Course details are now available:

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The Convention and Five-Day Meet will offer the following types of courses:

• Non-Competitive Courses (Recreational),
• Competitive Courses (A-meet),
• Courses for Groups,
• Demo Courses, and
• Fund-Raiser Courses

Full details for each course type are enclosed below.

Non-Competitive / Recreational Courses

Recreational courses are non-competitive. USOF ranking points are not awarded, and results will not be posted on the Colorado Five-Day web site. However, the recreational entry fees are lower than those for the competitive courses.

Choose a course that suits your orienteering skill level:

• The White course is a beginner course that everyone should be able to finish. It's length will vary between 2 and 3 kilometers. The White course is suitable for kids as well as adult beginners.

• The Yellow course is a slightly longer beginner course that adults and older kids should finish easily. Yellow course length will vary between 3 and 5 kilometers.

• The Orange course is an intermediate course that is nearly all off-trail. It requires technical orienteering skills. Orange course length will vary between 4 and 7 kilometers.

The recreational courses will run concurrently with the competitive A-meet courses. So, you should avoid registering for a competitive A-meet course and a recreational course on the same day.

The recreational courses will be timed using the E-Punch system, so you must have an E-Punch unit. E-Punch units may be rented for $3 per day via the online registration form.

If you're registered for the "Zero to Orange in Three Days" course, you do not have to register separately for the recreational courses on Days 1 & 2 (August 4th and 5th). However, you will need to register for the Night-O, Short-O, and/or Long-O if you choose to participate in those events.

Competitive / A-Meet Courses

Competitive A-meets are regulated and sanctioned by the US Orienteering Federation (USOF). The standards for A-meet courses are more strict than for local meets. USOF Ranking points are awarded, and official results for all competitive runners will be posted on the Colorado Five Day website.

The USOF Course / Class structure divides individual competitors into classes by gender and age as of December 31st of the current year. (For example, if you will be 19 at any time this year, you will use age 19 for the whole year.) The class you choose will determine which course you run. For example, all F35+ competitors will do the Green course, all M-16 competitors will do the Orange course, etc. See table below.

In the class designations, "M" means Male and "F" means Female. Age ranges are indicated by a "-" (minus sign) and/or a "+" (plus sign). A minus sign before the age means "this age or younger". A plus sign after the age means "this age or older". For example: the F-12 class is for girls age 12 and younger; the F-21+ class is for any female younger or older than 21; M45+ is for any male age 45 or older.

Classes containing the course color are age neutral. (For example, "F-White", "M-Orange".) These "open" classes are useful for competitors who want to complete a course other than what their age group would normally be assigned to. For example, a 36-year old woman would normally run the Green course in the F35+ class; but, she could register for F-Yellow instead.

Classes containing "Gr" (Group) and course color are age and gender neutral. (For example, "Gr-White", "Gr-Orange".) Groups may compete only on White, Yellow and Orange. Each member of the Group must register individually for the course. This may be expensive, so if you don't care about USOF ranking points and official results, we recommend that you register and run in the Recreational class, for a total cost of $5 per group. See additional details in the "Groups" section below.

During the online registration process, the list of classes you can choose is based on the gender and age you specify on the demographics page of registration form. However, there is no additional logic built into the registration process to help you decide what class to choose. So, read the instructions thoroughly. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it if you can't decide on the right class.

Note: Expected winning times and course lengths vary depending on the event type.

• Day 1, Day 2, and the Night-O are "Classic" events; see expected winning times in the table above.
• The Short-O winning times are 25-30 minutes.
• The Long-O winning times for the expert courses are as follows: Brown -- 60 minutes, Green -- 75 minutes, Red -- 100 minutes, and Blue -- 145 minutes.

Time Limits & Start Intervals:

• The time limit for the Classic courses is three hours. Two-minute start intervals.
• The time limit for the Short-O is two hours. Two-minute start intervals.
• The time limit for the Long-O is five hours. Mass start.

Courses for Groups

Competitive and Non-Competitive Groups may register for the White, Yellow, and Orange courses only. The classes are Gr-White, Gr-Yellow, and Gr-Orange. Each group will receive one map and one e-punch.

• Competitive Groups will be listed in the official results on the Colorado Five-Day web site, but will not receive USOF ranking points.

  Each competitive group member must register for the A-meet and pay as an individual. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it your group name and group members no later than July 1st.

• Non-Competitive Groups do not receive USOF ranking points, and their results will appear only on the RMOC club web site (not the official Colorado Five-Day web site). Typically, non-competitive groups will be Scouts, families, and friends.

  The leader of each non-competitive group should register on behalf of all group members and ensure that all group members have signed waivers.

Demo Courses

• Mountain Bike-O
• GPS-O
• Radio-O

Our demo courses are designed to give you a sampling of other specialized types of orienteering. The demo courses are self-timed, for individuals or groups, and strictly non-competitive. Maps and other demo course information will be available at the Headquarters building. You can try the demo courses anytime between Sunday, August 5th at 2pm and Wednesday, August 8th at 6pm.

Mountain bike rental will be available for the Mountain Bike-O. Bring your own GPS for the GPS-O. Limited radios are available for the Radio-O. Maps are $1 each. For safety, we ask that you check in and out at the Headquarters building when heading out on the demo courses.

Fund-Raiser Courses

• On Thursday, August 9th, the Trail-O at Garden of the Gods is a fund raiser for the US Trail-O team. The suggested donation is $8. A Trail-O is entirely on paved paths and therefore completely accessible for a wheelchair. Instructions for the Trail-O can be downloaded here; copies will also be available at Headquarters and at Garden of the Gods. If you failed to pre-register online for the Trail-O, you can sign up at Headquarters when you check into Peaceful Valley. During the convention there will be Trail-O workshops on Wednesday, August 6th.

• On Sunday, August 12th, the Sprint-Relay at Manitou Lake is a fund raiser for the US Orienteering Team. This is a team event. If you didn't sign up because you don't have a team, don't worry. Teams will be forming all week and will finalize just before the race on Sunday, August 12th. Sprint-Relay Instructions will be included in your packet.

Be generous! Our teams train hard and your financial support is much appreciated!