The participants set off from the starting point full of enthusiasm.
At 8 a.m. on Sunday, the city was shrouded in smog, and the weather was stiflingly hot. Yet, the square of the Shanghai Exhibition Center, which is usually still quietly “asleep” on weekdays, was already bustling with activity. Five neat, giant teams in bright yellow, peach pink, fluorescent green, sky blue, and vibrant orange formed a beautiful sight. This was the starting point of the 2013 “Shanghai Coordinate” City Orienteering Challenge. A total of 688 teams and 3,440 participants were divided into five routes: Historical & Cultural, Sports & Leisure, Fashion & Creativity, Charming Metropolis, and Urban Life. They traveled across eight districts on both sides of the Huangpu River, visiting a total of 35 representative checkpoints, and experienced the diverse charm of Shanghai, an international metropolis, through sports. “Competing in the form of travel, and traveling in the form of competition.” Unlike professional orienteering events, Qi Wei, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Mountaineering Association, positioned the “Shanghai Coordinate” City Orienteering Challenge as a “mass event that anyone who can walk can join”: participants included both seasoned outdoor sports professionals and many white-collar workers who spend long hours in offices and lack regular exercise. The fun of the race varies for each of them.
At 9 a.m., participants from each route set off one after another, and the “polarization” became immediately evident—some teams dashed out like arrows leaving the bow, while others strolled leisurely as if taking a post-meal walk. The “Messy Happy Gang,” assigned to “Route 2,” was a typical competitive team. The team consisted of two men and three women who had met through outdoor activities and all had a solid fitness foundation. Female team member Huang Yang explained, “Our team captain has participated in the previous two editions, and this time we’re aiming for the top ten. Each member has a clear role, including route planner, cheerleader, and more. Even how much gear to bring was decided in advance. Our route planning was so precise that we knew which subway exit to use to get closest to the elevator.”
In the end, the “Messy Happy Gang” finished in 13th place with a time of 4 hours and 41 minutes. “We were just two minutes short of the top ten. It’s a pity. We have more girls on the team, so our stamina is a bit lacking—we were all worn out by the end.” Huang Yang said they plan to improve their physical fitness next year and come back stronger.
However, for most participants, the competition itself was just a formality—the main goals were to enjoy the fun of teamwork with colleagues and friends and to experience the charm of Shanghai. Mr. Xiong, who works at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, and his four colleagues formed the “Little Sun” team, which was assigned to the “Charming Metropolis” route. Along the way, they visited distinctive city attractions that showcase Shanghai’s charm, such as Jing’an Villa, the Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Garden, the Soong Ching Ling Residence, Qibao Old Street, St. Ignatius Cathedral in Xujiahui, and the Shanghai Stadium. The tasks they completed mainly involved taking commemorative photos and answering knowledge quizzes. Rather than being a competition, it felt more like a leisurely spring outing around the city. Mr. Xiong said, “This competition gave us a rare opportunity to go out and exercise together. No one really cared about the results—the important thing was that we all had a great time, and we’ll definitely be thinking about signing up again next year.”
Although the number of participants surged from 1,320 last year to nearly 3,500 this year, the detailed route planning and thoughtful services of this year’s city orienteering challenge still received praise from the participants. “All the tasks and checkpoints were not far from subway stations, the overall route planning was very reasonable, the selected locations were attractive enough, and there were enough staff to ensure that no crowding or delays occurred when teams were assigned tasks or games,” Mr. Xiong said. “I believe this event will become even more well-established in the future.”