The fifth City Legends rogaining season starts on 1 April in Spilve
In the Baltic States, the largest and most popular rogaining or team orientation series “Pilsētas leģendas” will start its fifth season on an interesting date, namely April 1, and it will be an unusual Monday and a holiday, because the first of April falls on the second Easter. Taking into account the area where it will take place, the name of the first stage is “Spilves pļavu rogainings”, and it is organized in cooperation with the municipality of Riga, as well as with the support of Intervals.lv, Isostar, Garmin, Kokmuiža and “Magnesia”.
Original publication date: 13.03.2024
The last two seasons of the exciting rogaining series “Pilsētas leģendas”, as well as before that, Riga Rogaining from 2015 to 2019 always started at the end of March, and this time the original date was also set on March 23. However, since Riga's sports event calendar will only start on April 1, Riga's spring rogaining will take place in the month of April this year and, most likely, in the following years as well.
The competition center will be located next to Imanta's biggest shopping center “Damme” on Kurzemes prospect. Two years ago, the season of “Pilsētas leģendu” started in very windy conditions relatively close, just on the other side of the Bolderāja railway and a couple of kilometers higher to the north. Although not far away, this time, of course, there will be a different area to make it interesting for the participants.
At the beginning of the season, in addition to Imanta, Kleistie and Spilve and its meadows, the participants will also visit Dižbarži, Liepezera, Babīte, Priedainė, Mežārė. The best scorers in the long distances will reach the shores of Lielupe, also at the former venue of the Latvian championships in water skiing next to the Lielupe railway bridge in the meadows of the Lielupe mouth, the most hardened ones will be able to test the early spring water temperature in the Hapaka ditch, as well as, running past the Kleistu sports base, observe the preparation for the big competition for the World Cup stage in July in equestrian sport, in which we now have our own Olympian. We will not climb the tower of the ball hill this time, because it will be in the prohibited zone, and at the end of March 2022, there was such an opportunity in the rogaining of Riga Bullūpes.
According to the participants' abilities and wishes, the organizers offer the usual team distances - 6h Garmin, 4h Kokmuižas and 2h Isostar rogaining distances, as well as individual 3h MTB and rogaining run 2h (O-Run) and rogaining walk for children.
The name “spilve” refers to a plant of the sedge family that resembles reeds and reeds. In Latvia, pillows are typical marsh plants. Legend has it that the Lielupe River flowed into the Daugava in prehistoric times in the vast plains of the Spilve meadows. On the other hand, when the Lielupe had shortened its course, flowing directly into the sea, a wide swamp was formed here, in which the pillows could grow by turning. By the way, Hapaka, Esen, Koku Muiža and others have been located in Spilve. "Spilves gaisa ostu" was established in 1922, where flights from Germany, Poland, Sweden, Finland to Moscow and Petersburg took place.
You can register for membership and find out more information on the website rigasrogainings.lv.
In Rogaining competitions with 2 to 4 participants, the team includes both athletes and orienteering enthusiasts who are already masters of these competitions, as well as lovers of an active and sporty lifestyle who like to spend their free time in the fresh air and be active. That's why several families also use this option, because rogaining is a very democratic activity in its essence, since the participants can choose the distance and the number of checkpoints suitable for their abilities. See you at the opening of the season in Baldone!
Ivars Bācis