Orienteering is a global sport that takes place on all continents. In recent years, Orienteering has also become an exciting TV sport where you can basically follow the runner every step. Orienteering has also expanded from the forest to urban terrain. Indoor Orienteering and MAZE Orienteering have also increased interest in the sport.
MAZE Orienteering (MAZE O) is a multi-tool for the development of the sport of Orienteering. MAZE O can be used in many areas. MAZE O is both easy to arrange and easy for participants and audience to understand. MAZE O is a great tool for education, promotion, activities for children and youth, for training and competition. There is no other orienteering activity that has these characteristics that MAZE O has.
Speed climbing, Skateboard and now also Parkour are some sports that appeal to both young people and the TV audience. Attractive and exciting sports that you can practice where you live and stay. Sports arenas that can be built permanently or temporarily. The similarities with MAZE O are great. Not least the duel between the contestants!
Isn’t it time to try the concept of MAZE O on a higher level?
Speed climbing, Skateboard and Parkour started as a play activity and are today established sports with full status and two of them with Olympic status. Parkour is probably just a few steps away from becoming an Olympic Sport. Orienteering with MAZE O has the same opportunity.
MAZE O is amaizing
MAZE O has lots of benefits. It’s a great opportunity to understand and to learn orienteering in a simple and secure way. The maze itself takes up little space and you can take advantage of small areas. MAZE O can be arranged anywhere in the world, very simple map, easy to build, flexible and accessible to everyone and above all an intense and fun activity for young people. Only the imagination is the limiting factor.
MAZE O is built on the fundamental ideas as follows:
• It’s a way to present Orienteering as a spectacular sport for media and introducing Orienteering to new groups of the population.
• Spectators can watch and follow actions of professional orienteers under competitive conditions in real time, all the way from start to finish.
• A chance for everyone to get involved. Everyone can find controls in the competition area without any special technical and physical abilities.
The Concept of MAZE O
MAZE O is like a video game with different levels of courses. When you pass level 1, you move on to the next level until you pass the last difficult level. In our concept we are using green, blue, red and black courses for training, a MAZE O Race for competition and two different courses of duel. For sure Super Mario, the most famous orienteer, should love it as all kids do. MAZE O is maybe the best way to promote the great sport of Orienteering.
MAZE O - AT THE OLYMPIC FESTIVAL!
Maze O, the most attractive activity
The first week in July 2021, we (World MAZE Race, Dalaportens OL) were invited by Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) to conduct MAZE O in connection with the Olympic Festival at Stockholm Stadium. Together with all Olympic Sports, Orienteering got a perfect opportunity to show our fantastic sport. Almost 1300 participants tested the MAZE O during these three days. The MAZE O was one of the most visited activities. Cool and Awesome!
And this is the case, Cool and Awesome, that we should react to. When young people think that our sport is cool and awesome, we must act instantaneously. How can we use the MAZE O in our club activities? How can we implement MAZE O in our competitions?
For several years, Dalaportens OL, in collaboration with the schools in Avesta municipality, has carried out both School Orienteering and MAZE O. The response from students and teachers has been tremendously positive! I’m absolutely convinced that the MAZE O has great significance for future Olympic plans.
I have decided! I will do everything in my power to make Orienteering a reality in Brisbane 2032!
Göran Andersson, World MAZE Race, Dalaportens OL
MAZE O - A NEW DISCIPLINE OF ORIENTEERING
Global Maze O in the future?
The success story continues: For the 18th time the VELTINS Arena can again welcome the international biathlon elite at Schalke in December 2019. Not only the new route had World Cup level, but also the brand new technique that has been installed in the Veltins-Arena, especially for the event, set new standards.
These words can also belong to Orienteering in the future. A sprint race both indoors and outdoors of the arena is a great opportunity for Orienteering to grow and to be visible for people outside Orienteering.
MAZE O at Friends Arena Stockholm
Six years ago, an awesome duel competition was held in Friends arena, Sweden’s largest football stadium in Stockholm, the first great step to develop MAZE O. The concept has many advantages to consider, not least the fact that big arenas like Friend’s or Veltins can be found all over the world.
