World of O News
The “Orienteering Course of the Year 2024″ is a very technical and fast middle distance course in Spain: The Men Superelite course at stage 2 of the Maximus O Meeting 2024! The course offered technical orienteering at high speed – testing a variety of skills.
The terrain – never used for orienteering before – looks like a dream for a course setter: Lots of stone features such as rocks, cliffs and small rocky outcrops, but still very fast ground that enables high running speeds, with the forest being a mix of pine and oak forest. Course setter Raul Ferra (see interview below) managed to set a challenging and varied course in this terrain – including a route choice leg from the race being featured in yesterday’s Route to Christmas.
In the interview with the course setter below, you can read about how he planned the course – leg by leg – aiming for short to medium-length legs, designed to test a variety of skills: Compass work, use of contour lines, simplification, and routechoice.
MOM24 Middle - Men Super Elite
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
Long and Sprint course of the year
The “Sprint course of the Year 2024″ was the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) Sprint, in second spot overall, not many points behind the winner course. You can take a look at one of the most interesting legs in Day 21 of Route to Christmas, and a more detailed look at all of the course in the WOC 2024 Sprint analysis article. Whereas all courses in the Top 10 in 2023 were forest courses, we actually had three sprint courses within the Top 10 in 2024, probably due to 2024 being a “Sprint WOC” year, with more focus on sprint orienteering on the international arena.
The “Long distance Course of the Year 2024″ was actually an ultralong distance competitions – the Swedish Championships Ultralong – finishing 4th overall, with some very interesting orienteering and great long legs. You can take a look at one of the most interesting legs in Day 20 of Route to Christmas.
The results in “Course of the Year 2024″ are provided below the interview with the course setter – in this edition we had 7 different countries in the Top 7!
Before heading over to the interview with the course setter– a big thanks to all the sponsors of “Course of the Year” – without you this would not have been possible. Dear readers: Please head down to the bottom of the article and take a look at the fine sponsor prizes. Information about “lucky voter” prizes will be published within a few days.
Interview with course setter of Course of the Year 2024: Raul Ferra
Q: Congratulations with your course being awarded “Course of the Year 2024″! What was your overall plan behind how you wanted to challenge the athletes on this course?
Having an exceptional terrain like Dehesa de Navaluenga, where our mappers Janne and Timo did an outstanding job, makes the course setter’s work considerably easier.
My overall plan for the course was to challenge the athletes with a technically demanding course, requiring precise orienteering both in navigation and in control attacks, while minimizing physical demands to make technical skills the limiting factor. I aimed for short to medium-length legs, designed to test a variety of skills: compass work, use of contour lines, simplification, and routechoice.
After the spectator control (C18), I wanted a simpler final loop where running speed would increase but still include a couple of tricky controls. These would challenge the athletes’ ability to stay focused despite high speed and fatigue—and that’s exactly what happened.
My overall plan for the course was to challenge the athletes with a technically demanding course, requiring precise orienteering both in navigation and in control attacks, while minimizing physical demands to make technical skills the limiting factor.
Q: Did you get any surprises with respect to which routechoices were fastest or were the athletes made mistakes?
I was aware that many runners would make mistakes throughout the course, as the technical demands were very high, making it challenging to complete the race cleanly. Overall, things unfolded as I expected, although I anticipated fewer issues among the top athletes in the final loop, which ultimately proved decisive.
[Editors comment: See the final loop below]
While major route choices weren’t a key feature of this course, there were still several legs where route options spread significantly. In these cases, clean execution was more critical than the choice itself.
Q: Can you take us through the main challenges in the course, highlighting the legs where you see special challenges?
The first leg was key to setting the tone for the race. The middle section of this leg was somewhat vague and required good directional control and an effective attack point. The exit direction towards control 2 was important, although the placement of this control was relatively straightforward.
This allowed runners with strong technical routines some time to plan their route choice for leg 3. Control 3 was perhaps the most decisive in terms of routechoice, offering a balance between risk and speed: runners could choose to navigate relatively straight or slightly to the right or take a safer option by climbing to the path, running at maximum speed, and entering the control more easily.
