Who Can Participate?
How fit do I need to be?
You definitely don’t need to be an elite athlete to enjoy rogaining! Many participants, including families with young children, enjoy the course at their own pace.
Rogaining is all about fun and adventure. You and your teammates decide how fast, how far, and for how long you want to go. Many teams don’t stay out for the full event duration, and some even stop for a leisurely lunch mid-event.
While rogaining does attract world-class endurance athletes at the competitive end, the majority of us are simply there to have a great time outdoors.
Fun for all ages and genders!
We have rogainers competing in prams and we have rogainers in their 80s, who are still competitive.
Rogaining appeals to all genders and over 40% of our competitors are female. It is quite common for a mixed or women’s team to be at the top of an event scoreboard. Equally, it is common for an event to be won by a team of Veterans (over 40) or Super Veterans (over 55).
I don’t have a team!
We have a partner finding service on the event page for almost every event. You simply enter your contact details and how hard you want to go and someone will most likely contact you. Alternatively, or you can look at the people on the partner finder and make contact with someone to team up. Even if you are an experienced rogainer, teaming up with someone new is a good way to make new friends and see how others approach our sport.
The reason for insisting on teams, is for safety. The longer rogaines can span 100sq kms of trackless bush, and something as simple as a rolled ankle could put an individual competitor at serious risk. This risk is significantly mitigated by having a team mate. While injuries are pretty rare, we want to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time.
For the serious competitor
Our longer events are 8, 12, 15 and 24 hours and typically attract our more competitive rogainers. These events mean that you will be roagining in the dark and this is where the best teams shine by barely slowing down.
Many teams publish their GPS tracks after the event so anyone can look at their route choice and see approach to controls as well as their mistakes. Serious competitors can use this information to improve their own performance.
Also be aware that even in the championship events most teams do not stay out for a full 24 hours. It is common for very good teams to have a few hours of sleep during a 24 hour event.
Where have we been?
We rogaine all over NSW, check out where we have been.
About Events
How much does it cost?
NSW Rogaining is a not for profit association and our entry fees are set at a level that allow us to break even each year. The cost of the event will vary depending on what facilities need to be hired, the cost of transport and the cost of catering. We also offer a discount, usually around 30% for pensioners, students and unemployed people.
In general you would expect to pay $50-$75 for a 6 hour event and $100-$150 for a 24 hour event. Please note that almost all of our events include catering and we can meet special dietary requirements (within reason).
Free Entries
NSW Rogaining is run by volunteers and you can earn free entry to events by volunteering to help. Volunteering is a good way to meet other rogainers and pick the brains of the more experienced rogainers. Most of our volunteers have a good time volunteering and there are many roles for volunteers such as:
- Event organisation
- Course setting
- Mapping
- On the day helpers
- Control (checkpoint) hanging
- Control retrieval
- Trailer towing
Ready to Volunteer?
Check out the links below:
When are events and how long are they?
We generally run between 6 and 10 events a year. The program will change from year to year but we usually run the following events each year:
- 3hr Minigaine – Usually around Sydney metropolitan area and solo roaginers are usually permitted.
- 6hr Metrogaine – Metrogaine are held around the city and normally take in city streets, parks and bushland in close proximity.
- 6 & 12hr Autumngaine – The Autumngaine is usually held in bushland on the outskirts of Sydney and is a good opportunity to test out your night navigation skills.
- 6hr Paddy Pallin – Each year we team up with the Paddy Pallin organisation to hold a rogaine. This is our most popular event each year and includes prizes courtesy of Paddy Pallin.
- 6 & 12hr Lake Macquarie – This event is held somewhere around Lake Macquarie and usually held in bushland.
- 3 and 5hr Nightgaine – The night gaine is normally held close to Sydney and is a great opportunity to learn night navigation. There is something really special about navigating through the bush at night.
- 6, 15 in 24 & 24hr NSW Championships – The 24 hour NSW Championship is our premier rogaining event each year and attracts many of Australia’s best rogainers. This event is usually held deep in the bush.
- 6hr Socialgaine – Our rogaining year ends with a socialgaine. The location of the event varies, but it is often held on the outskirt of Sydney.
The video, shown below, is a quick guide for novbices produced by SARA (South Australian Rogining Associotion.