The organisers at Friend’s Arena used the concept of a duel between participants. Two exactly the same mazes, but mirrored. The same course (mirrored as well) so that you can follow the runners step by step, checkpoint by checkpoint. The audience really knows who is first. Intense running and intense map reading. Thrilling! Parents and children, best friends and club mates, everyone ran against each other for fun. And it’s possible to do that at school as well.
What a success! MAZE O as competition is born!
Friend’s Arena
The arena of MAZE O, two mirrored mazes.
The superstar of the MAZE O; Karolin Olsson.
The start of the MAZE Duel.
MAZE O - AN EDUCATION TOOL
MAZE O makes the kids happy
The experience repeats itself. Orienteering at school may not be so attractive, many kids think. After the first round of the MAZE O, everyone wants to test another level.
Whoops, this was really fun, now I want a harder course. Gradually, the MAZE is in full swing. Everyone is running their course, everyone is focusing on their task of finding the next checkpoint. Can you compete in this? Test the duel with your friend, and they’re on.
Are you here tomorrow too? Of course! Then see you again and before the kids run back to another lesson one more question appear: Has Sweden won any gold medal at the Olympics? Not yet, but mayby at next Olympic Games, you will never know...
In Avesta municipality we sometimes start MAZE O at school with Indoor MAZE O and then continue outdoors during the months of April and May at most primary schools. In connection with the PE lessons, all school classes (10 schools) will have the opportunity to complete MAZE O before participating in the grand final World MAZE Race, in end of May. In addition, Dalaporten OL conducts various trainings with a focus on the MAZE O and Sprint Orienteering in the schoolyard. If we have the possibility we also conduct a MAZE Night O in the school’s sporthall.
Drawing; World MAZE Race
This drawing shows an example of how to build a maze with the help of poles and plastic ribbons.
World MAZE Race
SPRINT MAZE O - AN OLYMPIC DISTANCE?
Orienteering in the Olympic Games 2032?
The combination of MAZE and SPRINT has been successfully tested previously at club level. This combination challenges the practitioner in both technical map reading and strategic route selection assessments. Many controls, intense map reading and full speed during short distances inspire practitioners to fierce duels. During WOD 2019 we implemented Sprint MAZE O.
For several years we have been working intensively with MAZE O and we become more and more convinced that artificial Orienteering is an important and attractive piece of the puzzle both to reach more practitioners outside the orienteering family and to make our sport more accessible to the media.
Our work now and in the future shall focus on the young people, not on our own participation in various master competitions. World MAZE Race and artificial Orienteering will pave the way for Orienteering in the Olympics to become a reality asap. IOF´s main goal is to become a global and sustainable sport and in the end hopefully be part of the Olympic Games. Maybe we should instead focus how Orienteering can be part of the Olympic Youth Games and other international youth games.
Nada Kahlifa, national team runner from Egypt, loves MAZE O.
SPRINT MAZE O - AN OLYMPIC DISTANCE?
SPRINT MAZE o IS THE TICKET TO THE OLYMPIC
For sure the Sprint MAZE O is a great possibillity to achieve the Olympic vision. We need to listen to what young people think about Orienteering as a sport, how our sport can develop to become more attractive and interesting for TV, media and partners.
It may require that the product that we want to be part of the Olympic program shall attract young people, not primarily adults, accessible to all, arena-friendly, easy to understand and not least that the product is an exciting TV entertainment.
The MAZE O has all these ingredients and may therefore be the most important piece of the puzzle to reach this goal. Through the MAZE O, our journey to Brisbane 2032 begins. Do you want to think outside the box and see the possibilities beyond the limits and to be an important part of this journey?
MAZE O - beyond the limits
Metropoolen, Avesta
World Orienteering day 15/5 2019
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The young girl, Ingalill Öberg from OK Hällen in Sweden, in full speed. She looks forward to compete in MAZE O.
WORLD MAZE RACE - A VISION CAME THROUGH
WORLD Maze Race 2023
Imagine the same MAZE and the same course at the same time in major cities around the world; London, New York, Buenos Aires, Singapore, Sydney, Beijing, Cairo, Paris, as well as small cities and villages. What a challenge and what an event! It’s soon time for the next World MAZE Race, and you can be a very important piece of the puzzle to get closer to the Olympics!
