What is Rogaining? - More detail
Several
hundred people milling around me. Suddenly a voice booms out: "You
have 24 hours from … NOW. Good luck". And we were off. At least
everyone else was off, scattering in all directions. Within two minutes
we were alone - myself, Manuel and Sue - and our maps. Our first rogaine.
My previous experience walking on tracks somehow seemed inadequate. "Need
some help?" It was the event co-ordinator. She spent fifteen minutes
helping us choose a route that would get us back in time for a hot dinner
and we set off. I have never looked back!'
The author of that paragraph has now completed thirty rogaines and been
part of the extraordinary growth of the sport. Within twenty years of
the first rogaine at Melbourne, Australia, events were being held around
the world and regularly attracting several hundred competitors. This popularity
stems from the emphasis on participation rather than just competition,
the sense of challenge and the opportunity to experience the outdoor life.
Teams travel at their own pace and everyone from children to grandparents
can experience the satisfaction of navigating by map and compass between
checkpoints knowing that someone else has vetted the course, obtained
permission from landowners, produced a map and provided meals and rest
areas. Teams choose their own route and all teams finish at the same time,
so there is no feeling of being left behind. It is a great way to spend
a weekend.
Some teams rogaine competitively and championship rogaines are run regularly.
For the fastest teams, rogaining demands first class navigation both day
and night in all terrain along with sustained physical and mental endurance.
Yet competitive rogaining is secondary to the primary philosophy of participation.
Many rogainers have little interest in speed and find the sport provides
opportunities to spend a day or weekend in pleasant company, in empathy
with the outdoors and with whatever self-set challenges suit them. Novice
participation is actively encouraged and all rogaining events are designed
to be suitable for beginners.
A key factor in this broad appeal is that all participants start and finish
at the same time. Unlike a long distance run where slow runners arrive
to find everyone is packing up, slower rogainers often spend the last
hours at the finish, enjoying the spectacle of competitive teams racing
in at the last minute. Non-competitive teams may have chosen to sleep
for most of the night in warm sleeping bags at the camp area before finding
more checkpoints the next day.
Expert, novice or family group, one aspect unites all rogainers, namely
the satisfaction of being able to navigate in rural and forest environments.
Copyright 2007 International Rogaining Federation Inc. ..All rights reserved.