Johan Runesson’s route selections, reasons and tips for the navigators:
Red: Night choice
This is my choice if I am running one of the night legs at Jukola. I would choice to go out looking at my compass and just aim for the big depression in the open area, so it should be easy to get to. Of course, check my compass when I pass the path to just check that everything is correct.
On night I believe it is important to be accurate, so I am running in to the depression and over to the smaller one and from the re-entrant from the depression up to the border line and the three small hills and here the terrain should start to be a bit flatter. From here just out to the big path and then run along it to the right to get to the crossing so I know where I am when I enter the really flat area.
Now I just aim for the path but hopefully I can see the stones and the hill but if not stay on course with the compass. I should feel the boarder line and change in vegetation and then see the path. Run on along it some time and then go towards the depressions. Since the control is far away from any big features the depression will be my attack point and therefore I choose to go down to the bottom, so I know for sure where I am when I attack the control. Climb up and then when it gets flat I should see the depression to the left and then the control in the next depression.
Blue: Day choice
This is my choice on the day legs. Here I would go straighter. I know from previous years that there is always tracks in Jukola when you come to the later legs. So usually I have a plan for my legs but if I see a big path made by others I tend to use them a bit to get good runability.
I start the leg to follow the hill and then out to the path. Then I hope to see the big depression and now I am trying to avoid going all the way down, so I don’t have to climb so much since I can see further I don’t think I will lose control of where I am. When I am at the top of the where the three small hills are I check my compass and from here until 200 meters before the control I just run as fast as I can and look at my compass because you don’t need to know where you are, but you got to have a plan how to attack the control.
My plan is of course to see the stone and the hill before entering the green area and then in the green area I will by purpose go a bit more to the right than my compass tells me, because then I will see the depression to the right of me meaning I then know where I am and can attack the control. For me that is the key when I run in this terrain because when it is flat of course straight is shortest and most often fastest but you got to have a plan of how to make it simple in the end of every leg, so you can keep your high speed all the way to the control. Cause when you stop and get insecure in this type of terrain you lose a lot of time.
Green: Sure choice
For those who don’t feel so good at night or those who are not so adjust to elite courses I would suggest that whenever you get a long leg take your time to see the whole leg first. Then divide the leg to shorter legs with clear points so you can feel confident during the leg that you are at the right way. On this leg as you can see I would suggest that you actually use the same route in the beginning of the leg as the fed choice but just make it even more secure with going to the corner of the path before you take out the direction from the compass towards the big depression. This should be easy to catch since it is open, and you should see the bottom and then go there. That’s the first part.
Now the goal is to just catch the big path, here it is not so important to read the map if you think the contours are annoying, but you got to look to your compass, so you don’t turn and run east or west because then you will miss the path. And it is not so important where you arrive at the path because you should follow it to the right all the way until the open cutted area where the second goal of the leg is.
Next target is to reach the other open area and follow that to the next bigger path. So you start to look over the open area and check your compass and you should be able to see the corner. If you run on night I suggest following it along the left side all the way. The mistakes often come when you are trying to skip something in night. Over do it instead and you will come back faster! When you reach the corner, you take the direction for the next area and here the goal is to reach the path so if you miss the area or at any point you get insecure just turn right because the path is coming from there, so you can’t miss it.
When you reach the path follow it north and keep looking to the right, so you see when to enter the crossing because that’s the last very clear point. Until here the main focus has been to use much compass and paths but now you have to use the contours a little bit to be able to know when to leave the path and find the control. Here the plan is to use the hill on the right side of the path as Plan A and otherwise the small turn of the path. To get to the hill you can maybe get help with the two small bends on the path and after that it should go up a little bit and then down a bit more and just after that when it is flat again you should look to the right and see a hill when you stop. Take out the direction from the hill to the control and then you should hit right at the control. As an advice to all when you get closer to the controls in general keep in mind that it can be good to slow down and have some back up plans. As for example if you run so far that there is an open area on your left side you have run too far on the path.
Yellow: Left choice
There is also another option to go a bit more left. By that route choice you can avoid the big depression in the beginning but you have to read the map more carefully but then there is a chance to run fast and use the depression to navigate through the flat area before attacking the control. So out from the control you just catch the path and run it to the crossing and then follow the other path. When it turns right down in the depression you just continue on the same course and you will see the big depression on your right which you should follow around and also catch the other path.
You use this path to the open area and from there you can follow the boarder line and then climb up to the small path and then you are at the top and you can speed up for a bit of time. Out to the big road and then follow it to the left. In the crossing you should be able to take the direction to the round depression before the boarder lines. Here make sure you have the right course, you should be able to see the long depression on the left that should also help you stay at the right direction since it should go along the same direction you are running. When you enter the round depression you can avoid it to the right and then aim for the boarder line or the path depending what you can see easiest. Run out on the path and follow it until the end where also the boarder line corner should provide you a certain point so you from there can take out the direction to the control. On the way you should check that you pass the path if visible and then maybe see the long hill before the control flash up in front of you.
