Sneakers securely fastened. Hair tied back. Stretches completed. Let’s go.

Hundreds of excited competitors were raring to go on Tuesday morning as the inaugural Zespri AIMS Games orienteering event got underway.

Orienteering has attracted about 300 entries in its first year, with most students competing in both the sprint event on Tuesday and rogaining event on Wednesday.

The sprint is a 15-minute individual race, with competitors taking off in groups of four to run around Tauranga’s Historic Village hunting down “controls” that need to be collected in order.

Rogaining is a one-hour team event held at McLaren Falls where each group needs to collect as many controls as possible in the alloted time.

The largest contingency of orienteers is from Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School, with 23 students (19 of them girls) itching to get out there.

Some have competed in orienteering at primary school, some are new to it this year.

One of those students is Manaia Climo, 11, who tried out orienteering earlier this year and realised she was “pretty good” at map reading.

“Now I’m here and I’m ready for it … I want to try my best.”

The other girls spoke about how it “feels good” to be part of history, taking part in the first ever orienteering event at AIMS.

Ōtūmoetai coach Hayley Strouge said there was “lots of eagerness” about the sport this year and lots of keen runners.

Coach Craig Lavin got involved with orienteering when he was in primary school and believed the popularity of the sport would soar.

Manager Sarah Thomson said many kids experienced orienteering in primary school and were familiar with it.

It took 17-year-old Mount Maunganui College student Macka Wagstaff two months to design the four orienteering sprint courses used for the AIMS sprint event on Tuesday. It’s a fine art choosing where to put the checkpoints and maintaining the level of difficulty across the course.

This was Macka’s first time designing a sprint course, though he has been competing in orienteering for four years.

The Year 13 student has fond memories of the AIMS Games when he was at Mount Maunganui Intermediate, but because orienteering wasn’t an option then, he competed in cross country and multisport.

“I wish it was a thing for me too.”

He said it was “pretty cool” seeing this many young people keen on the sport.

“When I go to most events, it’s normally like 30 or 40-year-olds.”

His dad, Tony, said the turnout was “great” for the sport which he described as a physical and mental challenge.