Orienteering is an adventure sport for all ages and abilities and can be enjoyed by individuals, families, schools and activity groups amongst others.

Traditional orienteering events take place in woods, country parks, open fells and moors. More recently you can find events in urban areas and schools as the sport becomes more accessible to a wider range of people. There are many clubs around the country, and joining your local club would be the best way to become involved in the sport. All clubs offer training events with coaching available and also organise events locally. With the variety of terrain orienteering takes place over, there is a growing need for more specialist equipment.

Footwear

A typical orienteering course can see you running through brambles and bracken, through streams and mud, and up and down steep slopes. It is therefore important when choosing your footwear that your shoe has good grip and is also durable. Inov8 have produced some specialist orienteering shoes - the Oroc - which have metal studs in to provide a bit more grip on rocks and wet surfaces. Another good offering from the Inov8 range is the Mudclaw 333 which offers excellent grip and lasts through a harsh snowy and icy British winter! For those events where there is some urban running involved you would need to look for something which is suitable for a different surface. Some people go for a shoe like the Inov8 X-Talon 212 which is lightweight and offers rubber studded soles for a bit of grip. However, some people prefer to go for a more of a lightweight road shoe such as the Saucony Fastwitch.

Clothing

There is a whole range of clothing specifically designed for orienteering, all of which are lightweight and breathable. At non-urban races full leg and torso cover is required. 3/4 length leggings and knee-length socks are becoming increasingly popular, particularly the compression socks due to the added benefit these offer. Wearing something a bit closer fitting on your upper body reduces the chance of it catching on branches and bushes as you run through the undergrowth, although the main priority is wearing something that you feel comfortable in.
For those who prefer wearing full length leggings it is important to ensure you have suitable socks as well. Due to the nature of some courses, having something which dries quickly and keeps your feet warm is essential. Groundhog and Hilly both do specific off-road socks suitable for orienteering.
For the torso the priority is wearing something appropriate to the weather. In the winter, a fast wicking figure-hugging top is a good starter to keep you warm, whilst in the summer a fitted t-shirt would be a cooler option. For most urban races you would be allowed to wear a vest, and tends to be the preferred option for a lot of people.

Equipment

There is a small but essential list of equipment needed for orienteering events, the most important of which is a compass to help with your navigation. A lot of events also insist on carrying a whistle, so you should go prepared to carry one. After this, there is a range of fairly specialist equipment available, including electronic dibbers to record your times at controls and holders to put description sheets for where the controls are located.
Most people will run with a sports watch as well, but bear in mind that GPS watches with a visual display are banned from the higher profile events. It is therefore useful to have an alternative option such as a Timex stopwatch to check how long you have been out for.
think about taking a shoe bag or something similar to carry all of your equipment in - it's surprising how much kit you can lose at an event after you collapse into your car after a hard run!

Nutrition

Nutrition is just as important during orienteering events as any other running sport, more so because you will usually be out on your own rather than being in a big group of people. During the longer events it is important to keep your energy levels up, and taking energy sweets, gels or drinks with you would be sensible. Using hydration tablets before the longer events will also help out, particularly if the event is being held on the open hillsides.

Written by Ian from our Leeds, Headingley shop.