Orienteering

This weekend my husband Jason and I competed in an orienteering meet.  Would it be safe to assume many of you haven’t heard of orienteering? :)  It’s a fantastic outdoor activity that utilizes your physical and mental abilities.  It’s also a great sport for people of any age!

Orienteering involves a map, a compass, and check points.  You navigate your way to the various check points on the course against a clock.  The person who finds all of their check points the fastest is the winner.  Meets are typically held in large parks that have a variety of terrain.  You can expect to run through open fields, woods, thick brushy areas, and everything in between.

This particular event was a standard o-meet.  This means each participant must find the check points in order, without missing any, in order to successfully finish.  There are a variety of courses set up per meet and they include a white, yellow, orange, green, and red course.  White is the easiest course as it has the fewest check points and they are more visible.  The red is the hardest course, with the most check points, scattered out the farthest, and in sometimes very challenging places to find.

This is a topograhic map you use to find your checkpoints.
This is handed out at the start of the race.

You are handed a topographic map at the start of the race, which shows you extensive detail about the terrain.  As you locate each check point, you either punch a paper card or utilize an electronic punch system.  Your finish time is based on your ability to read the map, navigate, and run.  This does not mean every person who participates runs the entire time or that everyone can read the map perfectly and go straight to the check point.  It wouldn’t be a competition then!

Some people work together in pairs or groups to complete the race.  I see couples, parents and kids, and groups of friends all participate.  Some people run, some people walk, but everyone always seems to have fun.  Depending on the course you do and your speed, you can spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete the race.

I think it’s a super challenging and fun sport!  I am still learning how to correctly read the map and I’ve participated in various events over the past several years.  Sometimes I compete well and quickly find all points.  I have also walked back to the start in great frustration, having been completely lost on the first few points.  Regardless of my finish time, this is a great activity for me because I love cross country running and hiking.  Throw in the element of navigation so that not only does my body get a good workout, so does my brain :)

There are other types of orienteering meets, like a score-o.  In this event, everyone competes on the same course and the goal is to punch at as many check points as possible.  You are allowed to go in any order you like.  There are usually different point values associated with each, so ones that are farther out or in a difficult spot to find are worth more than those close by in plain view.

Look!  I found my checkpoint.

Orienteering meets are typically held during the day, although they do have night-o’s where you’d need to have some sort of lighting with you.  Meets usually start in November and go through February.  So oh yeah, add the element of cold, slush and snow to the events!

Iowa currently does not have an orienteering club.  We are members of the Kansas City area club, called PTOC (Possum Trot Orienteering Club).  Check them out online at www.ptoc.org.  To learn more about orienteering, go to http://orienteeringusa.org/.

Our typical orienteering meet ends with scrapes, scratches, and bruises from running through the thick brushy areas.  We also usually have to pull out at least one or two thorns that get stuck in our arms or legs.  And yet, I do still find this fun :)  I think being able to read and decipher the map and navigate are invaluable skills to have.

The results are posted as people finish the race. 

We did well during our race!  Jason ran the red course and finished in the top three.  I ran a green course, which is a step up from my usual orange, and I finished 5th.  You would have thought I won the entire meet when I finished.  I had a particularly good day navigating and I ran a good portion of the race.  Winning is definitely not everything to me.  I was so excited to have had a solid race that I could have come in last and would have felt just as excited!

It’s a great experience!  If you’d like to know more about orienteering, my experience participating in the event or learning (still) to read the map, just let me know.

Miss FitGab