We would like to implement World MAZE Race all over the World and in as many places as possible during May 17th-23rd We have seen that there are already many who are using MAZE O for different purposes, such as technical training, fun contest or just as spontaneous activity. At this time we will also implement World MAZE Race together with the organizers of World Orienteering Day. Dalaportens OL implemented 5 WOD Events last year with 857 participants. And of course, we conducted WOD with MAZE O. Together the sport will be stronger to create more fun orienteering.
Last year, the organiser of FAXE-Sprint in Söderhamn (Sweden) combined the race with sprint-maze-sprint-maze-sprint for all classes (MW10-MW85). A great success! The Sprint MAZE is really a great activity and this kind of event you can find in more countries as well.
Invitation to World MAZE Race
The O Club Dalaportens OL, invites you to a historical orienteering event; the same course, different places, simultaneously and everywhere. You will find all information at: www.worldmazerace.online.
When? Between Wednesday May 17th - Tuesday May 23rd.
Where? Everywhere! All clubs around the world can join. In as many locations as possible. The goal for this year is 100 locations! Each club builds the MAZE in a suitable location where you can also promote the club’s activities such as Permanent Course, Urban O-Race, School Orienteering etc. A suitable location can be the main square, a park, a mall or the clubhut.
How? 5 training courses (green, blue, red, black and a duel) and 1 race course (orange). See courses from last year on page 20-22. A winner world wide is crowned in each class as below. Dalaportens OL provides all courses.
Classes
• Youth, female and male (-16 years)
• Senior, female and male (17-35 years)
• Master, female and male (36- years)
A MAZE can be constructed in several ways using whatever materials are available. Dalaportens OL has invested in orange fences in hard plastic, 2 m long, 1 m high. But before that, the club built the maze with banners and plastic ribbons and many small poles.
Four courses with different levels of difficulty, using the same colour scheme as alpine skiing; green, blue, red, black. Green colour indicates a very easy course, blue colour easy course, red colour moderate course and black colour indicates that the course is difficult. These courses can be used as warm-up before running the duel and the competition course World MAZE Race.
Dalaportens OL, will also use these training courses when the club is visiting schools during spring and introducing MAZE O on the school yards.
On the website you will always find the latest news about MAZE O and especially all news about World MAZE Race. In short time, you can sign up your participation in the event. Make sure your club is saving the date, Wednesday May 17thTuesday May 23rd, for World MAZE Race.
The MAZE photographed from a drone.
WORLD MAZE RACE - ALL OVER THE WORLD
THINK GLOBALLY - ACT LOCALLY
For two years ago, the first global World MAZE Race was conducted worldwide. 93 events in 34 countries were much more than our expectations. It’s incredibly gratifying that so many people want to arrange the World MAZE Race and thus develop the sport of Orienteering to a higher level.
Dalaportens OL, will implement a World MAZE Race in cooperation with World Orienteering Day (WOD) Who is the fastest in the world? This global competition will be implemented in several places around the world. Actually, in all continents! The same MAZE and the same course are built at all locations, and we can choose a global winner in six classes. And together with some of our local partners there will be a lot of promotion activities around the MAZE.
Please find some another MAZES on this page!
MAZE O - A PROMOTION TOOL, EXTERNAL
Maze o in in cooperation with business interest
In the City of Avesta, Dalaportens OL, has arranged MAZE O as an extra activity at the annual orienteering events. It has also been a big part of World Orienteering Day as well as an attractive activity during Avesta’s 100th anniversary in the middle of town. And of course, a fun activity at schools.
Maze Orienteering at “Avesta 100 years”. What a success!
More than 300 young people (and some adults, of course) took the opportunity to run the MAZE O during the celebration of The City of Avesta 100 years birthday. Four Try Orienteering Courses and two variants of The Duel Courses became a very successful mix. In addition, we had some competition moments during the day, for example fastest on black track and most laps in the maze. The one that got the organizers too surprised was Omar’s drive to run an incredible 157 laps over a number of hours. The shortest course was 125 m and finally Omar ran an almost improbable 20 km! And he did about 1400 punchings with his EMIT tag! What a technical training!
Cooperation with Volkswagen
The success continues. Now it’s time again! Yet another event there Dalaportens OL together with Bilmetro, the largets Volkswagen dealer, create a joint win-win arrangement. Throughout the week there were test drives and during the weekend there was a final with various activities, including MAZE O.