[Editors comment: This leg to control 3 was covered in Route to Christmas Day 22, see the leg and part of the “solution” below]
At the highest part of the course, controls 4-5-6-7 demanded micro-route choices, simplification, and very precise map reading. With frequent 90-degree directional changes, finding a good flow and avoiding mistakes was essential.
Navigating to controls 8 and 9 required one of the most challenging skills: running diagonally downhill. Control 8 was in vague terrain, while control 9 was in highly detailed terrain with difficult runnability.
The leg to control 10 allowed for higher speeds across open areas (crossing the bare rock, which I included for its stunning beauty), with a somewhat tricky attack to the control requiring a solid entry plan. Control 11 served as a transition, while control 12 was designed to raise the athletes’ pulse just before another mid-length route-choice leg to control 13.
Here [to control 13], anticipating areas of easy runnability and avoiding parallel errors through proactive map reading was critical.
After the climb to control 13, runners faced another diagonal downhill leg in an area with intricate micro-relief. This proved decisive, as many athletes lost valuable time here due to execution errors.
Controls 15 and 16 followed the contour line, where object simplification was vital to maintain high running speed. The leg to control 17 involved another diagonal downhill near the open area, followed by a stretch of full-speed running towards the spectator control.
That speed extended for about 300 meters into a demanding climb to control 19, followed by two challenging controls (20 and 21) requiring precise reading. The final section leading back to the finish in the dehesa pushed runners to their maximum speed, still demanding clean execution at control 22.
[Editor’s comment: The last loop]
[Editor’s comment: The leg to control 20]
[Editor’s comment: The leg to control 21]
Q: What is your favourite leg in the course – and why?
Oh, that’s a very tricky question! It’s hard for me to single out one leg from the course, as I like to think of the course as a whole. Each leg is designed with the runner’s perspective in mind at that specific moment—taking into account what they’ve already experienced and what still lies ahead. But if I have to highlight one, I’d choose leg 13-14. It requires all your skills to maintain a good direction and simplify the area within the control circle to nail the control perfectly. Furthermore, the physical requirements are not important here (as it is downhill), so it is all about technique.
Q: Did you consider making a longer route choice leg than the one included?
Yes, I was definitely tempted to include a longer route-choice leg, and in fact, some of the early versions did include it. However, it ties into the same thinking as my answer to the previous question. I consider the overall challenges of the Maximus O Meeting with its four days, and for the middle distance, I decided to focus on a more direct style of orienteering that emphasized execution. There are other stages where I prioritized longer legs with more route choices. In the end, it’s all about offering variety in terrain and challenges.
In the end, it’s all about offering variety in terrain and challenges.
Q: This was a new area for orienteering according to the bulletin – how did you find this area? And have you more unused areas like this available in the area?
Yes, this area was completely new and never used for orienteering before. Since we started the Maximus project, our main goal has been to find special terrains and provide the highest possible quality for participants who choose us. To achieve this, we carefully search for good, varied terrains each year. We discovered this gem a few years ago, but we were waiting for the right moment to make use of it, with the proper recognition and the right event for it.
And yes, we still have many interesting, unused areas in the region. For MOM 2025, we will unveil some areas that will truly impress everyone. Additionally, we have great news: this map used for the “Course of the Year 2024″ was only utilized about 50%, which means that for MOM 2026, we plan to return here for another unforgettable middle-distance course, using the eastern part of Dehesa, which is just as, if not more, exciting. And of course, it has been mapped by Janne and Timo as well.
We discovered this gem a few years ago, but we were waiting for the right moment to make use of it, with the proper recognition and the right event for it.
Q: When did you start planning the courses – and how many hours do you think you spent on them?
The truth is that I have many commitments during this time of year with the training designs for Maximus Winter O-Camp and Sun-O camps, so I don’t always have the lead time I would like to start designing MOM. Additionally, living in Halden, Norway, limits my visits to the terrain.
For this specific case, I started sketching out possibilities in August/September, making a terrain visit in late October to run some legs and better understand the mapping criteria, different runnabilities, possibilities, and weaknesses of the terrain. In December, taking advantage of the Christmas holidays, I returned to the terrain with the preliminary courses in mind, and everything was finalized a month before the event, in mid-January (the event was held in mid-February), after the IOF Event Advisor’s visit.
