NEW TO MAJOR EVENTS? - INFO & TIPS
Help!
If you’re relatively new to orienteering or haven’t entered a major event before, here are some tips and suggestions for what to enter.
What to expect
Major events like AusChamps 2025 may seem scary—there are far more people and more going on than at local events—but the basics are the same: Start at the start triangle, navigate your way to each control in turn, and finish! There are also some great advantages:
More people (+ coffee and food vendors) make for a party atmosphere. Lots of chances to meet other orienteers, compare notes, and make new friends.
Elite athletes are exciting to watch, and commentary lets you know what’s going on and who to cheer for.
Make sure you read our Bulletins. Bulletin 1 is available, and Bulletin 2 will be published late August - it will tell you exactly where to go and what to do when you get there. For example, you’ll need to park in a specific area, and pick up your numbered race bib from the registration desk. And follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for the latest information.
Shortly before the event we will publish Start Lists on Eventor, which give the start time for every entrant, for every race. You should make a note of your start time (which will be different for each race), check how far the start is from the carpark, and make sure to get to the correct start location 15 minutes prior to your start time.
What to enter: Classes
You might be used to entering courses with names like “easy” and “hard” or “short” and “long” at local events. At major events you enter a class based on difficulty, age and gender, and there are suddenly a lot of classes to choose from. The class names use a simple code. Here is how it works:
W21E – Women 21 and older Elite.
M14A – Men 14 and younger A.
W Open B – Women any age B.
M55AS – Men 55 and older, A Short.
Most classes are prefixed by W for women and M for men. Women’s classes are the same difficulty but slightly shorter. Mixed classes are prefixed MW or Open.
Age 21+ (senior classes): The number shows the minimum eligible age for the class.
Age 20 & under (junior classes): The number shows the maximum eligible age for the class.
For orienteering events, your age is however old you are at the end of the event year, so if you’re a man turning 50 in December 2025, your age class at AOC will be M50.
When you make your entry, the entry system will only let you pick classes appropriate for your age and gender, so you don’t need to worry about choosing something you aren’t allowed to.
| Class type | Technical difficulty | Details |
|---|---|---|
| E (Elite) | Very Hard | Forest: Long, physical and difficult orienteering for elite athletes. Sprint: Complex fast-paced urban navigation requiring constant concentration for elite athletes. |
| A | M/W10A: Very Easy M/W12A: Easy M/W14A: Moderate All other A classes: Hard |
Forest: Long, physical and difficult orienteering for everyone else. Length and technical difficulty vary with age and gender. You should have orienteering experience to enter an A class. Sprint: Complex fast-paced urban navigation requiring constant concentration. |
| AS (A Short) | Hard | Forest only: Shorter, slightly less physical but still difficult orienteering. Length varies with age and gender, although there are fewer age groups for AS classes. You should have orienteering experience to enter an AS class, but you don’t need to be as fit as for A. |
| B | Moderate | Forest: Less difficult navigation. You should have at least at least some orienteering experience, and be able to use a compass. Sprint: Less complex urban navigation. |
| Open Easy | Easy | Suitable for confident beginners. Courses tend to follow tracks, fences or creeks. |
| N (Novice) | Very Easy | Non-competitive class for young children shadowed by their parents or caregivers. |
You should not enter an ‘E’ class or a 21A class unless you have regularly orienteered for at least 2 years.
Sprint events
Sprint orienteering involves shorter courses in urban terrain like schools and universities.
If you haven’t done much sprint orienteering, you may find an A class course confusing, however there is less danger of getting seriously lost than in the forest. If you do B courses in the forest, you may like to try an A course for a sprint.
Course lengths
The Bulletins show the length for each course. Forest course lengths are given as the crow flies, and you can expect to go considerably further, as the best routes between controls are oftennot direct. Sprint course lengths are given along the best possible route, so you might only go a little further.
Bulletin 1 quotes an estimated winning time for each class, i.e. the time taken by an expert navigator in this type of terrain. It is not unusual for less experienced orienteers to take 3 or 4 times as long.
Our suggestions
How much orienteering have you done before?
If you’re in an orienteering club, ask your club mates or club officials for advice first of all. They’ll be able to help you out.
If you aren’t, but can get to a local event before the Championships (see the Eventor calendar) that would be a good idea. Orienteering clubs have plenty of experienced people who would love to show you the ropes – just ask at registration.
If you’re a beginner, consider entering Open Easy to get a feel for things. This is a great way for parents of junior orienteers to join in the experience.
If you have some experience but aren’t confident in the forest, considering entering an AS or B class rather than A.
If you have more questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
[Text partly adapted from Orienteering New Zealand https://www.oceaniao.nz/help/ ]