Exploring the world of orienteering

We navigate the sport of orienteering as the city of Edinburgh stages the World Championships

For many, the term “orienteering” might bring back images of school trips, perhaps scouting adventures and navigating a way through soggy and dreary conditions.

The reality of it can be very different, though, and it’s a sport with strong links to athletics. Orienteering has helped with the development of athletes like Megan Keith, who recently secured her Olympic selection for Paris in the 10,000m. The European under-23 cross-country champion started out in orienteering and became part of Scottish and British squads, even clinching gold at the Junior European Championships five years ago. Kris Jones, a British international on the track, in cross country and mountain running, was also a silver medallist in the Sprint Relay Event at the 2022 World Orienteering Championships.

The latest edition of the event takes place in Edinburgh this week (July 11-16) and I decided to explore the sport by joining two of Britain’s top athletes, Kirstin Maxwell and Mairi Eades, in a session of “sprint orienteering” through the famous city streets of the Scottish capital.

The aim of the sport is to navigate between checkpoints marked on a special orienteering map. There is no set route so the skill, and fun, comes from trying to find the best way to go, with the ultimate goal being to complete the course in the quickest time.

As someone who is used to the convenience of using my phone for navigation, the idea of relying on a traditional map-and-compass approach felt daunting. However, once I got into the swing of things – and learned to hold a map the correct way – the thrill of navigating from one checkpoint to the next quickly got me moving. Instead of fixating on the distance remaining, the focus shifted to the challenge of each leg of the journey.

While I may have faced a brief detour and didn’t finish in first place, the experience left me eager to go again. The unpredictable nature of the race and not knowing the whereabouts of other competitors, really does keep the adrenaline pumping.

“I love the challenge, it’s not just running, it’s an extension to that,” says Maxwell. “You have no idea where you are going or what you are going to see until you pick up the map. As you run faster you have to make the decisions really quickly.”

Maxwell is no stranger to the world of athletics, having come from a…