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Guides >> Courses & Categories
Courses & Categories
Orienteering has seven standard courses (see table below). At local recreational meets, you may do
any course that's within your navigational and physical abilities.
In general, beginner courses are on or near trails (or other linear features, like fences), and
you can look for large, distinct features, such as trail junctions or hilltops.
The four advanced courses (Brown, Green, Red, Blue) all have the same level of navigational difficulty
but differ in their distances and climbs.
At National A-meets
(which are competitive ranked events), you run in your competitive age category or an open class (all ages).
| Courses |
Navigation
Difficulty |
Terrain |
Distance
(kilometers) |
Winning Time (min.) |
USOF Competitive Category (age/gender) |
| WHITE |
Beginner |
Trails |
2 - 3 |
25 - 30 |
F-10, F-12, M-10, M-12, MF-White, Gr-White |
| YELLOW |
Adv. Beginner |
Mostly Trails |
3 - 5 |
35 - 40 |
F-14, M-14, F-Yellow, M-Yellow, Gr-Yellow |
| ORANGE |
Intermediate |
Off-trail |
4.5 - 7 |
50 - 55 |
F-16, M-16, F-Orange, M-Orange, Gr-Orange |
| BROWN |
Advanced |
Cross-country |
3 - 5 |
45 - 50 |
F-18, F55+, F60+, F65+, F70+, F75+, F80+, F85+, M65+, M70+, M75+, M80+, M85+, F-Brown, M-Brown |
| GREEN |
Advanced |
Cross-country |
4.5 - 7 |
50 - 55 |
F-20, F35+, F40+, F45+, F50+, M-18, M50+, M55+, M60+, F-Green, M-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+ |
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Notes about USOF Competitive Categories:
- F = Female, M = Male, Gr = Group
- The number denotes age on Dec. 31 of the year of the event. A dash 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 categories are open to any age: MF-White, all Group categories, all categories designated with a course color (e.g., F-Green)
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