International Rogaining Federation
News - October 2025
Welcome to an email newsletter aimed at keeping you up to date with what the International Rogaining Federation has been doing and big events from our member and observer countries. Please share around your clubs and give your country representative news to share.
World Rogaining Championships 2025 – Sierra de la Demanda
A huge thank you to the IbeRogaine and A.D. Tjalve clubs for hosting the 2025 World Rogaining Championships in Quintanar de la Sierra, Burgos, Spain. This event was a true exemplar of a world standard rogaine. A superb course with technically and physically challenging terrain and checkpoints, supported by a huge team of welcoming volunteers.
Congratulations to overall winners Maxim Tsvetkov and Semen Yakimov, and winners of all of the other classes. You can see the overall results on the website https://wrc2025.org/live-center/, and photos from the event on the website https://wrc2025.org/photos/.
The RogaineResults website https://rogaine-results.com/event/results/2025/world-rogaine-champs/24hr has routes from all teams and GPS tracks from those who have uploaded their tracks, including six of the top 10 teams.
25 years of rogaining in Estonia
Estonia has celebrated 25 years of rogaining with an event on 4 October 2025. TAOK rogaine is an annual 8-hour event which is held in the first weekend of October. The first TAOK rogaine in 2000 was the very first public rogaine organised in Estonia. You can observe the full history of the event with results, maps etc at https://taok.rogain.ee/en/news/history/
The number of participants at the latest, 25th TAOK rogaine was slightly over 400. Whereas in 2007 the participant number reached the record of 1157, this was in the context where there were no other rogaining events in Estonia. Since then, several other rogaining events have emerged.
In the first years the key organisers were Andres Käär and Ilmar Kirjanen. However, Lauri Leppik has been key to the ongoing organisations of TAOK rogaines since 2000. Over these years he has drawn 20 rogaining maps, 15 times been the event director and 8 times the course setter. In recent years a large chunk of pre-event preparatory work has been on the shoulders of Lauri and his wife Lea, who has acted as the registrar, secretary and treasurer.
The focus of the event has been on interesting terrain and course, which offer alternative route plans and a mix of enjoyable sites and navigational challenge.
You may replay the GPS tracks of some of the stronger teams from the recent 2025 event at: https://sportrec.eu/gps/ta-ok-rogain-2025
and see the photos in FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054259490402#
In 2024, the Estonian rogaining calendar included 12 rogaines and at least 5 clubs regularly organise rogaining events. However, the other events are mainly 3 or 4 hour rogaines, the TAOK rogaine being the only annual 8 hour event.
TAOK has also organised two major rogaining championships - WRC 2008 in Karula and ERC 2024 in Misso. The European Rogaining Championships were also held in Estonia in 2005 (Nõva), 2014 (Orava) and 2021 (Otepää), being organised respectively by Orion, XT Sport and Seiklushunt.
It is fair to state that these events have given a strong impetus to the success of Estonian teams at WRCs and ERCs. 10 Estonian rogainers can state that they are world rogaining champions in Open categories, while 21 rogainers have won the European champion title. The number of medal winners is significantly higher.
The Estonian rogaines have also influenced the development of rogaining in other European countries. In 2006, Mikko Lamminpää, the editor-in-chief of the Finnish outdoor magazine Retki participated at the TAOK rogaine and in his initiative the first rogaining event in Finland was organised the next year, in September 2007. In 2008, Felip Gili from Spain participated at the WRC in Karula and a year later, in 2009 he organised the first Wild Boar rogaine in Catalunya. From 2003 onwards also several Latvian teams have participated at TAOK rogaines and 7 times Latvian teams have succeeded to win the TAOK rogaine in open category (out of 75=3x25 first placings in open categories).
Estonia is certainly a strong country for rogaining!
Estonians take rogaining to Albania
A group of Estonian rogaining enthusiasts organised an 8-hour rogaine in Albania (Berat) on 19 October 2025. See https://www.libahunt.eu/albania-2025
The same group has earlier organised 8-hour rogaining events in Georgia (Bakuriani) 2021, Armenia (Tsaghkadzor) 2022, Bulgaria (Bansko) 2023 and Romania (Poiana Brasov, Transylvania – picture above) 2024. In all these cases they have established some local contacts to support with logistics, but have drawn maps and set the course themselves. While these events have been relatively small (about 20-35 teams, mostly from Estonia), at least some local teams have also taken part.
This demonstrates it is possible to organise rogaining events outside your home country. In the Lidar era many countries have reasonably good base maps. Of course, some local contacts are needed to ensure land access, facilitate with permissions, catering etc. But the mapper, the course setter, vetters and result service can all be from abroad. It is an excellent way to help establish the sport in other countries.
You see, Estonia is small, the country is fairly flat and we have a limited number of good rogaining terrains, but we have a global reach and currently some of the best rogaining teams in the world.
Links to the maps of 2021-2024 events:
https://media.voog.com/0000/0038/4695/files/Bakuriani_kaart.pdf
https://media.voog.com/0000/0038/4695/files/Armeenia_kaart.pdf
https://media.voog.com/0000/0038/4695/files/Bansko.pdf
https://media.voog.com/0000/0038/4695/files/Kaart%20Transilvaania.pdf
Rogaining Romania – Carpath Rogaining Trophy
The third edition of the Carpath Rogaine will be held in Romania (Dǎnești, Harghita County) on 29-30 August 2026. There will be a 6 hr and a 24 hr option. The first bulletin is available on the website for you to look at.
This is another example of a rogaine with out-of-country support, with former IRF President Richard Robinson providing remote advice to organisers.
Rogaining by bus in Japan!
A bus rogaining event is being in Osaka City, mainly in the Tennoji region. A 4 hour option and a 3 hour option is provided with participants being able to take the Osaka City bus route bus or walk to the checkpoints. This event was also held in 2024. A great option for city rogaines that makes the sport even more accessible for families and those who want a fun day out without as much fitness required.
https://bus-sanpo.citybus-osaka.co.jp/busrogainig2025
Elite rogainers excel at Adventure Racing World Champs
Timmo Tammemäe, Silver Eensaar and Rain Eensaar won silver medals at the Adventure Racing World Championships, in early October in Canada, British Columbia. All three are former World Rogaining Champions, while Timmo is also the IRF Council member. The female member of their team was Pauliina Marjut Pohja from Finland. The winners of the race were SAFAT (Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team) defending their title from 2023.
More at https://www.expeditionracecanada.ca/
Introducing… your interim IRF President
Hello!
My name is Julie Quinn (on right in picture) and I am from Australia. I have been the Vice President of the IRF and now have taken the interim IRF President’s role until the Council finds a President.
Many of the IRF Council members and regular Australian rogainers will know me from local and WRC events. The not-so-glamorous photo above is how you will often see me and my regular rogaining partner David Baldwin at the end of a 24hr event!
I competed in my first rogaine in 1997 having just moved from New Zealand to Australia and was totally taken by a sport that needed both physical and mental excellence simultaneously. I’ve lost count of how many rogaines I have competed in or organised, but this includes 11 World Rogaining Championships. At WRC events, I have won WO in 2002 and 2006, XO in 2004 and XV in 2012 and 2019. I was part of the core organising team for the 2016 World Rogaining Championships in Australia, including setting, vetting, map making, organising transport and prizes, and assisting with many other things.
My focus for the IRF in 2026 will be to fill vacant roles on the IRF Executive, to run a call for bids for the 2029 World Rogaining Championships, develop the IRF’s communications with regular updates from all countries, and to assist countries getting started in running rogaines.
Please feel free to drop me message via the website contact form.