Catch up with Lizzie
A chat with Lizzie Ingham before Nationals 2025
- Thinking back to your orienteering beginnings, what was the event you started orienteering on and /or sparked the initial interest?
The national junior training camp and being in the school team got me motivated in my teenage years, even though I’d been dragged along to every event since before I could walk, it was the competition and being in a team that got me hooked. - How do you prepare for Nationals and big competitions/ events?. Any key advice for orienteers just starting out and heading to nationals or overseas?
Nationals is the one national event I’ll specifically train toward each year. I’m lucky now with my base fitness that I can take a shorter period before to focus on intervals and the technical side. For those starting now – it might be a bit late for base training! But some short sharp intervals and map training, even if it’s just desktop study, will help a lot. - What is your favourite type of terrain for orienteering?
Any type of technical terrain, from the mining areas in Australia to complex sand dunes and Karst or the rocky Dolomites. Any terrain where I have to be right on point in balancing the running speed with the map reading, - Is there an orienteering technique you remind yourself about just before a competition?
Compass work and confidence. Every time. You know what you’re doing, so stick to your plan on each leg and trust the control will show up where and when you expect it. - What’s the secret to NZ orienteering’s success?
A large part is the environment we have built up, and our commitment to train and push for better results together right from the junior camp to schools competition in Australia. And the fact we meet more regularly, can adapt to different terrain, and the kiwi attitude that we do not get fazed at stuff thrown at us. - What future untapped prospects can you see for events in the future for NZ?
Night orienteering! I love Katoa Po and there are plenty of opportunities for night events and training in NZ as it is winter when clubs have their main seasons and as we head into the European season. Learning to orienteer at night is amazing for your technical skills, and is just plain fun. I’d love to see more clubs coming to Katoa Po again!
- Has orienteering shaped or influenced your practices in life and/or in your profession or workplace?
Yes, in field work everyone else needs GPS or coordinates, but I can take a glance at the field map and pinpoint the investigation location. And general problem solving, if you make a mistake, reset and keep going. - What are you looking forward to at Nationals this year?
Always the terrain! So looking forward to a challenging long distance and a technical middle and relay. It will also be really cool to have an urban city sprint in NZ – so different to the many campuses we run on !