It’s impossible for me to calculate the exact number of hours spent on the design… but it was a lot! Luckily, I enjoy the job!
Q: Thanks a lot for the interview, Raul – we look forward to more interesting courses from your side in the years to come!
Results: Course of the Year 2024
For the second year in a row we have a middle distance course in the top of the “Course of the Year” contest – last year the World Orienteering Championships Middle was crowned the course of the year. We had a very good geographical spread, with 7 different countries in the Top 7: Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Portugal and Hungary – and also Norway within the Top 10. The five top entries have been covered in Route to Christmas – with the MOM24 Middle at Day 22, WOC 2024 Sprint at Day 21, the World Cup Sprint Italy at Day 9, the Swedish Champs Ultralong at Day 20 and the Finnish Champs Long coming at Day 24.
Prizes from our Sponsors
Prizes from our Sponsors always makes it more fun! There will be a prize for the first one suggesting the course which ends up becoming “The course of the Year 2024″, and prizes drawn among the ones suggesting and voting. All prizes are transferable to other persons (you don’t have to travel yourself).
Event sponsor: 5 days Madonna di Campiglio, July 5th – 12th 2025 (Italy)
- Prize offered: 1 package of 10 entries to 5 days Madonna di Campiglio 2025. Value 1.500 EUR. Transferable to other person.
- More information: Every year, 5 Days brings you to Italy to discover wonderful locations where you can practice orienteering and much more, and in 2025 it will be Trentino‘s moment to welcome you to its Madonna di Campiglio – Brenta Dolomites. From July 5th to 12th, a corner of paradise will host your vacation, which will allow the whole family to spend pleasant days of sports, but not only. There are numerous proposals aimed at adults and children, so don’t waste time: you have until December 31 to register for 5 Days Madonna di Campiglio – Brenta Dolomites at a discounted price. Webpage: https://www.
5daysitaly.it/
Event sponsor: 5+5 days Sardinia, September 29th – October 11th 2025 (Italy)
- Prize offered: 5 packages, each for 2 entries to 5+5 days Sardinia 2025 (October). Value 250 euro each package. Total value 1.000 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: Follow the Sun: 10 days of orienteering in beautiful Sardinia. – We have found a fantastic place for you. The first week of 5 days will take place near Cagliari, between the Gutturu Mannu Regional Natural Park, overlooking the extraordinary beaches of Pula. The second week of 5 days will take place further north, in the extraordinary landscape around Alghero and the forests of Sorso. Web information: www.pwtitaly.com.
Event sponsor: 57th Kainuu Orienteering Week (KOW), June 29th – July 4th (Finland)
- Prize offered: 4 packages, each consisting of 2 free participations for the whole week in any class (competition classes or open courses) at Kainuu Orienteering Week 2025. Total value up to 920 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: Open and International Orienteering Week in Vuokatti, Sotkamo, Finland. Vuokatti’s competition terrain is a model terrain for Vuokatti-Jukola 2027! You are warmly welcome to spend an experiential orienteering and holiday week for the whole family in Vuokatti, Sotkamo, Finland. During the Kainuu Orienteering Week 2025, we will return to the diverse hill terrain of the Middle Distance Qualifiers from the World Orienteering Championships 2013, which is located right next to the Vuokatti-Jukola 2027 terrains. The terrain in Vuokatti, where next summer’s Kainuu Orienteering Week will take place, will also serve as a model area for the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) 2025 to be held next summer. The World Orienteering Championships and the Fin5 Orienteering Week will be organized in Tahko during the week following Orienteering Week, from 7th to 12th July 2025. Kainuu Orienteering Week is the biggest Finnish orienteering week, and it has been held annually since 1966 in Kainuu Region, Finland. Competition categories are H/D8-95. In open courses KOW offers 10 different skill and distance levels in total. See more: rastiviikko.fi (#
kainuuoweek|# kainuuorienteeringweek|#KOW) Experience a memorable orienteering week in Vuokatti! Note also the 5th official Kainuu MTBO Week 29 June – 4 July in Sotkamo and Vuokatti – come and enjoy the best MTBO terrains and great landscapes of Kainuu and Sotkamo-Vuokatti. The following entry steps are: 28th Feb 2025 / 31st May 2025 / 9th June 2025. For more information see www.rastiviikko.fi.
