Close battles for podium places at Riga Autumn Legend Rogaining in Grīziņkalns
Last Saturday, November 1, in the capital, about a thousand participants from all Baltic countries competed in the ambitious and largest team orienteering competition “Rīgas rudens leģendu rogainings” in the Baltic countries on a pleasant autumn day, which was organized by the Association of Adventure Competitions in cooperation with the support of Riga City Municipality and in cooperation with Intervals.lv. In several distances and groups, there was a very intense battle for victory and prize-winning places.
Original publication date: 03.11.2025
The competition center was located at the “Ghetto gaumes” venue in Grīziņkalni, but the distance stretched from Sarkandaugava, where Riga residents had a very large number of visitors to Orienteering Night, all the way to the South Bridge, where Ķengarags begins. Kontrolpunkti Zemitānos, in Čiekurkaln, Andrejsala, Brasa, Skanstes district, Klusaja center, Old Riga, Tirgus district, in the most colorful area of Latgale suburbs, as well as in the vicinity of Vagonpark. This time, unlike previous years' November rogainings, it was a calm autumnal weather.
According to the participants' abilities and wishes, the organizers offered the usual team distances - 6h Garmin and 4h Isostar, but the rest will be with other supporters - 2h TVNET+ rogaininga distance, 2h Magnesia rogaininga run and 3h Gerble MTB distance.
At some distances, exciting battles for the overall victory were expected, and it happened. In the “GAMRIN” 6h distance, for the fifth time in the season, the clear leaders “Laid mums tur laimē diet” won, this time Zigmundam Bīberam and Albertam Jasānam also joined the Rīga-Valmiera race winner Pēterim Grīviņam. They are three points away from the maximum, earning 197 points. The Estonians from “Onnevalem” faced stiff competition for them, who were only four points behind the strong Latvians. The third result was shown by the best MIX team with Elīnu Petrovsku and Sandi Zukuli with 174 points.
For women, “Ampēriņš” was the first again, who earned 154 points and where, together with Madaru Apsaloni, the bronze medalist of the Latvian championship in the marathon, Līga Rusiņa, started this time, replacing the usual participant Aleksandru Fjodorovu. The best family team “Cīmurēni” (Inta and Viesturs Cīmuri) also scored a hundred points - 101 points.
In the 4h “ISOSTAR” distance, three teams fought very hard for victory, Laurim Veidemanim and Patrikam Nikam Ummeram taking the first place with 133 points. A point less for the best MIX team “Jaunmārupe skrien” with Vladimiru Ļašu and ultra distance winners Kristīni Troneņkovu. Another point less for Mari and Artim Jansoniem from “Ozona”. The women's competition was won by “Žubītes” Laura Anševica and Elīna Aģe with a significant score of 111 points, while in the family competition “ZAJEC” (Zane Dzirkale, Juris Kļaviņš, Paula Dzirkale) won the first place with 84 points.
In the 2h “TVNET+” rogaining distance, superiority was demonstrated by multiple Latvian orienteering champions Artūrs Pauliņš and Uldis Upītis with 87 points, 16 points ahead of the closest followers and the best MIX team Salvi and Master world orienteering champions Ilonu Daģi from “Dejavu”, who had won in March in Ķekava and in April in Riga. In a very similar battle for third place, Tomass Reinis Tīss and Tomass Neuss-Lucs (Mirage) edged out Uldii Kleinbergu and Jāni Bošu with 66 points apiece. The best family team “Satriecošs un pārsteidzošs” (Ruslans Samuševs and Etjēns Samuševs) stood out with 60 points and a high fifth place in the overall standings, while the “Slow motion” foursome (Gabriela Grase, Kristīne Stepanova, Monta Stepanova, Inga Grase) stood out with 47 points. was enough to win the women's competition, ahead of Ilzi Roķi and Māru Ozolu (Lauktozites) by one point.
The duel of the two best teams of the season was missed, as Kārlis and Daina Stonka did not participate, but Vladas Kutiavinas with Jāni Zeltiņu from “SakasXOne” this time showed only the seventh result, but it was enough for the international duo to win the season overall.
“MAGNESIA” 2h O-run first two - triathlete Oskaram Cimermanim (75) and Oļegam Nikolajevam (71) - very commendable performance, collecting more than 70 points. Overall winner Jānis Dūka took third place with 63 points. For women, the season leader Anžela Šapovalova (61 points) continued her winning streak, losing three points to the previous season's leader Anita Užule. Third place Laurai Vārtukapteinei.
3h “GERBLE” achieved the third success in the MTB distance and this year's Master world champion in bicycle orienteering Mārtiņš Linde, who had 176 points, was four ahead of the winner of the first stage, Raiti Muižnieku, who overshot the time limit, and who had to part with a few points, but did not prevent himself from advancing to second place in the overall standings. Līsmanis overtook Godiņa in the fight for the same place among Mārtins.
The women had a very intense battle. For the second time in the season, Inese Kauķe got the same number of points with another competitor in the fight for victory and again took second place, because this time the world and European championship participant from Igaunijas Eleri Hirva spent a little less distance. Only one point less for the Lithuanian Monikai Martušitei, who took third place, leaving behind two more strong compatriots. Despite the sixth place, Dina Zobena kept the leading position in the overall standings.
In the innovation introduced this year - the TVNET+ Enterprise Challenge Award in Riga were the best Kinetics running team, which left IF Insurance and Wellman behind for the overall title. You can read more about Legends rogaining rogainings.lv