengths are usually shorter.
In general, beginner courses are on or near trails (or other linear features, like fences), and you look for large, distinct features, such as trail junctions or hilltops. The four advanced courses all have the same level of navigational difficulty (looking for small point features, such as boulders or lone trees) but differ in their distance and climb. Blue is the "elite" course for men, and Red for women, both requiring optimum mental and physical conditioning.
Note: If you are used to road or trail running, our distances can be misleading. The actual distance covered on a course is typically 2–3 times the stated course distance, because the stated distance is measured “as the crow flies” from control to control. Also note that there can be significant climb as well. (The climb is measured as the actual climb, without regard for descent, that will be experienced on the "optimum" route.)
| Course | Navigational Difficulty | Terrain | Distance (kilometers) | Winning Time (minutes) | OUSA Competitive Classes (age/gender-based) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | Beginner | Trails | 2–3 | 25–30 | M−10, M−12, F−10, F−12 MF-White, Gr-White |
| Yellow | Advanced Beginner |
Mostly trails | 3–5 | 35–40 | M−14, F−14, M-Yellow, F-Yellow, Gr-Yellow |
| Orange | Intermediate | Off-trail | 4.5–7 | 50–55 | M−16, F−16, M-Orange, F-Orange, Gr-Orange |
| Brown | Advanced | Cross-country | 3–5 | 45–50 | M65+, M70+, M-Brown, F−18, F50+, F55+, F60+, F65+, F70+, F-Brown |
| Green | Advanced | Cross-country | 4.5–7 | 50–55 | M−18, M50+, M55+, M60+, F−20, F35+, F40+, F45+, M-Green, F-Green |
| Red | Advanced | Cross-country | 6–10 | 60–65 | F−21+, M−20, M35+, M40+, M45+, M-Red |
| Blue | Advanced | Cross-country | 8–14 | 75–80 | M−21+ |
Notes about Orienteering USA (OUSA) competitive classes:
- F = female, M = male, Gr = group
- The number denotes age on Dec. 31 of the year of the event (put another way, subtract birth year from current year). A minus or plus indicates no age limit on that side. For example, M–12 is open to boys aged 12 and under, while F35+ is open to women aged 35 and older.
- The following classes are open to any age: MF-White, all Group (GR) classes, and all classes designated with a course color (e.g., F-Green).