Event sponsor: MOC Camp 2025, March 18th – 20th 2025 (Italy)
- Prize offered: 2 packages, each for one person, for MOC camp 2025 (entries and accommodation) – value 300 EUR per package. Total value 600 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: The MOC Tour 2025 event will take place from March 17th to 27th across Capri, Sorrento, Eboli, Matera, Cirò and Savelli. This orienteering adventure, held in memory of Nick Manfredi, combines the MOC Tour with the XX MOC Championships and MOC Sprint Camp 2025. And there’s more. March 26th will be Nik Manfredi Day: The MOC Tour will move to Savelli, the singer-songwriter’s hometown, where the last stage of the Tour will take place. The Tour will visit his grave with a dedicated ceremony and a remembrance prepared by Jörgen Mårtensson, then there will be an orienteering competition on the map surveyed by Claes Nideborn (who will also be present for the occasion) and will close with a music party in honour of Nik, as he would have wished. Visit the site to learn more and register today: https://www.pwtitaly.com/en/event/moc-tour-2025/
Event sponsor: ABOM 2025, February 21st – 23rd 2025 (Portugal)
- Prize offered: 1 package for 2 people, consisting of Aguiar da Beira “O” Meeting 2025 entry fees (model event, Prologue, Middle WRE, Long WRE & PreO), 5 training maps (for each) provided by O-Portugal.pt and 5 night accomodation with breakfast. Total value up to 450 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: ABOM 2025 will offer you the possibility to have 4 races in 3 days, in one of the most challenging and best Orienteering terrains in the world! Do not miss the opportunity to race in the same area as JWOC 2022. Besides, www.O-Portugal.pt will offer you the best training maps one can have! We believe that Aguiar da Beira and ABOM offer the best preparation for a National Team Athlete to get ready for WOC 2025 in Kuopio, Finland. We have highly technical terrains, with stunning pine forests, extensive bare rocks, and numerous rocky details. However, we share even more similarities with Kuopio 2025! The mappers for ABOM 2025 are Janne Weckman and Timo Joensuu, the same mappers as those in Kuopio! And last but not least, Aguiar da Beira will host EOC 2028 – you can start your preparations now! Aguiar da Beira, “The Orienteering Capital”, is waiting for you!
Software sponsor: OCAD Orienteering 3-year Single User license
- Prize offered: One 3-year runtime Single User licence for the software “OCAD Orienteering”. Value about 400 EUR. Transferable to other person (before activation).
- More information: OCAD Orienteering – Perfect to produce Orienteering Maps. Course Setting Module included! Read more at https://www.ocad.com.
Event sponsor: OOCup, July 27th – 31st 2025 (Slovenia & Italy)
- Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people – consisting of: Entry for the complete 5 days OOCup competition. Total value around 400 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: The 2025 edition will be organized in the Alpine setting of Slovenia and Italy. Some super tricky orienteering and some spectacular views are awaiting for you. It is going to be GREAT! More at oocup.com
Event sponsor: Sudety Cup 2025, July 31st – August 3rd 2025 (Poland)
- Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people – consisting of entry to Sudety Cup 2025 and including the official Sudety Cup orienteering shirt. Total value up to 400 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: Join us in 2025 from July 31 to August 3 in the heart of Poland’s Sowie Mountains for Sudety Cup – an unforgettable orienteering adventure. Compete in pristine terrains never before used for orienteering, surrounded by breathtaking mountain views. Across four diverse stages, from the rugged slopes of Wielka Sowa to the thrilling chasing start at Grabina, every moment will challenge your endurance and precision. Sudety Cup hosts a World Ranking Event stage, drawing top international athletes, while a kid’s zone and Mini-O courses make it a family-friendly experience. With the Junior World Orienteering Championships 2027 just 30 kilometers away, Sudety Cup is the perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with similar terrain and kickstart your preparations for this international event. Webpage: https://sudetycup.pl/
en/
Event sponsor: Lipica Open, March 8th – 12th 2025 (Slovenia)
- Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people – consisting of entry to complete 5 Day Lipica Open competition. Value up to about 330 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: Traditional season starter in the region that gave Karst its name. Enjoy Slovenian karst terrain already in March. More at www.lipicaopen.com
Content Sponsor: Confident Orienteering & Personal coaching
- Prize offered: Electronic Book “Confident Orienteering, Book 1: Fundamentals” plus three 1-hour online coaching sessions “Online Personal Masterclasses” with the author and orienteering technique coach Aleksandr Alekseyonok, on a topic of your choice in orienteering techniques. The prize can be transferred, but all 3 masterclasses must be completed by the same person. Total value: 300 EUR.
