Hi all, here is a roundup of rogaining news within Australia and overseas:
WRC 2025 Results
A big cohort of over 41 Australians competed in the 19th World Rogaining Championships which were held in the Sierra de la Demanda mountains in northern Spain on 5-6 July. Here is most of the group, proudly wearing our WRC 2027 promotional shirts:
The Aussie teams put in a great performance, and overall there were Australians in ten of the teams that reached the podium. Congratulations to all of the participants and all of the category place-getters!
The full results are available on the event website:
https://wrc2025.org/live-center/
and also on the Rogaine-Results website, where you can look at team routes and leg statistics:
https://rogaine-results.com/event/results/2025/world-rogaine-champs/24hr
Check out the photos in this album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/r7PrAyDpDm667huF9
We also took the opportunity to promote the next World Rogaining Championships, to be held in the Flinders Ranges in September 2027: wrc2027.rogaining.au
Check out the amazing promo video on the website!
Here is an event report from ACT's Stephen Goggs:
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A World Away - Stephen Goggs In my travels in Spain over the years I have found it to be a land where what you see is what you get. If you order a tempting cheese platter you might receive slices of cheese on a plate; a refreshing orange dessert is an orange with a knife. So it was with the rogaine in the aptly named Sierra de la Demanda!
An impressively large band of Aussies made the journey to northern Spain via various circuitous routes, a pattern continued at the event itself. While shivering under your doonas in Canberra you may have read that it has been hot hot hot in Europe already this summer, with temps in Madrid in the mid-30s for weeks. Luckily for us an almighty summer storm broke over the event village of Quintanar de la Sierra the night before the start, which had the effect of bringing the average temperature down somewhat (only two hots not three) and softening the ground under foot. It also turned some of the forest trails into forest rivulets, but in the main we would discover that the understorey was easy going anyway, so no worries on that front.
The going was much more ‘demanda’ when it came to elevation. The average profile of the course ranged from 1000 to 2000m high, and boy didn’t we know it - Julie and David reported over 5000m of climb in their 24 hours. The trade-off for all that height gain was that the ridge lines were often bare and easy running with some splendid views in multiple directions - or they were until night fell of course. |
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On the course. Image credit: Event organisers |
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The forecast had been for more rain on the Saturday of the event, but despite distant rumbling the rains held off. It was still at least one level hot on the Saturday arvo, but some of us even had to break out a warm layer over night. Jon Glanville and I had a cunning plan for a mostly downhill-in-the-trees route on Sunday morning, which worked a treat. It’s just a pity certain 60+ yo legs and lungs had not been up to all the planned uphill challenges the day before.
Other Aussies, old and young, fared much better though, and while my own pace was more pedestrian than presidential, we were thrilled to celebrate ACTRA President Ollie James’s win with partner E Wen Wong in Mixed Youth and former pres Julie Quinn’s 2nd with David Baldwin in XV and 12th overall, not to mention (oh ok I will mention..) the ageless Geoff Lawford and Rod Gray taking out MU (again!) and Aussies 2 and 3 in WSV, 3 and 5 in MSV and World WY Champions Joanna and Abi George, who also gave a great shoutout for WRC2027 in the Flinders Ranges.
I could go on describing the highs (lots) and lows (actually there were none of those), but will instead finish with thanks to all those here and following along at home for your support and companionship, not forgetting of course ACTRA’s very own international WRC course advisers Jean Douglass and Ron Simpson. What a great team we make! |
Australasian Rogaining Championships
The 2025 Australasian Championships were held in the Snowy Mountains on 15-16 March, hosted by ACTRA, and were a great success all around. You can check out the results here: https://rogaine.asn.au/results/arc-results and here: https://arc2025.rogaining.au/results
The 2026 Australasian Championships will be hosted by QRA, in scenic open grassland / eucalypt forest, on 29-30 August 2026. Please put these dates in your diaries! Here is the event page: https://qldrogaine.asn.au/event-calendar/2026-arc/
2025 Intervarsity Rogaining Championships
The 2025 Intervarsity Championships will be held in conjunction with the NSW Championships on the 12-13 September 2025. Here is the event information: https://nswrogaining.org/event/2025-nsw-championships/
Travel Bursaries are available for one team from each state/territory to travel to the Championships. Please contact your state/territory association if you would like to apply for the bursary, or if you know of a university team who you think would like to go. Here is some more information: https://rogaine.asn.au/news/2025-australian-intervarsity-championships
Australia hosting WRC 2027 - We Need YOU!
Planning continues for the World Rogaining Championships which will be held in the Flinders Ranges in September 2027. We would love to recruit some more keen volunteers - if you have any interest in helping out, regardless of where you live in Australia, please contact us here https://qldrogaine.asn.au/wrc2027/#contact
It's going to be a big event, and with many volunteer roles you can still take part in the event.
ARA AGM 2025
The annual general meeting of the Australian Rogaining Association will be held on Monday 25th August 2025. If you have any issues you would like to add to the meeting agenda, please discuss with your state/territory President or ARA Representative.
ARA Grants
Applications from state/territory associations are due in November each year, according to the Grants Policy.
Rogaine Mapping Resources
For those interested in preparing rogaine maps, there are some new resources available on the QRA website: https://qldrogaine.asn.au/mapping-resources/
You can also join the Google Group discussion: https://groups.google.com/g/rogaine-mapping
IRF News
Matt Bixley has stepped down from the role of International Rogaining Federation President, and there are now multiple vacancies on the IRF Executive. If you have an interest in getting involved in the coordination of the World Rogaining Championships and other international rogaining, especially if you have experience in rogaining administration, we would love to hear from you. Contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested or would like to find out more.
National Calendar: https://rogaine.asn.au/events
Next European Championships: Czech Republic 2026
Next World Championships: 16-17 September 2027 wrc2027.rogaining.au
Cheers, Paul
Paul Guard
ARA President