CheNarr Rogaine

About

The CheNarr Rogaine is returning for a fourth year from Hardwin Adventures, and this year the rogaine is being co-hosted by the Nashville Orienteering Club! The race will be held on March 7th, again co-located with the Music City Trail Ultra. We will not be hosting an adventure race this year, though it could return for future years.

Here's a primer for those who are unfamiliar with rogaines.  Rogaines are navigation-based races without a marked course. Racers will be given a map, will need a compass, and will be attempting to find as many checkpoints as possible. The rogaine will is a team-based event utilizing only foot travel around the Cheatham WMA, but we accept and encourage solo participants.

Most checkpoints (CPs) are on the course optional. The only exceptions are the first and last CPs. These CPs have been placed to ensure safe travel from teh private land we use to host the event into and out of the WMA. We've had some treacherous paths taken in past years, and want to accomdate our hosts by minimizing risky travel on their land. Anyone who gets these two points is an official finisher. Beyond that,  whoever makes it back to the start having visited the most checkpoints wins. If there is a tie, finishing time is used as a tiebreaker. There are penalties for being late. Arriving after the race finish time is a penalty of 1 CP, and teams will lose an additional CP for each additional five minutes that pass after the cut-off time. So don’t be late. 😉

Still don’t get it? Look over the details below and head over to orienteering USA to find out what a rogaine is.

Schedule

Race Date: March 7th, 2026
Start Location: 2150 Sams Creek Road, Pegram, TN 37143

Rogaine Course: Unmarked trekking course in Cheatham Wildlife Management Area
8-hr Rogaine - $75 per racer

Schedule for 8-hr Rogaine:

Saturday, March 1st

• 6:30 AM – Race Check-in opens
• 7:30 AM – Race Start
• 3:30 PM – Race cut-off time
• 4:00 PM – Awards Ceremony

Stuff To Know

GPS TRACKING

One GPS tracker will be provided per team or solo by Adventure Enablers. Team locations will be web-hosted allowing friends and family to observe progress throughout the race. We may also have the trackers displayed on a TV at the start/finish. The trackers will also greatly aid us in locating any team in the event of an emergency. Click here to see what the tracking looked like for the 2023 race. You will be able to download your track off the website and post it to Strava after the race.

DIVISIONS

We will have divisions for co-ed, all male and all female teams, along with male and female solo divisions.

NOTE ON THE SOLO DIVISION

The rogaine course will involve a large amount of off-trail travel in a remote area with only a map and compass for navigation aids. We do not recommend a racer without previous experience with map and compass navigation to compete as a solo. If you’re new and would like to try this out but don’t have a teammate, please email Paul at paul.steele85@outlook.com. We will try to play matchmaker and set you up on a team.

That said, if you know what you are doing, knock yourself out. We will be setting up a challenging course for you all.

WHERE TO LEARN

Nashville has an orienteering club, Nash-O, that hosts somewhat regular orienteering meets around the City. If you’ve never done this before, we recommend honing your skills at an orienteering meet or two if you haven’t ever done this and intend on either navigating for your team or going solo. Nash-O’s event schedule can be found here. Nash O will be hosting an orienteering meet on January 24th 15th 2026 in the run up to the CheNarr. Their events include courses of various difficulty levels and are great avenues for learning the basics.

RULES

Penalties:

• All teams must be checked in at the finish line by the posted race deadline. The penalty for arriving late to the finish will be the loss of one CP. An additional one CP will be deducted from the team’s total for every 5 minutes thereafter.
• For example, if the penalty for arriving late to the Finish (3:30PM) is the loss of one CP per every 5 minutes late, then one CP will be deducted at 3:30PM; an additional one CP will be deducted from the team’s total for every 5 minutes thereafter. So, a team arriving at 3:46 pm will receive a four point deduction.
• Loss-of-CP or time penalties will be administered by the race directors for any rules violations.
• If specific penalties are not mentioned, penalties for rules violations will be determined on a per case basis by the race directors. The decision of the race directors will be final. There is no formal appeal process.

General Race Rules:

• Only maps provided by HardWin Adventures may be used during the race.
• Teammates must stay within 30 meters of each other at all times.
• Teams may not receive support, food, mechanical assistance, or gear from non-racers.
• Race Volunteers have limited information and may not interpret race rules or provide clarification to racers.
• Teams must have the Race Bib Number (provided) visible at all times except while paddling.
• Racers must assist any person in danger.
• Any person or team withdrawing from the race must notify a race official in person or ensure that their intentions are communicated clearly to a race director. Failing to notify race officials of a withdrawal will result in that team being responsible for all search and rescue expenses. The remaining team members may continue the race as an unranked team.
• Race officials reserve the right to alter time cut-offs or the course itself to accommodate changing conditions, and to ensure that teams finish on time.
• Leave No Trace
• No GPS Devices: Keep all GPS-capable devices (including GPS watches) out of sight for the entirety of the race. If everyone follows this rule, then we should never get an accusation of a team using such a device to cheat. There are a few models of Garmin watches that have an Adventure Race mode. If you intend to utilize one of these watches, check in with Paul both prior to the start of the race and again after the event to validate the activity. (Click here for more information on AR mode and a list of supported watches.)

Awards

Custom awards will be provided for the category winning team for Coed Team, Female Team, Male Team, Solo Male, and Solo Female. In addition, awards will be sent to any solo or team who finishes top 3 overall without winning their category. Awards will be custom made and shipped out post-race.

FAQs:

Where should I stay? There is ample space at the start line for you to pitch a tent. There will be bathrooms and water from a spigot to use as well. There are several hotels off the Bellevue exit of I-40 (exit 196.) You can get to the start line in 20 minutes from there.

Where can I eat? There are several restaurants nearby.

Where’s the course elevation profile and map? We will provide the maps at race check-in. The rogaine essentially has as much trekking as you can do in 8-hrs, but the distance can vary! In the 2024 rogaine, two solos cleared the course. One traveled 23 miles and took several off-trail shortcuts, the other traveled 35 miles doing mostly out and backs on established trails. The distances for the 2026 event will be similar. 

Mandatory Gear

CARRIED BY EACH PERSON AT ALL TIMES:

• Backpack
• Emergency Space Blanket
• Food and Water
• Hydration Bladder or Bottles (minimum 70 oz capacity)
• Headlamp or Flashlight (w/extra batteries)
• Whistle

CARRIED BY ONE TEAM MEMBER (AND ALL SOLOS) AT ALL TIMES:

• Compass
• Duct Tape (minimum 5')
• First Aid/ Safety Kit: (Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight Medical Kit .7 or equivalent)
• Knife (minimum 3" blade)
• Lighter or Waterproof Matches
• Water Purification
• Fully charged cell phone in waterproof container stored in backpack for emergency use
• Race-provided GPS tracker
• Race Provided Maps
• Race Provided Passport

TECHNOLOGY

• GPS features NOT ALLOWED: any GPS capable device that can display a map, coordinates, speed, or distance. This includes smartphones with GPS ability and running watches.
• GPS features ALLOWED: GPS trackers that measure distance, speed, altitude, tracking for later review. GPS watches with a certified Adventure Race mode are allowed, but must be verified pre and post race with the race director
• Phones may be used for emergency calls ONLY. Smartphones must be turned OFF except for emergency use. No use of navigation, social media, internet, calls for advice, etc. during the race.
• Altimeters are allowed.