Orienteering is one of the few sports that can claim to benefit both mental and physical health and its popularity is on the rise, writes Ian O'Riordan
The Roman satirist Juvenalis is credited with the phrase "anima sana in corpore sano" - "a sound mind in a sound body" - and he wasn't joking around.
Eventually, that became the acronym for a famous sportswear company and yet few sports can actually claim to benefit mental and physical health at the same time.
If by now the urge to join the local gym as part of a New Year fitness resolution has proven irresistible, then you could go Juvenalis-style and take to the treadmill with one of those brain-exercising games. Or you could take up orienteering - a far more interesting and challenging way of improving both mental and physical health.
The sport is no doubt familiar, and may conjure up images of strangely dressed individuals running through the forest looking more than vaguely lost, but orienteering is certainly no fad.
It originated as a military exercise in Norway in 1897, although the term "orienteering" was first used in Sweden in 1918.
There are now 67 countries affiliated to the International Orienteering Federation, with the first events organised in Ireland about 30 years ago.
After a few years of stagnation and a little neglect, its popularity in Ireland is on the rise again, particularly in Munster. There are 21 active Irish orienteering clubs with about 1,100 members, ranging in age from nine to 90.
As the need and desire increases for a more active lifestyle, across all ranges of age and fitness levels, sports such as orienteering are suddenly getting more attention, and for good reason.
Originally, orienteering was designed more as an active outdoor pursuit than a competitive sport, combining basic running ability with basic navigational skill, and while it does have a strong competitive element, one of its main advantages is its broad appeal and suitability, effectively making it a true sport for all.
Ireland is a natural playground for orienteering and yet increasing participation hasn't been easy, partly because orienteering is still seen as either "too difficult" - as in the running part - or else "too confusing" - as in the map-reading part - when in reality it's likely to be more amenable than a round of golf.
The Irish Orienteering Association (IOA) is working hard to improve the sport's appeal, and has already started several campaigns to increase participation this year.
With orienteering now added to the new physical education curriculum and modified events such as Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO) and wheelchair accessible races (Trail-O) also gaining popularity, there can only be better days ahead for the sport.
"For a while now orienteering has been recognised as one of the up and coming sports in Ireland," says Brendan O'Brien, director of high performance with the IOA.
"It's definitely among the most inclusive of sports, in that it really does cater for everyone and anyone, no matter what age or physical ability. It does have a very elite competitive end as well, but often has people in their 50s or 60s competing in that same event, just at a different level, which you don't see in too many other sports.
"Getting orienteering onto the school curriculum is a big step forward as well, because it is definitely a sport that will help with both mental and physical health, and hopefully we will see the benefits of that in another 10 or 15 years in terms of increasing participation at club level," he says.
"Right now we do have a great foundation with the number of clubs around the country, and we've found the numbers coming into the sport have been increasing gradually over the past five years. But a lot of that has been word of mouth. We're hoping now that as more people realise the benefits of the sport we can increase participation even further."
While there are orienteering clubs throughout the State, the more established clubs are in Dublin, such as Setanta, Ajax and Three Rock.
Sports journalist Lindie Naughton has been one of the driving members of Three Rock Orienteering for the past 25 years, and despite being more generally associated with athletics, she has found the lure of orienteering on the rise again in recent years.
"Maybe if you have no sense of direction whatsoever then it's not the sport for you," says Naughton. "Otherwise it really is a sport of very broad appeal. One of the reasons I think it's becoming popular again is because a lot of people who are involved in running want to try something a little more adventurous.
"There has also been a big increase in the so-called adventure sports, which combine various disciplines such as running, cycling and kayaking, and in order to be successful in those sports you need to be able to navigate, and that's where orienteering comes in.
"But even people without any running background are trying it, [ such as] those who want a more meaningful walk in the mountains or forest. In other words, to exercise their mind as well. And clearly one of the challenges of orienteering is to keep the brain working along with the body.
"Most of all it's a sport for everyone, where the whole family can compete at the same time, albeit at slightly different levels. The map itself is very particular to orienteering, but once you have a basic understanding of that, it's all there, and it's impossible to actually get lost."
What also makes orienteering appealing is that it's often staged across a variety of terrain, from dense forest to open parkland, and no two courses are ever the same.
And while the race is ultimately decided on time, with participants following their selected route to visit control points in sequence, swiftness of foot is nothing without swiftness of the brain, and the tortoise will very often beat the hare.
At the very elite end, orienteering is serious business, and remains one of the national sports of Scandinavia - with a following and participation rate equivalent to our Gaelic Games. It's also hugely popular in Alpine countries and parts of Russia and, as a result, those nations dominate the highly competitive end of the sport.
As the national governing body in Ireland, the IOA receives funding from the Irish Sports Council, but elite individual competitors no longer benefit from grant aid due to the revised structures of the carding scheme following the Athens Olympics.
"We're never going to be a world power in the sport," admits O'Brien, "but we have lost out in a big way since orienteering was taken off the carding scheme.
"We used to have two or three individuals getting grant aid, but that is no longer the case. We do have a very active junior elite programme at the moment, and there is a huge development curve there.
"Essentially, our main focus is to increase participation across all levels of orienteering, bring more people into what is now seen as a healthy and 'green' sport, and also try to get the sport a little more into the mainstream.
"But we're also trying to mould a small number of individuals who can compete at World and European championship level, because that's also important for the overall development of the sport."
For the raw beginner, the obvious starting point is some contact with the nearest orienteering club. The IOA website provides a full list of club contacts and also fixtures for the year ahead.
"Most clubs have someone designated to help with the absolute beginner," says Naughton, "and in most cases will send that person out with you on your first orienteering event.
"But I'm never surprised to see how quickly people take to it, especially children, because the fact is you're staring at all the information you need on the map."
There is, however, likely to be some compromise - between trying to run hard and trying to figure out where the hell you are.