What is Orienteering ?
So what's it all about ?
In a nutshell...
Orienteering is a sport which combines running and navigation. Competitors must visit a series of locations marked on a map. They are timed, and the winner is the person who visits all the locations in the fastest time.
How is it organised?
Competitors are started at intervals (so that they don't just follow each other!). On starting, they are given a specially prepared map with their course marked on it. The course is a series of locations, 'controls', which they have to visit. The control sites are indicated on the ground by a red and white marker. Competitors prove they have been to each control by carrying either a card which they mark with a punch placed at each control, or an electronic tag which they insert into a timing unit paced at each control site. Once they have visited all the controls and reach the finish, they hand in their control card or download their e-card. This is then checked, and their time is posted in the results.
Where is it held?
Orienteering is usually organised in woodland or forests, where visibility is lower and navigating is more of a challenge. The most difficult (and therefore the best) orienteering terrain will have very few 'line features' such as roads and paths, and complicated topography (ie. loads of humps and bumps). Different parts of the world offer different terrain, and it is common for keen orienteers to travel a lot as they look for new challenges. Orienteering began in Scandanavia, which remains the sport's main stronghold. The majority of the world's orienteering events are held in Europe, but the sport is also well-developed in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and is developing rapidly in other regions.
Why go orienteering?
Good question! I find that orienteering gets me me deep into the woods and close to nature and takes me to interesting places, both near and far from home. It is a sport which truly exercises both body and mind. Trying to determine where you are and make complex decisions about where to go next in a race situation when your brain is seriously lacking in oxygen can be a serious challenge.
Example O-Map
Take a look at the following example O-map. This shows one of my favourite 'legs', which is on Scottish Highland terrain. The triangle is the start of the course, and the control sites are marked by circles. The blue line is the route I actually took to get from the start to the first control.
![[O-Map]](images/omap01.jpg)
Training for Orienteering
If you are interested in improving your orienteering, take a look at The Golden Rule of Orienteering - an article I wrote after visiting an inspirational training camp at Blue Lake, Alberta, Canada in 1991.
More Information
There are some orienteering links in the Links Section.
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