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 its 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 Britains 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 didnt 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, its not just running, its 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 running background and maintaining her competitive edge to this day. Based in Edinburgh, the GB athlete regularly participates in road races and cross country for Corstorphine AAC.

At the top level you do have to be a good runner, she says. If you already run it is a great alternative because you can still be competitive but in a slightly different way.

I think even when I retire I will still be doing it, because absolutely anybody can take part, there is no age or speed requirement.

Switching to orienteering doesnt drastically change an athletes training programme. We train as normal runners, we do interval training, cross country, track we do a bit of everything, says Eades. There is already a bit of navigation involved when it comes to cross country and hill running so it would be great to see those runners do some orienteering as well.

We are trying to break the stereotype that people have of orienteering, trudging around with massive backpacks in the rain and wind, we want to show them its not like that in the real sport. The head-to-head knockout racing is exciting for everyone to watch, as well as to participate in.

Great Britain finished second in the medal table at the last Sprint WOC in Denmark two years ago, and now the nation will be looking to go one better. One of the nations best hopes will be Megan Carter-Davies, who is the reigning sprint world champion and is expected to defend her title in Edinburgh. The urban environment will present a distinct challenge to the competitors, though, as they tackle the tight passageways, steep slopes and narrow stairways.

I think the fact that the sport takes place in an open field of play is going to be really exciting for people to watch, says Andy Mitchelmore, event director of WOC 2024. You are not in a stadium or on a golf course people can stand and watch athletes running across their doorstep.

Different athletes will be following different routes, then theres the jeopardy of who has taken the quickest course and you dont know that until they get to the finish. Its never like a half marathon where you might see one athlete a minute ahead in front and you know they are going to win.

For orienteering to grow as a sport, it needs greater visibility in top class events. A distant past argument is that it is not a spectator sport, but modern technology now destroys that notion.

With the use of mobile phones, drones and body cameras, orienteering can be enjoyed by a much wider audience and Mitchelmore even suggests the Commonwealth Games could consider it as an affordable option.

He says: If these major events, such as the Commonwealth Games, are looking for a sport which brings people into a city with fantastic backdrops and interesting courses without having to build a costly stadium, then I think orienteering ticks all the boxes.

Visit: woc2024.org

This article first appeared in the June issue of AW magazine