The first part of this page contains information about the Middle and Long Distance races. The second part contains information for the Knock-Out Sprint.
Middle and Long Race Details
Class Selection
Age Class Races
If you are registering in the Age Class Races, and you are under 21 you are permitted to "race up" if you wish. For instance, if you are a 15 year old male, you can register in M16-, M20- or M21. If you are 35 or over, you can "race down" if you wish. For instance a 47 year old female can register in F45+, F35+ or F21. Anyone between 21 and 34 years old has no choice in the age class. They will be in F21 or M21, with the exception of the "short" option. M16-S, F16-S, M21S and F21S are somewhat shorter ("S" stands for "short") than their counterpart courses to give an option for people who do not want to tackle the full length of their age class course.
Note that you will be required to race in the same class in both the Middle and the Long events to qualify for awards, since they are based on total combined time for the two days.
Short Courses
If your age class course is longer than you would like, we offer "S" (for short) options for some age classes.
If you are in one of the age classes listed in the table below, you can register for the Short course option as indicated. Note that there are no awards for the "S" classes, but it does give you the opportunity to participate at your personal level of comfort.
| Course | Age Class | Short Course |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | M21, M20-, M18- | M21S |
| 2 | F21, F20- | F21S |
| 3 | M16- | M16-S |
| 4 | F16- | F16-S |
Recreational Courses
If you are registering in the Recreational Courses, you can select either the Novice or the Intermediate course.
The Novice course will be completely on trails, with controls along the trail - if you have never orienteered or have no experience map reading, this is a great place to start.
The Intermediate course will add a little more challenge with making decisions on route choices but there will be trails and other linear features to help keep you orientated.
Note: If this is your first big meet you may want to read this description of how it differs from a casual non-competitive event. It will also give you greater detail about your class options.
Course / Class Table
| Course | Male Classes | Female Classes | Recreational Classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M10- | F10- | |
| 2 | M12- | F12- | Novice |
| 3 | M14-, M16-S | F14-, F16-S | |
| 4 | M16- | F16- | Intermediate |
| 5 | M75+, M80+, M85+, M90+ |
F75+, F80+, F85+, F90+ |
|
| 6 | M21S, M65+ | F18-, F21S, F45+, F55+, F65+ | |
| 7 | M18-, M45+, M55+ | F20-, F21, F35+ | |
| 8 | M20-, M21, M35+ |
Course Descriptions
It is sometimes helpful to have a feel for the length of the courses when deciding whether to race in your age class, or to race "up" or "down" or select an "S" course. It may also be helpful in selecting the recreational course that is right for you. The following table offers approximate values and should assist in your decision making. Actual course data (length, number of controls, climb and map scale) will be published once the course planners have finished preparing the courses.
The age classes and Technical Difficulty levels and recommended winning times (RWTs) assigned to each course are as per Orienteering Canada's Course and Category Guidelines (updated March 2020).
|
Middle Distance (Saturday) |
Long Distance (Sunday) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course |
Technical Difficulty Level |
RWT* (min) | Length (km) | RWT* (min) |
Length (km) |
| 1 | 1 - Beginner | 20-25 | 1.5 to 2.0 | 30-35 | 2.0 to 3.0 |
| 2 | 2 - Novice | 20-25 | 2.0 to 2.5 | 30-35 | 2.5 to 3.5 |
| 3 | 3 - Intermediate | 20-25 | 2.5 to 3.0 | 30-35 | 3.5 to 4.5 |
| 4 | 3- Intermediate | 25-30 | 2.5 to 3.0 | 50-55 | 4.5 to 5.5 |
| 5 | 4 - Veteran | 30-35 | 2.0 to 3.0 | 45-50 | 3.0 to 4.0 |
| 6 | 5 - Expert & Elite | 30-35 | 3.0 to 4.0 | 50-55 | 4.0 to 5.5 |
| 7 | 5 - Expert & Elite | 30-35 | 4.0 to 5.0 | 60-70 | 6.0 to 8.0 |
| 8 | 5 - Expert & Elite | 30-35 | 4.5 to 5.5 | 80-90 | 9.0 to 12.0 |
*RWT = Recommended Winning Time
Course Setter's Notes
We will have course setter notes here for you once our course setters have been out in the field and set some courses for you! Stay tuned!
Start Lists
The start list for Saturday will be published here within the week before the event. Sunday (Chase Start Long) start lists will be posted on Saturday evening, after the Middle course.
Knock-Out Sprint
The Knock-Out Sprint is a new format of Sprint Race that has been introduced by the IOF at the World Championship level and that will be part of the 2024 North American Orienteering Championships. Organizers of the 2023 Ottawa O-Fest are including a Knock-Out Sprint as a "practice round" to make sure we know what to do for NAOC 2024! We are hoping that everyone will participate - for the first couple of round to run a fun, short sprint race, and after that to watch the top competitiors in the semi-final and final rounds, as they rae head-to-head. It will be very exciting. Stay tuned on this site as we add more information to help everyone learn more aboutthe Knock-Out Sprint format and how we will be running our version of it this year!.
Start Lists for the Qualifying round of the Knock Out Sprint will be posted here as well.