Checkpoint — everything you need for orienteering
Orienteering. Simplified.
Create courses, run competitions and training, punch controls with a smartphone, follow athletes live and get results automatically — all in one place.
- Free to use
- No special equipment
- Works offline
- Compatible with Purple Pen, OCAD & more
Checkpoint in 20 seconds
One platform. Two roles.
I’m a runner
Find a course near you and go training — today.
- Find courses and events nearby
- Join events in a couple of taps
- Punch controls with your phone
- See your track, time and splits
I’m an organizer
Put on a training or a competition with no special infrastructure.
- Create or import courses
- Manage registration and teams
- Track athletes live on the map
- Publish results automatically
Run the whole event in one place
No juggling separate tools for entries, timing and results — every stage lives on the same page.
- 1
Course
Draw a course on the map, or import an existing one.
- 2
Registration
Open entries, set limits, and let the waitlist manage itself.
- 3
Start
Athletes need nothing but the smartphone already in their pocket.
- 4
Live
Follow positions and punches as they happen.
- 5
Results
Results and splits build themselves as runners finish.
Why organizers choose Checkpoint
Everything in one place
Courses, entries, live tracking and results — one platform instead of a patchwork of services.
No expensive equipment
For everyday training and small events, each athlete’s own smartphone is enough.
Works with your tools
Purple Pen, OCAD, IOF XML, MapRun — import what you already have and keep your workflow.
Survives bad connectivity
Punches are stored on the phone and sync automatically the moment signal returns.
Already use Purple Pen or OCAD?
Don’t start from scratch. Import your existing courses and keep working the way you’re used to — and export any course back out again.
Just open the map and run
Find
Courses and events near you, on one map.
Run
Your phone registers every control as you reach it.
See your result
Route, time and splits — right at the finish.
See what’s happening out on the course
Follow athletes in real time during training and competitions — every runner’s position and punches, live on the course map.
- 12runners active
- 3finished
- 1missed checkpoint
What a weekly club training looks like
Draw the course at home in the evening, share one link with the club, and stand at the finish watching results arrive on their own. No control units to charge, place, or collect — the forest and the runners’ phones do the rest.
Everything under the hood
Courses
- Course builder on real maps
- Your own scanned maps
- Import & export (IOF XML, KML)
- Line courses and Score-O
Events
- Registration and approvals
- Teams with size limits
- Waitlists that manage themselves
- Messages to all entrants
Athletes
- GPS punching by phone
- Open training on public courses
- Results, splits and tracks
- Shareable result pages
Clubs
- Members and roles
- Private club maps
- Six interface languages
- Privacy controls throughout
Frequently asked questions
Do we need special equipment?
No. Each runner uses their own smartphone to punch controls; there are no electronic control units, dongles or base stations to buy.
Is internet needed out on the course?
No. Punches and the GPS track are stored on the phone and upload whenever there is signal. If connectivity drops in the forest, everything syncs automatically the moment it returns — nothing is lost.
How accurate is GPS punching?
A modern phone is accurate to a few metres in open terrain. A control is registered when the runner comes within its radius, which the organizer can tune per course — generous enough to be fair, tight enough to require actually visiting the control.
Which phones are supported?
Any recent Android phone or iPhone. Checkpoint runs in the browser and can be installed to the home screen like an app — there is nothing to download from an app store.
Can I import courses from Purple Pen?
Yes. Import courses as IOF XML (Purple Pen, OCAD and friends) or as MapRun KML — one button, and the format is recognised automatically. Every course can be exported the same way.
Can I use my own map?
Yes. Overlay your club’s own scanned map on the base map and drag its corners into place, or build courses directly on the built-in maps.
Is there a limit on participants?
Only the one you set. Cap an event at any number and further entries join a waitlist, moving up automatically when someone withdraws. The platform itself imposes no limit.
Can we run team events?
Yes. Athletes can enter individually or as teams; you set minimum and maximum team sizes and Checkpoint enforces both at entry.
Is Checkpoint free?
Yes — creating courses, organizing events and running are all free.
Where is participant data stored?
On Microsoft Azure servers hosted in Canada. Every athlete can export all data Checkpoint holds about them, or delete their account entirely — see the privacy policy for the details.
Still have questions?
The help center walks through every step — and an email to us reaches the people who build Checkpoint.
Visit the help centerReady to run your first training?
Create a course and invite your first participants today.