Map Run – A Great App that enables Virtual Racing and Navigation

In normal times I would be racing every week or two, however this year all races are cancelled. Many people such as John Kelly and Sabrina Verjee have been trying FKT’s over various routes, and I have been looking for new areas to run such as the Malvern Hills.

This week I have started to use MaprunF. It is a running app that uses orienteering posts to direct runners around areas. You can choose a specific course that has been set up near you and you can either run around a predefined route, or collect the posts in any order within a time-specific frame.

Wendover Woods

In Wendover I chose a 6km course with a predefined route. I found information around the courses on the TVOC facebook page. There were a number to choose from, but I chose the one with slightly more difficult navigation over a larger area to make the most of the afternoon out there.

The app directed me to the start by potting my route on the map, and then once in the start area, the clock started, and the direction line disappeared.

The route was good, and it felt good again to be under pressure with time, which meant I pushed myself a little harder. In Wendover there were posts that you had to find, but the app generally knew you were there about 10m away from the post. In fact on the first post, I was surprised when my phone beeped to say I had punched the control post when I thought I was still a little further away.

Once I completed the round it totalled up my time and ranked me on the leaderboard. I was in 2nd, with about 10 other people having completed the course.

My time wasn’t great, and I am sure others will beat it, but it was a great first time on the app.

Berkhamsted Street

The second time I used the app was on a urban score course in Berkhamsted. I had 45 minutes to get as

I managed to get about 17 of the posts but was late back by 2 minutes, which meant I suffered penalty points. I am much more comfortable navigating in the street than in the forest, so this was far more enjoyable for me than Wendover, and so I pushed myself further. many posts (20 in total) from around Berkhamsted. The difference between this and Wendover, is that there were no posts to find in Berkhamsted, and so you were solely relying on the GPS of the phone. I had no issues with the GPS and found it enabled me to run in a certain direction until my phone beeped at me.

View on MaprunF

If you are looking for a really good app to get you competitively running again, it is worth looking at MaprunF.

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