Orienteering gives the refs a day to remember!

A small housing estate, more accustomed to big nights of world football, became the perfect testing ground for an exciting urban challenge testing both physical and mental abilities.

With only a short time to study the map beforehand, referees were given 50 minutes to find as many controls as possible and return within the time limit. Fail to do so, and points would be lost.

So… off they went, disappearing into the estate's alleyways in every direction.

Sightings were brief, really brief. Even after a 20-minute walk around several controls, only one referee was spotted. For most of the course, it felt like orienteering in the wild west: deserted and quiet with the odd mum and pram.

As time ticked on, attention turned back to the finish area. Around the 40-minute mark, the first finisher, Liam Rush, appeared, having successfully punched every control and returning in an impressive 41 minutes.

With the 50-minute limit fast approaching, the finish box became increasingly popular. Referees arrived from all angles, punching in to blow the final whistle on their orienteering adventure.

A new sport had been tackled. Old heart-rate thresholds were broken. And a new group of sporting professionals were surprised by just how far they had run, and the enjoyable physical and mental challenge that orienteering brings.

Comments afterwards included:

‘Best preseason session so far’

‘That was far better than doing track work.’

‘I was nervous about the map at first, but it clicked really quickly.’

And then there was the orienteer coming out of them at the end:

‘I can’t believe I missed that control; I missed 50 points!’

‘Why did I take that route, I could have gone there.’

A tremendous success once again, as orienteering continues to expand into new areas providing opportunities to experience the sport and appreciate how versatile and accessible the sport is.

Finally, a huge thank you to the volunteers from Manchester District Orienteering Club and South East Lancashire Orienteering Club, who supported the session throughout from set up to training and post course analysis, ensuring the referees had a great experience.