Rogaining

Rogaining is a sport of long-distance, cross-country navigation. It is an adventure discipline where navigation is by map and compass only; route planning is as important as speed and endurance on foot. Participants compete in teams of two to five people. Urban events may be as short as one hour in duration with Championship events limited to 24 hours. Events take place in urban and wilderness locations across the disciplines of running, mountain biking, paddling and snow ski.

The sport of rogaining was started in South Africa by Pieter Mulder, with an eight-hour foot rogaine at the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve in Gauteng. A foot (running/walking) event (usually up to six or eight hours) has been held annually since in the forested areas of Belfast and Kaapschehoop and, in recent years, a mountain bike rogaining event was added the following day. This major annual rogaining weekend is organised by Rand Orienteering Club.

Adventure racer and orienteer Lisa de Speville started a series of urban rogaining events, Metrogaine Jo’burg, in 2011. One-hour and 90-minute  courses see participants running through Jo’burg suburbs on a week night. Other events have subsequently sprung up.

For more information on the sport of rogaining, visit the International Rogaining Federation at www.rogaining.com.

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