Duo test skills in Spain

Two Narrogin women showed off their survival and navigation skills at the World Rogaining Championships in Spain last month.

Narrogin-born Linda Kilpatrick and her sister Nicki Rehn took out fifth place in the over 40s category, which comprised of 30 duos from across the globe.

The 24-hour rogaining race involved navigating through the South Pyrenees mountains with just a map and a compass, to find controls and score points.

Ms Kilpatrick said she would never have got into rogaining if not for her sister.

“We’ve done quite a few together over the years,” she said.

“We did the World Rogaining Championships in Alice Springs a few years ago and have been keen to do another 24-hour one since then.”

According to Ms Kilpatrick, the best thing about rogaining was seeing the countryside up close in its purest form, with her sister by her side.

“Nicki has been living in Canada for almost 20 years, so it was really nice to come from separate ends of the Earth and reunite in Spain,” she said.

The biggest challenge for the Narrogin duo during this year’s championships was the difficult weather.

“We just weren’t prepared clothing-wise and there was a huge mountain storm that came in with lighting, thunder and rain, so we were saturated before we even left the starting line,” she said.

“The worst part was around midnight when the temperature dropped to about 3C and we were on a really exposed area with 85km/h wind, and soaked to the bone.”

However despite the rough roads of the competition, Ms Kilpatrick said she could not wait to do it all again.