- More information: If you’re determined to significantly minimise your route execution errors and are ready to put in the effort, this book “Confident Orienteering: A Systematic Approach to Minimising Errors. Book1: Fundamentals” (more info here) will equip you with the knowledge you need. The 3 online masterclasses will help you applying the methods in the book to your own orienteering. This may include, for example, analysis of your performance on past courses or discussing effective workouts for improving navigation skills. These masterclasses also include 6 hours of analytical preparation by Aleksandr, based on data provided by the prize winner. Online meetings will be held via Google Meet in English. Session times will be scheduled by agreement, no more than once every 2 weeks. All sessions must
be completed by 31st March 2025. If the prize winner is underage, the masterclasses must be conducted with the mandatory presence of a coach or guardian (parent). Read more here https://confident-orienteering.blogspot.com/.
Event sponsor: LIOM 2025, April 25th-27th 2025 (Portugal)
- Prize offered: Entry package for 4 persons, for LIOM 2025. The total value of the prize is EUR 292. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: LIOM 2025 (named PIOM in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2023) will be held in the region of Penamacor and Sabugal. You will have just waiting for you 2 new forest maps, 3 courses in the forest (2 middle distance + 1 long distance) and 1 course in the old town of Penamacor (sprint). All technical and challenging courses! At the PIOM 2023 we had the “Sprint Course of the Year 2023″! More information is available at https://eventos.coc.pt/
liom2025/logo-piom25_site_ds/.
Event sponsor: Kapa 3-days 2025. June 27th – 29th (Latvia)
- Prize offered: Two “family entry packages” to Kapa 3days, where each package includes an entry for two adults and one child, space for a tent at the event campsite, and a car parking voucher. Total value is around 250 EUR. Transferable to another person.
- More information: Kāpa 3-days, the largest orienteering event in the Baltics, takes place Friday to Sunday, June 27–29, 2025. Attracting 1500–2000 orienteers from around 20 countries, this family-friendly event offers three days of thrilling races and activities. Held on Latvia’s west coast, near Ventspils, the unique coastal terrain provides stunning views of the Baltic Sea. Highlights include two WRE stages & a thrilling chasing start for the elite classes, a sprint relay on the afternoon of Day 2, and live music. Join us to explore Latvia’s west coast and enjoy the Baltic summer! This year’s event page: https://2025.kapa.lv. Facebook page: https://facebook.com/Kapa3days.
Event sponsor: Easter 4, April 18th – 21th 2025 (Slovenia)
- Prize offered: Two packages, each for 2 people – consisting of Entry for the Easter4 competition in the beautiful Dolenjska region Slovenia. Value about 240 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: Easter4 is coming back in 2025! This time we are going to the SW of the country, Dolenjska region. Karst terrain, but a bit faster and less stony what we serve at Lipica open or OOcup. More at easter4.com.
Event sponsor: Vienna O-challenge, September 4th – 7th 2025 (Austria)
- Prize offered: 1 package, including 2 free entries for the Vienna Orienteering Challenge Sprint Weekend 2025 plus one VOC Towel. Total value up to 225 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
- More information: The Vienna Orienteering Challenge is an exciting 3-day international sprint orienteering event. The event format is designed to fit perfectly into a weekend, and all event locations are conveniently accessible by public transport. Plan your trip and experience sprint orienteering in Vienna. Welcome to Austria’s most fun orienteering event! Event website: https://viennaochallenge.com.
