A RACE against time orienteering challenge across Hindhead Common was taken up by 130 young enthusiasts on Saturday.

It was the third event in the 2015/16 Orienteering League season, hosted by Southern Navigators (SN), comprising eight races from September until March.

Many of the individuals and groups taking part were from the SN’s junior league, now in its 30th year, and students from St Andrews School, Woking, used it as a warm-up race in preparation for Sunday’s British Schools Orienteering Championships, at The Queen’s Sandringham Estate.

SN spokesman Mark Howell said: “Hindhead Common is one of Southern Navigators most challenging areas with lots of intricate features and hilly terrain making the running hard and the navigation tricky, and it has become a regular feature in the race calendar since the completion of the A3 Hindhead Tunnel.”

The weather was not particular good, as the remnants of Hurricane Kate peppered the South with heavy rain, but that did not stop 130 hardy runners from taking part.

There were four courses around the common to choose from, increasing in length and technical difficulty to cater for older and more experienced runners.

The colour-coded courses started with yellow and moved through orange and light green to short blue.

SN celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a race on Surrey’s Holmbury Hill, as a re-enactment of the first race, followed by a party for past and present members. It is one of the oldest established orienteering clubs in Britain and was formed in 1965 by London Marathon founders Chris Brasher and John Disley.

The club has more than 300 members from West Surrey, North East Hampshire and South East Berkshire. Each event it hosts has a range of courses suitable for newcomers.

*The next event will take place at Horsell Common, Woking, on Saturday, December 5. Races from 10am to 11.30am Registration on the day at 9:45am.

Find out more at www. southernnavigators.com