In the Venla Relay, the winning team and top teams navigated the course faster than anticipated.
Course setters Jarkko Liuha and Petteri Laitinen of Kangasala Jukola smiled contentedly when the top teams of the Venla Relay had crossed the finish line.
– “It went just as planned. The places that we anticipated as challenging for the orienteers where just that. Women, however, are tough runners and the lead went faster than expected,” Liuha
says.
Also forkning worked as planned.
– “Forkning of the four different controls at the beginning of the course worked as anticipated, and we are pleased with it. Functioning of the course was also manifested by the lead changing on every leg, as the women had to orienteer alone,” says Liuha.
Going faster than the ideal time was in part due the ideal weather. The winning team Fredrikstad SK crossed the finish line approximately 15 minutes before the anticipated time. Why is that?
– “The weather is right-on. It’s dry and it’s not too hot. In addition, under vegetation grows at different pace in different summers,” Laitinen says.
Many runners commented after their leg that the course and terrain were not quite as challenging as feared in advance. Terrain was not quite as covered as expected.
What do the course setters do during the relay?
– “We look for good spots to watch the competition. Everything has been running so smoothly out in terrain that there has been no need for us there. The commentators’ booth was a good spot to
watch the GPS tracking.”
Photo: Pasi Kolinummi