Äänekosken Sarjakuvaseura (Äänekoski Comics Society) teams are legendary in Jukola orienteering relays. Their performances are always noticed and anticipated. One of the most sensational achievements has been gaining the last position in the race three times in a row (1993–1995). That has demanded a lot of work! The head coach of the Society Petri Hämynen describes the background.  – Every one of our team members is striving for the best performance of the season. That was what Jyrki Nummela did in1995 when he did maybe the most legendary run in Jukola history – his run took 8 hours 21 minutes and 59 seconds.  After three stakes we were confident that the jumbo spot was in the bag. For many of us the best performance in the season is also the only one, but that is just a detail.

Obviously the merry men from Äänekoski are training according to a precise plan.  – However, experience and skills gathered during the years may jeopardize the last spot. Still, in the tightening competition we need to maintain to be relaxed. And to keep practicing smooth handoffs, Hämynen comments on the preparations. The seven runners are also to be closely considered. Many of the members have strong showings and therefore choosing only seven of them is hard. – In 2009 we put all the strongest cards on the table. Then the team included only runners who had shown a record of being last in one of the former Jukola races. This cannot be copied by many clubs, Hämynen enthuses and continues: –In Jämsä we are striving for something unseen as this is almost as a home ground race for us.

Which team?

Äänekosken Sarjakuvaseura (Äänekoski Comics Society) comes from Äänekoski and it was founded in 1981 to promote comics mainly from Central Finland. Nowadays it is more focused on sports. Jukola realy is one of the highlights.

Goal in Jämsä-Jukola?

A lot of experiences in a beautiful summer night and successful performances.

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