SportsShoes Quid Games, in partnerships with British Orienteering, returned to Kendal Mountain Festival for its second iteration; louder, wilder, and even more brilliantly chaotic than before. Storm the Castle promised 60 minutes of night-time navigation, tactical decision-making and high-tempo running and it absolutely delivered.
But before diving into my own (slightly disastrous) race story, it’s worth understanding how this brilliantly unhinged idea came to life.
Photo credit Nathan Phua
How Quid Games Was Born – The Spark Behind the Chaos
This event didn’t appear out of nowhere. It came from the combined passion, energy and creative madness of Ben Mounsey and Kay Hawke, whose partnership has become the engine behind this new frontier of orienteering-meets-trail-running.
Ben Mounsey told me:
Meeting Kay last year was a transformational moment in my life.
For three decades, I did everything in my power to avoid orienteering, convinced that you needed to be skilled with a map and compass just to take part. But in a single evening, Kay completely changed my perception — and introduced me to one of the most fun, exciting and rewarding sports in the world.Fast-forward twelve months and I’m seriously considering adding orienteer to my personal bio, having completed more orienteering events than trail and fell races this year — something I never imagined would happen in my career.
As our friendship grew, so did our wild ideas about inspiring others to give the sport a try. And soon after, Quid Games was born. Our ambition was to put orienteering firmly on the map (pun fully intended) by creating a series of wild, unpredictable races — unique experiences that athletes of any age or ability could enjoy. A partnership between British Orienteering and SportsShoes, built to put both the athletes and the sport first.
We wanted to disrupt the trail-running scene, bring all running disciplines together, and help the sport develop and grow.
And honestly, I think we’ve achieved everything we set out to do so far — and we’re only just getting started.
Kay Hawke adds her side of the story:
It’s hard to believe that I’ve only known Ben for a year – maybe because we’ve lived five different lives getting this latest Quid Games over the line! Ben shares the passion I have for the sport and because we’ve had similar entry points into it – finding it a bit later in life, coming from a running/trail background, we probably ‘get it’ about how we need to reach people like we were a few years ago, and people’s journey into the sport.
The biggest issue orienteering has is either a lack of awareness it exists, or the ‘wrong’ perception of it, i.e. needing a compass, Duke of Edinburgh OS style hiking trips, only old people do it, when that couldn’t be further from the truth – hence why Quid Games was born!
Orienteering is an incredible sport, exciting, and full of unexpected moments, but far too many people still feel like it’s not for them.
Myself and Ben bring very different strengths to the table. I’m the planner, the structure, the delivery. Ben has the respect, the visibility, the network, and the ability to get a message heard. I’m the nuts and bolts – he’s the sparkle! What we share is the same enthusiasm for trying something new, and the same refusal to give up on an idea just because it looks ridiculous on paper.
A good example: the ski slope checkpoint in QGII.
We didn’t even know that slope existed. We were on an early QGII reccy run, heading towards the castle, when we spotted it over a wall. We stopped, looked at each other, and just said:
“We’re doing that. Don’t know how yet – but it’s happening.”
And then we made it work. That’s pretty much the blueprint of Quid Games and how we work together – there’s always a way, and I always say, if you don’t ask you don’t get. Luckily everyone we asked throughout Kendal for all our crazy ideas came onboard straight away, we were pushing an open door , people and places want to be involved in things that celebrate them and the place they are – most of the time it’s just having the balls to ask!The Quid Games concept is simple: create an event where strategy matters as much as speed. Where newcomers and elites start together, discover the route on the go, and make all their own decisions. It’s unpredictable by design, and that’s exactly what makes it exciting. Our aim is to open orienteering up, not replace it, not dilute it, but show people that you don’t have to arrive as an expert. You can learn mid-race, find checkpoints by instinct, and surprise yourself with what you’re capable of.
We’re still evolving the format, testing ideas and pushing boundaries. But the response so far suggests we’re heading in the right direction. More people are discovering the sport; more runners are stepping outside familiar territory and importantly, the word ‘orienteering’ is getting spoken in new circles and isn’t a word to be frightened of.
This project isn’t commercial for us, it’s about contribution. Supporting athletes, supporting development, and creating events that feel genuinely different.
We’re proud of what’s been achieved already, and we’re just getting started.
Photo credit Nathan Phua
Their shared mission?
Make orienteering accessible. Make it fun. Make it unmissable.
After running it myself… mission accomplished.
