The Orienteering WOD

Intelligence isn’t one of the 10 components of fitness, but you’ll need your brain to finish Cameron Sinclair’s New York City orienteering WOD.

The sport of orienteering originated in Sweden as a form of military training. It has since spread to most corners of the world but remains an obscure pursuit, a challenging mix of intellect and fitness.

In New Zealand, where I grew up, orienteering was a fundamental part of the high-school outdoor-education curriculum, incorporating map and compass skills with a half-day off class to run around the hills behind my hometown.

With a map, a bit of scouting and some resourcefulness, affiliates can create an imaginative “O-WOD” to test judgment as much as physical capacity. Unlike a classic CrossFit WOD with a running component or the current trend in longer form military-influenced obstacle courses (Spartan run, Tough Mudder), successful navigation is an essential factor in completing an orienteering course.