The women of MS Parma ran to their best position in the team’s Venla Relay history. The terrain was faster than they expected.
First runner of the team, Anastasia Rudnaja, said she made small mistakes but did good enough job considering the next leg. – I liked the terrain, not necessarily very typical Finnish terrain, but very similar to the terrain in my region.
Tiia Istolahti, second leg runner, was prepared to start her part of the race close to the fastest team. – No major mistakes but had to proceed cautiously, even a couple of steps walking. It was physically hard and you could feel the heat, but there was no such stony ground we were afraid of, told Istolahti.
Third leg runner, Tuulia Viberg, said she had considered different strategies for her leg. – There was fast terrain in the beginning and fast were we too, but there were also more challenging areas were you had to actually orienteer.
Maija Sianoja kept the third place during the last leg. – On some level I knew in which place I was, but when I made few mistakes half way through the course, I got nervous that several teams had passed me. One really had to focus. – If I had had to sprint in the end, I couldn’t have done it. I gave my all, says Sianoja.
Text: Anne Rauhamäki
Translation: Nina Hanhinen