Catch up with Matt
A chat with Matt Ogden before Nationals 2025
1. Thinking back to your orienteering beginnings, what was the event you started orienteering, and what sparked the initial interest? There was no specific event that I can remember which got me hooked, but the influence of Mike Beveridge and Rob Garden, two passionate orienteers from North West, cannot be understated.
2 How do you prepare for Nationals and big competitions/ events? Any key advice for orienteers just starting out and heading to nationals or overseas? Before big races I love to fuel the hype. When it comes to performing though, it is about doing the basics well and ignoring any pressure, simply taking one control after the other. Some races require specific preparation when there are factors such as altitude or heat. Typically we don’t really think about this in New Zealand, but it is very important, and needs to be integrated into training well in advance of the competition. Otherwise preparation should focus on understanding and simulating specific technical demands, faster sessions in comparable terrain, and avoiding any minor injuries or illnesses.
3. What is your favourite type of terrain for orienteering? Detail rich (lots of contours) with good runnability therefore requiring high map contact and being able to run at speed. Favourites include Woodhill, New Zealand and Lunsen, Sweden.
4. Is there an orienteering technique you remind yourself about just before a competition? The three pillars – Compass, Simplification, and Forward Thinking.
5. What’s the secret to NZ orienteering’s success? Because kiwis are awesome and consistently punch above our weight. I think also our “out-of-phase” seasons and the beautiful natural environment here means that we can train all year round and be well prepared going into the European summer when most of the international events that we target happen. Because of our size, we do not have the management and organisation that is behind the bigger orienteering nations. As a result, we self-organise, take initiative, and probably achieve greater social cohesion.
6. What future untapped prospects can you see for events in the future for NZ? For events, I hope one day we can hold an orienteering race in Fiordland. Nick Hann and I have been exploring some simply outrageously good areas down there. I thought Canaan Downs was unbeatable, but this is a whole new level.
7. Has orienteering shaped or influenced your practices in life and/or in your profession or workplace? Absolutely, orienteering has provided many useful tools to navigate other aspects of my life. Reasoning by analogy is a great thinking framework and orienteering provides many examples. This has included “mapping” out processes, simplifying complex situations, making a decision (route choice) and then focusing on execution rather than the decision itself. Not getting caught up when you find yourself in dark green or a swamp, or how powerful simply heading in the right direction can be. Orienteering is a great teacher of resilience and finding your way in uncertain times. No day or race is ever perfect, or the same, the fun is in trying your best, learning from mistakes, and moving through nature.
8. What are you looking forward to at Nationals this year? The CBD Sprint will be iconic. I work on the edge of the embargo area and I am super confident the planning team will put on a special event. It is always fun running on new terrain, so I am also looking forward to the Long on Mt Cass. I am also eager for the competition in M21E. Since 2013, every nationals I have run, I have taken at least one title each year. I hope that I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.
