Registration for Spring Trail Kids Run & Orienteering Session 3 opens June 23rd, 2026 at 9am

The Run & Orienteering program is part of the Loppet Foundation’s Trail Kids year-round programming.

Youth ages 7-13 will enjoy trail running on the single track and ski trails around Theodore Wirth Park as they are coached in the basics of orienteering skills. The program will also incorporate ultimate frisbee, slack line skills, and other running games as warm up activities for the main session which is focused on trail running and orienteering.

Practices include the following activities:

• Agility and strength exercises to develop age appropriate motor skills
• Balance work with the slack line
• Orienteering skills using orienteering maps to find hidden controls in the woods like a treasure hunt
• Adventure Trail Race Series offers 1 mile adventure run races in the woods of Theodore Wirth Park
• Games, relays, ultimate frisbee, and soccer mixed in throughout the sessions

Participants will need a good pair of running shoes and water bottle for each session.

Orienteering Ability Levels

Participants are assigned to coaching groups based on age and past experience with orienteering. All non-binary and trans participants are welcome in Trail Kids run/orienteering programs. When you register you can indicate the appropriate orienteering ability levels listed below:

• White Level: Beginner with no experience in orienteering
• Green Level: Beginner to intermediate orienteering skills: Participant has participated in at least one or two 6-week sessions of the Trail Kids orienteering program.
• Blue Level: Intermediate to advanced orienteering skills. Participant has participated in at least three to four 6-week orienteering sessions.
• Black Level: Advanced orienteering skills with two plus years of orienteering experience and a desire to be challenged and compete at local MNOC meet events.

New to orienteering? Check out the MNOC website here for short description of orienteering here! Check out the following article link about the Top 10  health benefits of Orienteering! For further links on introduction to orienteering and map reading learn from the Loppet orienteering expert coach JD in the following presentations:

• Introduction to Orienteering
• Orienteering Map Reading 101
• Ski Orienteering

Run/Orienteering Session 1 – Tuesday/Thursday

• Dates: May 5 – June 11
• Days/Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 6 PM – 7:30 PM
• Cost: $295
  • All pricing listed on RunSignUp reflects the processing fees per Minnesota’s “Hidden Fees Statute,” SB 478. RunSignup charges a variable processing fee of $1 per transaction plus 6% as our standard price.
• Location: Wirth Pavilion Hill (meet at team flags)
• Equipment needed: Running shoes

Run/Orienteering Session 2 – Tuesday/Thursday

• Dates: June 23 – July 30
• Days/Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 6 PM – 7:30 PM
• Cost: $295
  • All pricing listed on RunSignUp reflects the processing fees per Minnesota’s “Hidden Fees Statute,” SB 478. RunSignup charges a variable processing fee of $1 per transaction plus 6% as our standard price.
• Location: Wirth Pavilion Hill (meet at team flags)
• Equipment needed: Running shoes

Registration for Session 3 will open at 9am on 6/23

Run/Orienteering Session 3 – Tuesday/Thursday

• Dates: September 1 – October 8
• Days/Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30 PM – 7 PM
• Cost: $295
  • All pricing listed on RunSignUp reflects the processing fees per Minnesota’s “Hidden Fees Statute,” SB 478. RunSignup charges a variable processing fee of $1 per transaction plus 6% as our standard price.
• Location: Wirth Pavilion Hill (meet at team flags)
• Equipment needed: Running shoes

Financial Assistance and Sibling Discounts

Financial Assistance: To apply please fill out the Loppet Financial Assistance Application. We will follow up with you with instructions on how to register at a price that is manageable for your family. Applications for programs that start two weeks or less from the date of submission will not be approved. *Limitations apply, please see the application form for rules and restrictions. In most instances there will be a $500 financial assistance cap per person/per year.

Sibling Discount: For those families who have three or more kids in the Trail Kids offering we can provide a fifteen percent discount code. Please email trailkids@loppet.org for more information.

Refund Policy

The Loppet will issue a full refund of the program fee minus the original processing fee up until 6 weeks before the program starts. Between 6 weeks and 4 weeks from the program start date, a 50% refund will be issued. Between 4 and 3 weeks from the program start date, a 25% refund will be issued. There are no refunds for any cancellations within less than 3 weeks of the start of a program. During the program, if your child has a medical issue that makes it impossible to participate, please contact the TK Admin team email at trailkids@loppet.org. If the Loppet cancels a program, a full refund will be issued. For instructions on how to request a refund, click here.