course design is an important element of a successful competition. the international rules adopted by the iaru include both requirements and recommendations for basic course design. important requirements are that no transmitter may be within 750 meters of the start, no transmitter may be within 400 meters of the finish or any other transmitter on course, and that there is no more than 200 meters elevation change between the start, finish, and all transmitters. the iaru rules for international competitions recommend that courses be designed for six to ten kilometers of total travel distance through the terrain. a well-designed course will present the competitors with an athletic challenge in addition to the challenges of land navigation and radio direction finding. depending on the course design and competition, winning times at world championship events are often less than 90 minutes for two meter courses, and can be under 60 minutes for eighty meter courses.