The sport club that has the most test drives during the week wins 10 000 SEK directly to the youth activities. In addition, 100 SEK per test drive. The table tennis club IK Juno was the winner last year.
Cooperation with Epiroc
During one Saturday evening, the club had the pleasure of organizing a social event with fun little fights in a duel format. Three different duels and one modified MAZE O was selected. Both participants have a map with their course (blue or red drawn). The courses are mirrored so you can see who is first at each checkpoint. At these 3 checkpoints, one bag is collected at each checkpoint. Bag contains a hammer, a nail, and a pair of hoof pliers. When you get back to the plank, you must hammer the nail into it so that the nail head is inside the plank. The first wins the duel.
157 laps by Omar.
MAZE O as team building.
MAZE O - A PROMOTION TOOL, EXTERNAL
X-mas MAZE o (Santa MAZE O)
On Sunday, the week before Christmas, our club had a successful Santa MAZE o in connection with the Christmas festivities in Avesta. The MAZE were located on the pedestrian street just outside the City Mall. A special Santa MAZE O course and some training courses in different degrees of difficulty. In spite of the cold weather many came to test orienteering in the MAZE. The youngest was 3, the oldest 48 years old, but mainly young people of younger school age.
Each map had information about Dalaportens OL on the back and was marked with a number that became the participant’s raffle ticket for the large prize table that the club’s partners had donated. Many thanks to Bagheera, Södra Dalarnas Sparbank, EMIT Timing, Avesta Centrumförening, Lekstugan, Burger King and Toyota for their support that this year’s Santa MAZE O was a successful activity
MUSIKHJÄLPEN 2022 in Gothenburg
During 4 days, Dalaportens OL together with IOF, carried out a great MAZE O in connection with Musikhjälpen, one of Sweden’s largest fundraising activities. This activity, like 5 000 other activities, collected a total of 5 400 000 Euros for organizations in need. This year’s theme was For a safer childhood fleeing war.
The MAZE was located between Stora Teatern and Trädgårdsföreningen where the famous Avenue begins. A lot of people took the chance to both run a course and to support Musikhjälpen. The MAZE was also decorated with IOF banners, which will also be used, among other things, in upcoming World Cup.
Musikhjälpen 2022: For a safer childhood fleeing war.
Santa MAZE O on the pedestrian street just outside the City Mall.
MAZE O - A MOVIE STAR FOR A DAY
the television show ”Lilla Sportspegeln”
On Thursday May 6th, 2021, the program Lilla Sportspegeln at Swedish Television (SVT) showed MAZE O during 4 minutes. This youth program is broadcast weekly in SVT. Please enjoy MAZE O as a intensive, fun and attractive sport for kids. You can watch the program world wide on Youtube at the link as follow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_txntNWOEU
You are free to use it for promotion and marketing orienteering in all countries of the world!
The program was also broadcast in two other TV shows and had a great impact among young people. Thanks to these TV reports, we were also given the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Festival and Olympic Day. In 2023, Dalaporten’s OL will probably carry out MAZE O at 10 Olympic Day Events around the country.
Interview in the MAZE.
Full action in the MAZE.
MAZE O - A PROMOTION TOOL, INTERNAL
KEEP IT SIMPLE!
You don’t need fences all the time to implement MAZE O. The main goal with all promotion is “How can we make our product attractive”?. Sometimes just keep it simple, but with a professional approach.
Who is the fastest in the 50 m MAZE O?
Dala-Dubbeln (www.daladubbeln.se) is one the most attractive orienteering’s event for youngster in Sweden. The concept of the event is built on social interaction, teamwork and competition.
During the weekend, when the event Dala-Dubbeln was conducted in the forests north of the city Falun, Dalaportens OL put up a special small MAZE there participants had the chance to measure the speed in 50 m MAZE O. The participants can always prepare the course before the start.
In a simplified MAZE, just a few orange bands here and there, and with six checkpoints, you have the opportunity to win compasses from Str8, among other things. We hand out some compasses to the fastest and some World MAZE Race tubes from Bagheera as well.
We carry out the event with EMIT touch free and thus the times were posted on www.selftiming.com there all participants could follow the results live.
Just keep it simple.
