David Baldwin and his wife Julie Quinn are a powerful pair, both hooked on long-distance team orienteering.

They recently won the Australian Rogaining World Championship, a 24-hour orienteering event held in dry and open eucalypt bushland an hour out of Canberra.

And in August, the duo will jet off to take on 400-500 teams at the World Rogaining Championships at a course in the Latvian countryside.

Armed with just a compass and map to navigate they have three hours to make a plan of attack before the timer starts.

From midday they run through the afternoon, into the night and until midday the next day to cover as many checkpoints as possible.

With the goal of moving continuously they rely on sturdy shoes, torch headlights, plenty of jelly lollies and each other to get through in one piece.

Ms Quinn, who began in the sport whilst at university two decades ago, said she loved the way it tested her body and mind.

"One of the nice things about this sport is because it rewards the technical brain work, as you get a bit older and a bit more experience you can bring that to bear, rather than just running fast through the bush," she said.

For many years she competed in a female team, but said rogaining with her husband David strengthened their relationship and their communication.

"When we get challenged its a case of working together to solve the pickle we have got ourselves into, talking about lots of options," she said. "It's fantastic to be able to go and do these things together."

Mr Baldwin admits he's "a bit of a tragic" and will take part in any rogaining event he can.

Unlike bushwalking, it was an activity that forced you to remain switched-on while negotiating the landscape and notice finer features in the scenery.

"One of the good things about doing events around the country and around the world is the different kinds of terrain, the forests, the country that you get to see," he said.

The couple competed in Finland two years ago and said taking on unfamiliar terrain while in Latvia would test their skills.

"They have a lot of swamps, bogs and marshes," Ms Quinn said. "The challenge for us will be to tactically choose the best route, and interpret from the map what's practically impassable or what's fast and easy."

In the lead up to their European challenge the couple aims to train for six to seven hours each weekend to keep up their skills and fitness at nature reserves around Canberra.