Rando Challenge

Presentation

The Rando Challenge® is a fun and sporty team hike that requires hikers to use a variety of skills: orienteering techniques, observation skills, knowledge of the heritage and context of the hike, etc. Following the itinerary indicated on your map, your mission will be to find the milestones and place them accurately on your map, and to answer the multiple-choice questions, all within a target time that must be calculated and achieved as closely as possible.

Practice conditions

2 options depending on your level

“Discovery” trails of 2 to 4 hours, accessible to all (especially families and people with little or no hiking experience), are usually set up during each Rando Challenge®. This is the ideal way to try out the activity.

For more experienced hikers, the Rando challenges® are between 16 and 20 km long (i.e. a walk of 5 to 6 hours) and include 12 to 15 milestones and the same number of multiple-choice questions.

Assets and benefits

A fun activity accessible to all, young or old, experienced hikers or beginners, those who have tried it have adopted it: the Rando Challenge® is fun and smart! The layout of the route and the various facilities that can be put in place (marking of the route, indication of the location of the milestones on the map, etc.) allow the difficulty to be adapted to your level of ability.

A different approach to hiking. Participants are encouraged to find their own way around and discover the heritage on their own, thanks to an itinerary prepared in advance by the organising team.

A preparation for hiking. The Rando challenge® is an ideal activity to improve, maintain or even test your skills in orienteering as well as your physical preparation.

Equipment

Shoes suitable for hiking, a small backpack, provisions, etc.: you won't need anything more than the usual hiking equipment. The organiser will provide you with the control form to be punched at each milestone to answer the multiple-choice questions and several copies of the itinerary map, including a tearproof one to mark the location of the milestones on your route.

Rando Challenge® French Club Championship

In sports, as in anything else, you progress better when you have a goal. Why not give competition a try?

As well as the physical and mental benefits, the Rando Challenge® competition encourages everyone to work together as a team towards a common goal. With 2, 3 or 4 team members, tasks are shared and it's easier to progress, have fun and build self-confidence and energy for other daily challenges.

• take place during the sports season, i.e. from September 1st of year n to August 31st of year n+1.
• are organised by FFRandonnée committees and clubs.
• are open to all FFRandonnée clubs in good standing with their membership; they are represented by one or more teams of 2, 3 or 4 members with a licence.

Points are awarded to all participating teams.

An annual total of these points per club is used to award the title of French Champion.

Rando Challenge® French Championship 2022-2023

Sunday, May 14 (the final day) was full of surprises, with the two leaders battling it out from afar: the Association de Randonnée Nogentaise Villersoise (Oise) fielded 5 teams in Champcueil (Essonne), while Rando Lattes (Hérault), next in line and defending its title, fielded no fewer than 6 teams in Naucelle (Aveyron).

On the evening of these two events (Champcueil, which was particularly competitive with large gaps at the finish, and Naucelle, which had a very tight classification), the situation was paradoxical: Nogent, who had to face some formidable local opponents, only finished 3^rd in the event with 51 points, while Lattes, who had a full house by sweeping the podium, went home with 72 points and, despite this spectacular comeback, ultimately lost the title by just 11 points!

For the record, it was a surprise trip to Aquitaine that won Nogent the title, giving Lattes a taste of their own medicine after they made a similar long-distance trip last year.

The 3^rd place went to the Randonneurs d'Île-de-France: they only had one team, but they took part in 8 events!

Check out the latest rankings for the French Rando Challenge Championship.

>> Calendar of events

>> While you're waiting for the Rando Challenge® events, test your map reading skills, your orienteering techniques, your sense of observation and your knowledge of the heritage and context of hiking by taking part in virtual Rando Challenge® events.

Review of the 2021-2022 Rando Challenge French Championship

The winner had been known since May, but it wasn't until the final event (in Jaux on July 2) that the full ranking for this 5^th edition was announced.

Rando Lattes, which had already been on the podium in the previous two seasons with its fine 3^rd places in 2019 and 2020 (the championship was not organised in 2021), finally saw its efforts rewarded: by sending up to 5 teams (sometimes far away from its home base), the Occitan club won the 2022 French championship with 239 points (best score 68, 20 teams taking part). The Association de Randonneurs Nogentaise Villersoise (title holders since 2018) took second place at the last minute (205 points, best score 48, 17 teams participating), beating their eternal rivals ASPTT Castres (182 points, best score 48, 16 teams participating - remember that the Tarn club won the very first edition in 2017 and have been regularly in the leading group since).

Rando Challenge® Performance

Find out more about the new Rando Challenge® Performance, developed by the FFRandonnée Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Committee. This new format of the Rando Challenge®, which can be done alone or in teams of 2 to 4 people, is sportier and aimed at young people, as it requires the use of a GPS and/or a smartphone to help participants. 

>> Rando Challenge® Performance rules and registration :

https://ffrandonnee-competitions.fr/

>> For any questions about the Rando Challenge®,

write to us at: randochallenge@ffrandonnee.fr