Riga Autumn Rogaining brings a national holiday atmosphere to the capital next week
On Saturday, November 19, at the shopping center “Spice”, the team orienteering competition “Rīgas rogainings” will take place, which will take place for the fifth time in various districts of Riga. Each time, the competition gathers more than a thousand domestic and foreign orienteering enthusiasts who participate in 2, 4 or 6 hour distances.
Original publication date: 09.11.2016
This year, the area of the competition map will include the districts of Āgenskalns and Torņakalnas, as well as the vicinity of Skulti and the “Rīga” airport, where you can also watch airplanes during the distance. Participation in the competition takes place in teams of 2 to 4 participants, where friends, families, company teams, as well as representatives from orienteers, runners and other sports come together. There is no specific distance to be covered in the competition and the participants themselves decide how many points to visit in the vast vicinity of Riga.
Rogaining specialist Valters Kaminskis, who is a map maker and distance planner, says that autumn this year has surprised us with snow that has not been seen for a long time, and the participants of the longer distances should prepare that there will be a lot of nature and beautiful corners of Riga, but for the participants of the shorter distance, it will be most convenient to plan the distance in the maze of snowy streets and houses of Āgenskalnas and Torņakalnas.
Different distances are available to the participants, from which they can choose the most suitable one - a 2-hour time trial is suitable for families with children, supporters of short distances, as well as those who like short walks in the fresh air, a 4-hour time trial is intended for more resistant participants and companies who want to spend a sporty afternoon in nature with friends or family, while enjoying the city of Riga and nature in one event, but the 6-hour time trial will be as it was created for hardy and experienced athletes to enjoy the surroundings of Riga both by light and in the darkness of the evening.
"Riga Rogaining has now become a special tradition for many residents of Riga and rogaining enthusiasts from other parts of Latvia. This time there is a great opportunity to combine it with national holiday celebrations the day before, which people living outside of Riga use to go to the capital to watch fireworks and participate in other festive activities. Ar Rīgu more or less all Latvian residents are connected, which is why the holiday season is suitable to dress warmly, take friends and family by the hand and go for a long walk around Riga. On the other hand, people from Riga, who mostly stay in the downtown area, have a great opportunity to see Riga from the outside, by wading into deeper districts and corners. There are many interesting places where we don't set foot on a daily basis," says Marta Zumberga, the organizer of the event.
Registration for the competition is possible on the website www.rigasrogainings.lv, which can be done even more advantageously until November 13. In Rogaining, most of the competitions take place in the forest and near nature, but the special and unusual feature of Riga Rogaining is the combination of urban territory with nature, so beginners who will be able to look for points in the city, as well as experienced orienteers, who will also be familiar with orienteering in the forest, will feel safe in the distance. The competition is offered by Riga City Council, supported by Isostar, Garmin, Asics, shopping center “Spice”, Baltais.