MAZE O - A PROMOTION TOOL FOR FUN
MAZE o on cutted lawn
The orienteers in Vansbro O Club had a training of the more unusual kind when MAZE O was on the schedule. In the MAZE, six different courses were set up, the longest of which took seven minutes to complete. The different training attracted between 25–30 participants aged 4–65 years.
Once every year, the O Club cuts up a MAZE on the lawn in which they do MAZE Orienteering.
- We do it as a fun thing and it’s a very good exercise to learn how to fit the map. Here, you really have to focus on putting the map in the correct direction, says Mrs Erika Håll, youth leader of Vansbro O Club.
It’s different club members who take the riding lawnmower and cut up the MAZE on a lawn or open field. Recently, they arranged this year’s MAZE O, where they had cut up a large MAZE where they made six different courses with different degrees of difficulty.
- You can set very easy courses and then you can set diffi cult courses with many controls. It may not look like much, but there will be a lot of sprinting in the MAZE, almost like interval training. Really cool training!
THE Champion OF THE ChampionS (SWEDISH TELEVISION)
You cannot do as the Olympic Gold medalist in Cross Coun try Skiing Mr Johan Olsson did, ran like a dizzy hen in the corn field. You have to think before you start running, you need to have a plan and a strategy. The volleyball player Mr Bengt Gustafsson was best of the best. MAZE in maize is amazing!
Part of the ”lawn map”.
MAZE O - A TOOL FOR EVERYBODY
INVITE People with disabilities
Para O, a new format of competition in Orienteering?
Last year, a first successful test of Para O was carried out at Karlberg Castle Park in Stockholm. A wheelchair Orienteering there MAZE and SPRINT were combined. The Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Orienteering Federation in collaboration were responsible for the event and the Stockholm Orienteering Federation, Attunda OK, a local orienteering club, and the World MAZE Race contributed to its help.
Para O has come to stay! Now it will only be developed to become even better for even more people. Next year, Para O will probably be implemented at the Military World Championships in Orienteering.
Blind MAZE O at 10MILA 2022
For the first time, together with the Mr Tomas Yngström (Project Coordinator of Vägvisaren), we implemented Blind MAZE O. This was also our first preparation for World MAZE Race with four training courses, two duel courses and one competition course. With a lot of prizes of course to the fastest every second hour. It was a cool, awesome and a long weekend at the outdoor resort Ånnaboda, just outside the city of Örebro.
Using a tactile map and black glasses, anyone could try to navigate as a blind person experiences. For many, this was a completely new understanding of how to implement everyone who wants to navigate in the same terrain and arena. The MAZE O opens up involvement and equality and shows that the MAZE O is a fantastic tool for inclusion.
Merja Björck really thought MAZE O was surprisingly fun.
Blind MAZE O is not so easy, but really fun!
The fences will help me to find the next checkpoint!
MAZE O - PART OF WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS
MAZE o, a part of JWOC and WOC Sprint relay
A small step for the athletes but a huge step for the International Orienteering Federation!
During Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) 2023 in the city Baia Mare, Romania, the first MAZE was used in an international orienteering event. In the Sprint Relay the orienteers had to run through a nice park with planted hedges.
At the same time I was visiting the organisers of World Orienteering Championships (WOC) 2024 in Scotland. I was really surprised and happy when they came up with the proposal of an indoor arena and the possibility to do some different. We discussed several options and in the end we completed the discussions with a MAZE as you can see on the map below.
For the first time a MAZE was part of a WOC event! And I’m very proud that the organizers of WOC 2024 in Edinburgh had the courage to challenge the establishment.
The door is open for the next step of using MAZE O everywhere!
Maze O, the last part of the Sprint Relay, WOC 2024.
MAZE O - THE FIRST SPORT IN ”BLÅ HALLEN”
A new milestone of maze development
A spectacular arena, a world-renowned venue, a royal setting, an incomparable atmosphere and a truly fantastic experience.
The orienteering event was a magical experience for over 300 youth and adults, who for the first time had the unique opportunity to run an orienteering course in this world-famous building.
In connection with the 100-year celebration of Stockholm City Hall, the Blue Hall was opened for Maze Orienteering. This mythical ballroom, best known for the Nobel party, became for a few hours, a party arena for Maze-O.
