It’s a mad dash to see how fast you can hike or run to checkpoints scattered across three different properties! You’ll experience a mix of on and off-trail trekking and a variety of terrain – fast-running orchards, pine forests, hardwood forests, a college campus, even a sand dune! Orienteer against other solos or gather friends or family and battle it out in the team division. A detailed LIDAR map will help you zero in on the target. Good map reading and using the many trails in the area will allow teams to keep their compasses in their pockets for much of the race. New to orienteering and navigation events? Read our 101 lesson below.
Start Waves & Ranking Select your starting time anytime between 8:30 and 10:30 am. When you show up, we will hand you your map and you can plan your route. The clock starts when you leave the school house. You can take as much time as you need as long as you are back by 12:15 pm. Most teams will finish in under 1.5 hours. We’ll send you off every 3 minutes or so (within one of three 30-minute blocks you choose). You’ll be ranked based on how many checkpoints you find first and your time second. If you finish after 12:15 pm, you’ll be penalized one checkpoint for every two minutes up to ten minutes at which point you will be unranked.
Distance To get all the checkpoints, you’ll travel 4-5 miles. Most of the course has light or no vegetation. While there is thick vegetation in a few spots, you can dodge it. A lot of trails are interspersed through the three properties to help you run/hike faster and keep you “in contact” with the map.
Divisions Solo Male Solo Female Male Teams (2-5) Female Teams (2-5) Mixed Teams (2-5) Family Teams (2+)
Entry Fee (per person) $29 through May 15 $35 May 16-July 31 $40 August 1-12 (no registration after Aug. 12)
$10 off 17 years and younger, automatically applied. If you have really young kids tagging along for the ride, email us for a deeper discount. No age restrictions (just watch your kids as you cross 4 Mile and Bird Ave).
Bring A baseplate compass will be helpful. Learn how to use online or at our clinic in just 30-45 minutes.
Awards The top three in each division will win a wood medal and the top 2 can pick from either Bill & Paul’s Sporthaus gift card, Michigan Adventure Race socks, buff or pint.
Donuts & Cider?! Yes, we’ll have Robinette’s world famous donuts and cider as a reward for your efforts!
Location Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery, 3142 Four Mile Rd NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Navigation Clinic Join us on Saturday, May 23, for our free navigation 101 clinic to get you ready for the event. 9:30 am start. At Seidman Park, just east of Grand Rapids. Includes in-field practice. 1.5 hours. If you can’t make it, check out the Navigation 101/201 clinic presentation and other sources on our Learn More page for tips. RSVP here
Merchandise Shop and pre-pay online during registration and receive at the event or shop in person the day of the event. Performance socks, $15 Baseball cap, $20 Sticker, $3 Stainless steel pint, $12 Multi-functional headwear/buff (green or grey), $12 Skull cap, $20 Hoodie, $35
Cancellations/Refunds Email us if you need to cancel.
60 days out or more: 100% cash back with $10 per person administrative fee OR 100% credit
30-60 days out: 60% cash back OR 80% credit
15-30 days out: 40% cash back OR 60% credit
6-14 days out: 50% credit (ends Sunday at midnight of race week)
For Beginners: How an Orienteering or Adventure Race Works
Orienteering and adventure racing is like no other sport! It involves a mix of brains and brawn, individual effort and teamwork, speed and endurance. For such amazing rewards, it requires a little effort to learn how it works and get better over time.
The goal of orienteering and adventure racing is for you and your teammate(s) to find as many checkpoints as you can in the time period. All checkpoints will be pre-plotted on topographic maps.
Checkpoints may be out of view, tucked behind trees or a hill, but generally are not intentionally hidden. Check your map to see where the point is located and its description which will help you determine its more exact location. Some points will require use of your compass, topographical map and an understanding of how to read that map. Others you can find from just looking at the map. Each checkpoint will have an orange and white flag with a punch attached to it.
The goal is to maximize the number of checkpoints on your passport within the time limit. A team that gets 11 checkpoints with seconds to spare will finish ahead of a team that gets 10 checkpoints with one hour to spare.
Check-in. We recommend arriving to check-in early as we will hand out maps then and you can get most or all of your route complete before the pre-race meeting.
Passport. The passport is the piece of waterproof paper you’ll punch at each checkpoint to prove you found it. You must not lose it! You will turn this in as your scorecard when you finish racing.
Checkpoint flag (aka “control”) and punch. You are looking for orange and white 3-sided orienteering flags (technically called control markers). You must punch the correct box in the passport so we can verify you were indeed there. The punch will have a number on it corresponding to your passport. Check it to confirm you got the right one. Each punch has a unique barb pattern to prove teams made it to that flag.
Maps. The map(s) are topographic, showing the shape of the land and terrain details. For our orienteering races, it will also list a description or clue as to where the checkpoint is (hilltop, ravine, etc.). Sometimes the map is lower resolution USGS. Other times it will be high-detail LIDAR. They are pre-plotted with the checkpoints on them. While not every trail in the area will be on the map, the vast majority usually are. You can waterproof your map with packing tape or contact paper and/or keep it in a waterproof map case or zip lock baggie.
Map reading will be critical. You should also know how to use a compass (baseplate or sighting – with a straightedge), although you may be able to manage without if you can navigate well with your map. Attend our free clinic (see race calendar for dates) or learn online here.
Order. Checkpoints can be found in any order within a section.
The goal. Maximize the number of checkpoints on your passport within the time limit. If you arrive after the time limit, you will either receive a severe checkpoint penalty or not be counted in the final standings, depending on whether the race is beginner level or not.