Arriving at Base Camp
I arrived at Kendal Mountain Festival’s bustling Basecamp after attending the Adventure Sports Event Conference, and headed to the SportsShoes Yurt to pick up my SI card. I was early, arriving bang on opening time, and was glad I did. When I returned later, the atmosphere was electric with runners milling about with nervous energy, and the thump of the Passenger DJ Party Bus warming up the night. I managed to squeeze through the swarm to the Garmin desk where I picked up the map with three secret extra control points to find, whilst eyeing up the new Garmin watch which includes inReach SOS. Very interesting!
With an hour and a half to kill, I wandered around Basecamp, trying to remember what research I had done on orienteering, even though I knew full well the moment I stepped onto the start line it would all get jumbled in the chaos.
Race Briefing: Rules, Laughter & Mild Panic
Ben Mounsey delivered the race briefing… and wow, there were a lot of rules.
I tried to listen. I really did. But between the music, the atmosphere, and my friend Eden (pictured in the header) laughing beside me, only about 50% made it into my brain. Maybe 40%.
We were both openly clueless about what was happening, but fully committed to giving it a go. I knew three things:
- The map would be unlike anything I’ve used before
- There were out-of-bounds areas to avoid
- We had exactly one hour and could expect strict penalies for being over.
That felt like enough to get started.
Photo: Kate Allen
The Start – Immediate Confusion
A collective ripple ran through the crowd when we realised the start was actually in the opposite direction to what most of us thought. Picture hundreds of runners shuffling like startled sheep to the correct end of the field.
Then, at 7pm sharp, we surged off into the dark for a short lap around Basecamp, heading for the boxes of sealed maps.
As soon as we grabbed our maps, the entire field scattered, headtorches flicking like a firefly swarm. I tore my envelope open, scanning for the quickest tactical route. There were:
- 16 official checkpoints
- 3 secret Garmin ones
- And no time to hesitate
I glanced once and made a snap decision: start north, then see how ambitious I felt to cover the southern controls.
Navigating the Chaos
The first control I aimed for was was easy. The second, not so much. The map style was a bit of a shock to the system, different colours, busy, and scale in 1:5,000 – my brain ached.
I ran straight past the second control, dismissed as a decoy, before climbing a stupidly steep and slippery hill. Map check; realise my mistake as the blaring music below was actually the control I was aiming for.
However, I decided to keep going towards the castle and bag that control. I opened my Garmin bonus map. Earlier that day, Joe Faulkner and I had guessed the castle would feature and we had gone over the map so I could get a handle on where the castle was in the scheme of things. Just beyond it were some distinctive terrace houses and here they were on the secret Garmin map; the three hidden checkpoints.
Bagged all three, feeling like a genius. (This confidence did not last.)
Photo: Kate Allen
Throughout the run, Eden and I kept randomly bumping into each other, approaching checkpoints from completely different, often nonsensical angles. It was hilarious.
Southbound & Slightly Chaotic
With the northern cluster complete(ish), I headed south, picking up the SunGod control, the Passenger checkpoint inside a sports hall, and control number 8. By then I was about 36 minutes in and roughly “understanding” the map scale.
Did I occasionally check Google Maps to confirm my location?
Yes.
Was it cheating?
Debatable.
Did it help?
Absolutely.
Then came checkpoint 12 and the unfolding disaster.
Photo credit Nathan Phua
Disaster Strikes: The Time Check From Hell
I planned to check my watch. For some reason, I checked my phone instead. It read 8:02pm. My stomach dropped.
Quid Games Rule No. 1: Over an hour = 10 penalties per minute. Over 5 minutes = zero points. Absolute wipeout.
I sprinted as if my life depended on it, tearing back towards Basecamp. I crossed the line at 8:06 — six minutes late.
Gone. Everything gone.
The cause?
My watch was set to auto-pause, so every time I stopped to read the map or dib a control, it paused. My race clock was lying to me from the start.
Numpty behaviour of the highest order.
Final Thoughts: A Brilliant Format
Despite my enormous error, the whole experience was phenomenal. High-energy, wildly creative, and exactly the kind of event that injects fun and freshness into trail running training.
Kay and Ben’s mission, opening orienteering to new audiences, works. I’m now addicted. You don’t need to be an expert (coughs discreetly). You don’t even need to be particularly confident. You just need curiosity, a headtorch, and a willingness to run around a town centre on a cold night, laughing at yourself.
Next year? I’ll definitely be going back. This time with a watch not set to stop when I stop. And maybe, just maybe, a better idea of what I’m doing.
Huge credit to SportsShoes; British Orienteering; Ben and Kay. Quid Games is something special and as both Ben and Kaye told me; they’re only just getting started.
Find out more from British Orienteering and follow Quid Games on Instagram to find out when the next mayhem is planned! Visit SportsShoes for all the gear!
Photo credit Nathan Phua
