For larger events such as Otago Champs, South Island Champs and Nationals you enter according to your gender, age and ability.e.g. M21E, W40B, M12A
An age class normally has three parts; - Gender M or W - Men or women. [in Europe they ofter use the prefixes H (men) and D (women)]
- Age Group. Based upon the year you were born. Junior classes are the age and below, senior classes age and above with M/W21 being open to any age - as long as you can handle the distance and difficulty. Juniors can run courses for older age groups (run "up") and seniors can run courses for younger age groups (run "down"). Junior age-groups are every 2 years and seniors may be either every 5 or 10 years depending upon the size of the event.
- Difficulty/Length
- E - Elite class, only do this if you're mad, fit or REALLY good, usually only used for M/W21 and M/W20
- A - Championship grade, or the top grade for all other age groups
- B - Slightly easier and shorter courses
- C - Like B but even more so...!
- L or S - Long or Short options but with no difference in difficulty (eg: W21AS is the same difficulty as W21A, but a shorter course).
Traditionally, beginners would start with C grade courses, then once they start to win that grade, move up to B grade. B Grade winners would move up to A grade, etc.
Note that you can be any age to run Elite class, you don't just have to be between 21 and 40 years old - but you have to be able to handle the distance and technical difficulty. |
14 Course Format
These Orienteering NZ rules are valid from 1 January 2008 and replace all previous rules. (Updated October 2014) 16
Course Men Women Winning Time Difficulty
1 M21E 90-100 min Red
2 M20A M21A M35A W21E 70 min Red
3 M18A M40A M45A 60 min Red
4 M50A W20A W21A W35A 55 min Red
5 M55A M21AS M16A W40A W45A 50 min Red
6 M60A M40AS W18A W50A 45 min Red
7 M65A W40AS W16A 45 min Red
8 M70A M75A W60A W65A 45 min Red
9 M80A M85A W70A W75A 45 min Red
10 M18B M21B M20B M40B W20B W21B 45 min Orange
11 M14A M16B M50B W18B W40B 45 min Orange
12 W14A W16B W50B 40 min Orange
13 M12A M14B M21C W12A W14B W21C 35 min median Yellow
14 M10A M12B W10A W12B 35 min median White
13 Course Format
Course Men Women Winning Time Difficulty
1 M21E 90-100 min Red
2 M20A M21A M35A W21E 70 min Red
3 M18A M40A M45A 60 min Red
4 M50A M21AS W20A W21A W35A W40A 55 min Red
5 M55A M60A M16A M40AS W18A W45A W50A 50 min Red
6 M65A W55A W21AS W16A 45 min Red
7 M70A M75A W60A W65A W40AS 45 min Red
8 M80A M85A W70A W75A 45 min Red
9 M18B M21B 45 min Orange
10 M14A M16B M40B W18B W21B 45 min Orange
11 M50B W14A W16B W40B W50B 40 min Orange
12 M12A M14B M21C W12A W14B W21C 35 min median Yellow
13 M10A M12B W10A W12B 35 min median White
10 Course Format
Course Men Women Winning Time Difficulty
1 M21E 90-100 min Red
2 M20A M21A W21E 70 min Red
3 M18A M40A 60 min Red
4 M16A M50A M21AS W18A W20A W21A W40A 45 min Red
5 M60A M40AS W16A W50A W21AS 45 min Red
6 M70A W60A W40AS 45 min Red
7 M18B M21B M14A 45 min Orange
8 M40B W18B W21B W40B W14A 40 min Orange
9 M12A M14B M21C W12A W14B W21C 35 min median Yellow
10 M10A M12B W10A W12B 35 min median White