#WATCH: Find out what happened at New Zealand's largest orienteering event record attempt in Rotorua.
Plenty of pounding feet took to the streets of Rotorua, with a map and compass in hand but New Zealand's largest orienteering record still stands.
Just 185 more orienteers were needed at the local two-day Middle Earth Orienteering Odyssey to break the record set in 2000 when 1530 participants competed at the World Masters Orienteering Championships in Manawatu.
In total 1345 people took part in the middle-distance event around the Redwoods, Scion and Whakarewarewa Forest on Wednesday and the sprint distance event in the Government Gardens and CBD today. The event, hosted by Orienteering Bay of Plenty, was still regarded as a success by member and sprint event setter Tom Reynolds.
"It was a really cool record to have a go at and I'm not too disappointed we didn't beat it," he said.
"The event went well and we had some challenges thrown at us because of Cyclone Cook. There has been some significant damage to the lakefront. We didn't have time to change any of the routes so we spent a bit of time shovelling tracks out and pulling rubbish out of all the trees.
"We are just pleased all the runners had a good time and so many still came down and gave it a go."
Athletes from many countries competed, including a large contingency from Australia and Sweden and orienteers from Norway, Finland, Japan and China. In total 50 participants took part from Rotorua across the two events.
In the men's elite sprint competition, a 3.3km course with 22 checkpoints around central Rotorua, it was a New Zealand top-three finish.
Christchurch's Nick Hann took home the title in a speedy time of 17m 02s, with Ross Morrison from Hawke's Bay second (16m 05s) and Auckland's Gene Beveridge third (16m 42s).
It was an international affair in the women's sprint field - Germany's Susen Losch navigated herself to first place in a fast time of 17m 02s, while Australia finished the podium with Natasha Key in second (17m 54s) and Bridget Anderson third (17m 57s).
Plenty of participants were on the start line for New Zealand's largest orienteering record event attempt. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER
Anna Gray, an Orienteering Bay of Plenty member and sprint race controller, said it was a highly competitive race because of the fast course.
"It wasn't a particularly tricky course, the map wasn't too detailed so it was more about speed on your feet rather than your technical ability," she said. "But with that because people are running fast then they could make more mistakes so we caught out quite a few people in the bush areas."
The 2000 record may not have fallen this time but Reynolds said he expected it to topple during the Easter Oceania Orienteering Carnival and the World Masters Games starting on Friday - where orienteering has the second largest amount of participants competing in any sport, both in Auckland.
"At the moment for the World Masters they are looking at having more than 1600 there so even if we had clinched that record we would have only had it for a week anyway," the Murupara doctor said.
Reynolds added the future of orienteering looked bright in New Zealand and especially across the region.
"Orienteering Bay of Plenty has a busy year planned and there has been a big jump up in numbers across the country, especially here in the Bay over the past couple of years," he said.
"Orienteering has so many facets to it. It's a sport that lets you go for a run and engage your brain at the same time people can come at it from different levels. If you're really fit and fast it's the challenge to go as fast as you can whereas others will do it for a bit of a mental challenge."