For the first time a sport event was invited to Stockholms City Hall, and the Maze Orienteering got the honour to make it possible. An unforgettable moment and a new milestone in the global development of orienteering.
All categories, small and big, young and old!
The MAZE is ready for the first sport event ever in ”Blå Hallen”!
This is MAZE Orienteering! Göran Andersson tries to convince Stockholm Sports Council Jan Valeskog.
SINGLE MIX RELAY - A NEW FORMAT TO TEST
75 national federations at woc 2026 in italy?
• I have a dream, that Orienteering will be a truly global sport that takes place all over the world
• I have a dream, that Orienteering can be broadcast live on all public TV channels all over the world
• I have a dream, that Orienteering one day will be Olympic
Only half way
We are still far away from IOF’s main goal is to become a global and sustainable sport. At WOC in Denmark 2022 (sprint) 48 nations were entered but only 33 nations have a team in the Mixed Relay. At WOC in Switzerland 44 nations were entered with 40 teams in the Men Relay but only 32 teams in the Women Relay.
IOF needs a new format for all National Federations
The numbers of entered nations at WOC 2022 as follow:
• 0 teams from Africa
• 1 team from South America
• 2 teams from North America
• 2 teams from Asia
• 2 teams from “Down under”
• 26 teams from Europe
A lot of National Federations can already send a team of one woman and one man (Single MIX Relay) to WOC. In Denmark it was possible to have 41 teams competing, 8 more than Mixed Relay. The best development IOF can do is to help Asia, Africa and South America to implement the new format, the “Single MIX Relay”!
Successful “Single MIX Relay” in Biathlon
One of newest distances in biathlon is “Single Mix Relay”. This relay has been a great success among athletes, partners and TV-people. Can we in some way “copy” this relay to orienteering? I believe so!
challenging courses and showtime
If we can produce a very interesting and challenging course for the athletes together with entertaining and exciting race for TV-spectators as biathlon has done, we have succeeded! And it’s very possible!
The format of Single Mix Relay
Controls: Technically easy.
Route Choice: Difficult route choice, requiring high concentration.
Type of Running: Very high speed.
Terrain: Predominantly in very runnable park or urban (streets/ buildings) terrain. Some fast runnable forest may be included. Very small area is required (about 0,5 km2).
Maps: Sprint map 1:2000 and Maze map 1:200
Start intervall: Mass start
Team: One woman and one man
Timing: Mass start so the finish order is the order across the line.
Winning time: 8-10 minutes per leg. Total 36-40 minutes
Summary: The Single Mix Relay is a competition for teams of two runners. Teams contain one woman and one man and the first leg is run by the woman (W-M-W-M). This format provides exciting head-to-head competition with a first-pastthe-post winner in an urban environment. The format will be very easy to follow because of the short distances between the cameras, the running cameras and the drone camera. GPS can be used, but only for replay not live.
Single Mix Relay is a great tool to develop orienteering as a truly global sport. All National Federations have the possibility to take part in Single Mix Relay! Please consider if we should add this event to be part of WOC.
Are you ready to try it?
Single MIX Relay, ARENA
Entrance
APPENDIX - IDEAS OLYMPIC DISTANCES
three ”MAZE distances”
The following three MAZE distances may be the future form of competition worldwide. These forms of competition can be arranged everywhere, not least in the countries that don’t have any forest suitable for running. For example, parks and university campuses are very good areas to carry out this kind of arrangement. In addition, a minimal area is required for the arrangements and existing facilities such as the equestrian stadium, football stadium or similar can be used. Primarily, the recommendation is to focus on youth competitions, which could mean that Orienteering as a sport gets the opportunity to participate in the Youth Olympic Games.
The image on next page shows the Equestrian Stadium area during Olympic Games in Tokyo and this kind of area is very useful for Sprint MAZE O
Olympic Distance Sprint MAZE, courses 3-5
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5
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APPENDIX - IDEAS OLYMPIC DISTANCES
1/ Sprint MAZE
An individual competition. Winning time 12-15 minutes. The compititor is running in following order: sprint-maze-sprint-maze-sprint.
3/ MAZE duel
A duel in the mirrored MAZE, shoulder to shoulder duel. Qualification through prologue where 8 runners qualify for the next round, quarterfinal. After that, semi- and final. Winning time 1:15-1:30 minutes per race.
