Further away from the competition village members of the Swedish team Centrum are getting prepared for evening’s Jukola Relay. Marie, Matias and Henrik travelled from Stockholm to Finland in the morning and so far they have only seen the maps of the training terrains.
– This is a great competition. It is a very special experience when you have so many people running in the woods at the same time, says Henrik, who takes part in Jukola for the third time, when asked why they participate in the competition. This is Matias’s seventh Jukola and first one for Marie. They all run for Centrum but they compete in different teams.
– We have 2 teams competing in Venla Relay and 3 in Jukola Relay, in total approximately 30 people, Matias tells. Orienteers have prepared for this competition by having fun, running and orienteering.
– Our aim is to have fun and improve our ranking from last year. I guess our best ranking has been 151st, Matias ponders.
Marie, Matias and Henrik sleep in ready set up military tents in Lukkarila camping area. They find their accommodation very comfortable, especially when the weather is like this.
Text and picture: Seela Sorvari