Foot orienteering is the most common form of orienteering. The sport is presented in a number of different formats, but we’ll start with the basics.

Orienteering is a sport where competitors use a map and compass to complete a course. The course is made up of a number of checkpoints which must be visited in order, but the exact route between checkpoints is up to the orienteer. The goal is to complete the course as fast as possible.

Orienteering is for all ages and can be raced by runners or casually walked with friends or children. Different grades are available to provide the right level of navigational difficulty for both new orienteers and experienced navigators. Good navigation skills take time and practice, and keep life-long orienteers hooked on the pursuit of the perfect race.

The basics

Let’s complete our understanding on the basics of the sport

Race and timing

Your time starts from when you pick up your map at the start. In competitive races you will not know where the course will take you until your time starts, but you will be given basic information like the distance, expected winning time and possible hazards to be aware of when you register.

For casual orienteering however, personnel managing the start will allow you to look at your map before you start and might even have tips for you.

In order to prove that the course was completed correctly, orienteers will use a small and simple electronic timing chip to record their visits to each control. This is a simple as using a public transport card or a PayWave bank card. These timing chips are generally called e-cards, but most often referred to as SI-cards as the SPORTident system is most common in New Zealand.

For competitive races, start times will be pre-assigned by the organisers and communicated prior to the event. There will typically be 1 to 3 minutes between individuals’ start times to minimise following on course. For casual events, you can start when you like, but a marshal at the start may enforce start intervals to spread out participants and minimise following.

Rules

There aren’t any complicated rules in orienteering, but there is one set of rules that is very important and must be taught to everyone. There are some symbols and colours on the map that show features that you are not allowed to cross and areas you are not allowed to enter.

You may hear these referred to as uncrossable, impassable or out of bounds. See the legends on the Coaching resources page for more information about these symbols.

Safety

Orienteering, by it’s nature as an outdoor adventure sport, carries specific risks that you should be aware of.

Unlike a field, court, pool or gym sports that are conducted in an artificially managed and maintained environment, orienteering is conducted in an uncontrolled environment. This means that situational awareness and independent thinking are required when you face hazards on your own. Common hazards could be fallen trees, cliffs or rivers in forest or farm environments, or traffic, railings and trip hazards in urban environments.

The most common injury in orienteering is a rolled ankle. This is very common because courses often cover rough ground which is even covered in undergrowth sometimes. To reduce the risk of ankle injuries, it is common for orienteers to strap their ankles with rigid sports strapping tape.

Getting lost is also a reasonable concern for new orienteers who may not have developed the skills to recover from major navigation errors. Orienteering organisers have systems in place and the skills and experience to recover lost orienteers. You can minimise the risk of getting seriously lost by reading the information provided by the organisers which should include a safety bearing and other information. However, the best way to prevent getting lost is to only attempt a course of a suitable difficulty. Only once you have high confidence at one difficulty level, should you progress up a level. A coach will be able tell you when you are ready to move up and help you learn skills to help you move up faster.

If you would like advice before an event, staff at the registration will be happy to help you.

Team vs individual

Most people do orienteering as an individual sport, but in most cases, like at casual or local events, you can do it as a group. If organisers allow, it may be possible to take a dog.

However, for more serious races, you start on your own and are expected to navigate on your own without outside assistance. But even at championship event, there are often casual grades available that allow you to take part in a way that suits you.

Foot orienteering is presented in a number of different formats.

Forest/farm orienteering

This is the original format of orienteering; an individual sport, starting on your own in an adventurous environment. Courses could be from 2km for kids to 15km for elite athletes and could take between 30 minutes and 3 hours depending on the distance of the particular event and your speed and skill.

Sprint orienteering

Relays

Orienteering can also be formatted as a relay, where members of a team run one after another, just like in an athletics relay. This can be applied to both forest/farm orienteering and sprint orienteering. In relays, the first member of each team starts at the same time in what is called a mass start, just like a normal running race. This makes relays very exciting to watch because the first across the line is the winner.