Tag Archives: orienteering

Run the Illawarra this summer – sprint series starts 1 February

The Illawarra Summer Series kicks off on Sunday morning 1 February and will run every weekend in February. This year the series takes the form of sprint events set on new maps. Starts will be from 10-11am. See below for dates, locations and links to Eventor for details of individual events. Pre-entries are encouraged and should be made through Eventor.
Note: the event at Albion Park will be on Saturday while all other events are Sunday.  

Date and TimeLocationDetails.
Sunday 1 February 10 – 11amKiamahttps://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23295
Sunday 8 February 10 – 11amWollongong Universityhttps://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23296
Saturday 14  February 10 – 11amAlbion Park High Schoolhttps://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23297
Sunday 22 February 10 – 11amCroomhttps://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23298

Sprint orienteering is a lot of fun – it requires quick decision making and tests your ability to navigate accurately at speed. This can be demanding, especially with constant changes in direction and route choice.  Winning times are usually around 12 – 15mins. Those new to sprint orienteering should check out the Sprint Orienteering page on the Orienteering Australia website.

There will be three courses available each week. Those wishing to have a longer run can run more than one course.

CourseApprox distanceWinning time
Long3.0 – 3.5 Km12-15 mins
Medium2 Km12-15 mins
Short1 Km5-10mins

As with past series all competitors will receive a sausage sandwich with a sauce of their choosing at the end of their run.

All event locations are close to one of the Illawarra’s iconic beaches. So pack your towel and swimmers as well as your runners and make a day of it.  

NEWCOMERS are welcome to come and try sprint orienteering. You can run or walk the course, go it alone or in a group. Club members will be on hand to help you on your way.  Those newcomers who attend at least 3 of the events will be in the running for a free 12-month membership with IKO. After completion of the series, those eligible will be notified by email with an option to accept or decline this offer.

Check out our great promotional video with thanks to our talented first course setter Joel Mion.

First IKO event 2026 – Kings Cross, Wednesday 21 January

IKO is running the Sydney Summer Series event (SSS#16) in the Kings Cross area next week on Wednesday 21 January. It is a 45 minute score event with starts from 4.30 – 6.45pm. Runners must be back by 7.30pm. For event details go to https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/22799

With Natalya as planner and two times champion SSS course setter Sue Froude as controller it is bound to be a challenging course in an area of the city with an interesting history and stunning harbour views. Where else can you run past Iconic buildings designed by early colonial architects, find your way through the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings in Australia and finish at the harbour foreshore.   

Newcomers are welcome to attend and club members will be available to help you on your way. Pre-entry is highly preferred although limited entry on the day will be available for newcomers who did not have the option to pre-enter. NO CASH ACCEPTED; tap-and-go payments only. Pre-entry closes Tuesday midnight before the event.

As parking is limited a good option is to hop on the train to Kings Cross and wander down to the start/assembly area at Reg Bartley Oval, Rushcutters Bay. Alternatively you can catch the 311 bus from Central Station to Elizabeth Bay Road (Stop  ID 201130) and walk down the steps.  

Sue Froude – ONSW Volunteer of the Year 2025

At the 2025 Xmas 5 Day event ONSW President announced that Sue Froude had been awarded the ONSW Volunteer of the Year Award for 2025.

Long serving secretary of Illawarra Kareelah Orienteers (IKO) –15 years – Sue is well known, not only to IKO members, but to many of the NSW orienteering fraternity for her contribution to the sport.

As well as efficiently organising club meetings and coordinating our club committee activities Sue looks after the membership of IKO – encouraging newcomers to join the club and making them feel welcome.  She is instrumental in planning the club’s annual event program and recruiting members to set/plan courses. She is well qualified to mentor new members in the latter activity having won course setter of the year for Sydney Summer Series events twice – in 2023 (Rushcutter’s Bay) and 2025 (Surry Hills). She was also instrumental in canvasing the inclusion of an IKO event in the SSS calendar.

When Sue isn’t working on her IKO secretary duties she is out and about working on new maps or checking out potential areas for new maps.  Sue is a highly active mapper for our club, having produced numerous urban maps across Sydney. Some of her notable mapping projects include Surry Hills, Kings Cross, Queens Park, Double Bay and Darling Point, Yarra Bay, La Perouse, The Corridor (Kirrawee), Sutherland, and Bado-Berong Creek (Sans Souci).

Not content with volunteering a substantial amount of time on IKO club activities Sue has also, in the past, volunteered for ONSW helping out with administrative tasks.  

Beyond her organisational and mapping efforts, Sue is prolific in managing the club’s Facebook page. She is especially active in advertising upcoming events, often infusing her posts with humour to engage members and promote club participation.

Congratulations Sue, you are a most deserving recipient of the award.

Sydney Summer Series at La Perouse this Wednesday

This week’s Sydney Summer Series (SSS#14) will be held on the IKO map at Yarra Bay, La Perouse on Wednesday 7 January. Starts are from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Information about Summer series events is available at  https://sydneysummerseries.com.au/

The event, organised by Uringa Orienteers, is a special ‘NO LOOK’ score event with competitors visiting as many controls as they can in 47mins.
Score course maps will not be published the night before as usually occurs, nor handed out prior to the event. Competitors will receive their map only after punching the start control. The course time limit will be extended by 2 minutes from 45 to 47 minutes. Competitors can either plan their course on the run, or spend the extra 2 minutes (or longer) planning their route. Normal scoring (600 points maximum) and penalties for being late will still apply.

IKO events scheduled for November 2025

November is a bumper month for orienteering events organised by IKO members. Events are open to all comers, first timers through to the more experienced orienteers. Pre-entries through Eventor are encouraged although newcomers can enter on the day. You can enter as an individual or a group.  Take the whole family and get a family discount.  

November 9th – the final event in the 2025 Sunday morning Illawarra Map Running Spring Series.  Set by Pippa and dad Phil Whitten on the new Blackbutt Map, the event offers the usual short (2Km), medium (4.2Km) and long (5.4Km) courses. This is a bush event with a mix of trails and cross country on medium and long courses – long pants and sleeves are recommended. Starts are from 10 – 11am. All competitors qualify for a free sausage sandwich at the end of their race.   For details about the event and on how enter go to  https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21599

November 15th – Saturday after noon 2.30-3.30pm. Make you way down to Bomaderry, south of Berry for another bush event organized by Keith Jay. This time on the brand new Bomaderry Creek map. The terrain is typical of south coast bush crossed by hiking trails. It is a bit scratchy so long pants and sleeves are recommended.  Details on courses available and location of the venue can be found at https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21577. Make sure you check the course setter’s notes before you head out.  

After the event there will be an end of year dinner at the Bomaderry Bowling Club. A table has been booked for 5.30pm. Please advise Sue via IKOrienteers.com@gmail.com if you intend attending.

November 23rd – its back to South East Sydney for the Sunday afternoon River Bay Orienteering Series (RBOS) with Ewan Barnett setting a score and three line courses on yet another new map – Queens Park. Starts are from 4.00-5.00pm. For event details go to  https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/22630

Come along and be the first to run on the new map. It’s a short distance to Bronte or Clovelly Beaches, so pack  your swimmers and head off to the beach to cool off after the event.

November 30th – the final IKO event for 2025 RBOS series at Sans Souci. This year organised by James Stuart. Another occasion to pack the swimmers for a post event swim.

The usual RBOS score and line courses will be available with starts from 4.00-5.00pm. Details available at https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/22633