Bathurst and the surrounding area have played host to the Australian Orienteering Championships and School Championships, with more than 1000 people travelling to the Central West to take part in the events.
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Competitors travelled from Sydney, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Dungog, Wagga Wagga and even Scandinavia.
Konstan Nanhanen, who calls Finland home, came to Australia thanks to a scholarship program.
While 1000 people attending an orienteering event in Australia might be considered a great turnout, for Mr Nanhanen it is quite small.
“In Europe we normally get 10,000,” he said. “There’s a lot of fitness and training needed for orienteering.”
The sport is extremely popular in Scandinavia, originating in Sweden in the late 19th century.
It’s the first time the orienteering event has come to Bathurst and it proved challenging for some competitors due to the hilly terrain.
One course required a 200 metre climb on an intense 4.2 kilometre course.
“It’s really great to be at the Australian Championships. We’ve got everyone here trying to do their best,” Orienteering NSW team member Clare Jessup said.
“It’s kind of like the cupboard in Narnia. No-one has not heard of us but when you meet us, it’s a really great but small community.”
Almost 900 competitors competed in the weekend events – on September 23, 24, 30 and October 1 – with The Scots School hosting events throughout the week.
Orienteering NSW team member Joanna Hill said competing in the sport requires plenty of training.
“It’s lots of fun and it’s a different sport. You need to be fit and able to run, but need to know geography and maths when reading a map,” she said.
“To be the best, you need to balance out both. You need to be both fit and mentally sharp.”
People over 90 years old competed and while they might not be the fastest people, they brought plenty of experience.
Goldseekers Orienteers, an orienteering club based in Orange, will now host four ‘come and try it’ events in Bathurst on Friday evenings in October.
The first one will be held on October 6 at the Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium at 6pm.