A race with no set route - you have to find your way around the course as fast as you can, using a special orienteering map of the park and woods to find a series of checkpoints. Each checkpoint might be on paths, or hidden behind vegetation, ditches or streams. Each one consists of a marker flag and timing unit, for you to register your electronic timing chip against (which we will lend to you). Be as competitive as you want - run, jog or just walk, there will be a 5k course for runners, plus shorter ones for families and juniors (1k to 3k), although you can enter any course you wish.

Just turn up and enter on the day, any time between 10:00 and 11:30. Courses close at 1pm. Please note that course lengths are measured in straight lines between the checkpoints, and you'll run further! Entry fees are just £6 for adults and groups; £2 for solo juniors (and you get to keep your waterproof map!).

Organised by Thames Valley Orienteering Club and supported by Oxford City Council and Up and Running. Please use Park & Ride if possible, although some pay and display parking is located on the roads to the north of the park.

The registration tent will be in the middle of University Parks, next to the pavilion.  The longer courses will also visit the adjacent University Science Area, for an added urban challenge!

Courses on offer (provisional):

Green - around 5k, as difficult as we can make it, an extensive tour of the park, also visits the adjacent University Science Area.

Light Green - around 3.5k, medium difficulty, an extensive tour of the park.

Orange - around 3k, or improvers and runners - actual running distance will be around 4k.

Yellow - for families, older children, around 2k.

White - for young children, around 1.5k, very easy, along paths.

Lots of help will be available for newcomers. For more info please visit our website at www.tvoc.org.uk, see our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tvoclub or email us: publicity@tvoc.org.uk. Up for the challenge? ;-)

This is part of a series of 3 orienteering events around Oxford (our 'Run the Oxford Parks' series), including:

Saturday 27 April - Cutteslowe Park

Saturday 17 June - University Parks

Saturday 22 July - Headington Hill Park and Oxford Brookes campus