WCup Clermont Ferrand / FRA

Middle Distance Qualification:

The first race which was held was the middle distance qualification race. The terrain was similar to the model event even a bit easier than the model event. My goal was once more just a steady run without any bigger mistakes - I hoped that the bigger mistakes of other athletes would allow me to take advantage and pass them in the ranking list.

I started the race very well with a save route to the first two controls. But then on the short 3rd leg I misread the contours and thought that I would have to follow a first ditch and then change into another ditch which was a small hill instead. I ended up in a little depression which was "far off" the control and spend some minutes on relocating. If I just checked the compass in the moment when I left the first ditch I would have noticed my misreading for sure but I simply didn't.

Still thinking that everybody still has to do a good run I kept myself focused and had a pretty good second part. Some seconds were spent on safety checks but I think that it's nearly impossible to run an orienteering course on such a map without any small stop (Thierry what do you think?) J

The only other thing that I think has cost me some time is my routechoice to the 8th control. I didn't see the right routechoice using some paths and went straight till the line of rocks and from there on to the little path in the end of the leg. Even if I myself thought that I did that leg good I still lost more than 2 minutes to the best time there. Also all other runner who went straight had the same time loss.

In the second part I was caught up by some runners which made some controls easier to find but still I had to run my own race because you never know if the others are right - too many things can happen in that kind of forest!

The good things of the day were the very good race by Kerschi (5th position in his heat) as well as a good race with some mistakes in the end by Bindi (15th position).

Afterwards we had a look at the sprint model event which was held on the map of the sprint qualification race. Even if the map looks super-fast it isn't that way. the grass is pretty high and the terrain is full of thorns. I will run the middle B-Final as another training in very demanding terrain and try to find a good feeling in the forest. The main focus for sure is now on the sprint qualification as I really want to run the A-final as well!!!

Today morning it's raining heavily and a kind of a storm is blowing. Orienteering without magnifier and in the rain will be more challenging then yesterday. But it's always the same - the best will win!!!

Middle Course Middle Route Splits/Split Analyzer

Middle Distance Final:

Already in the morning I wrote that the weather was very bad today. Well it was that bad that I got the phone call of our coach that the competitions was cancelled.
Later the day some reports from runners mentioned breaking trees due to the storm as well and nearly no map readability due to the very dark sky.

The competition schedule is now changed too:

Sprint will only be held as a Final because the Qualification Race would have been planned on the plateau and tomorrow will still be bad weather.

Long Distance will be held as planned.

Middle Distance will be held on Friday as World Cup Final with reversed order of World Cup Standings.

Relay as planned as well.

Still I want to mention some other reports from runners who have been out in the forest. The reports say about the same that the online controls said. Some parts of the map were extremely detailed and (also due to the bad light conditions) nearly unreadable or at least very hard to read.

I really think that the middle and really will be extremely demanding orienteering and I'm really looking forward to it now!!!

Sprint Final:

The Sprint race was only a Final without the Qualification Race even if today's weather was pretty nice and not that windy. Still there was some rain in the middle of the race but it was a lot better than the day before.

As the men were starting a bit after the women's race was finished it was clear to hear from the speaker that it was a going to be a sprint race with big time gaps. Once more I wanted to do a save and steady race.

Leaving the start I was already able to see the first control and punched in "no time". After a short stop I decided to go around the left side over the paths towards the next control. On my way there I was already studying the route choice to the 3rd control but I couldn't see more than one option. Still I was so much concentrating about the 3rd control that I lost that much contact to the map that I left the path too early and stood in between lots of stones which I now somehow can't on the map at all. Some seconds went by till I figured it out and then I found number 3 without any further problems. The routechoice was clear then.

Another mistake happened to me on the 4th leg. I wasn't checking the compass on that little leg at all and just orientated with the contours and the green areas. I got my direction wrong and misinterpreted (or didn't see the green southeast of the control at all) and went to far up the slope. When I saw the open area on the left I realized my mistake and went back. I could already see Mats Haldin coming up the hill.

I told myself that nothing was still lost and continued with the longer leg. On the leg I could already see the 7th control but after I passed the area around that control I once more didn't check my direction well, overlooked one path and ended up too far on the right. Running back up the hill I could see Mats punching right in front of me.

To the 8th control I thought that Mats was going too far down on the slope and took my own route. I didn't realize that I simply should have gone back the same way that I went from number 4 and used another path higher in the slope. When I was attacking the control I saw that Mats had clearly widened his gap on me.

The next few legs offered nothing special and I tried to push very hard in order to get back on the heels of Mats. I was able to come a bit closer till the very hard uphill to the 18th control where I lost contact to him. So I had to do the last and most interesting part of the course on my own. I took my time there and stopped when I didn't exactly know how to attack the controls. By doing that I avoided any bigger mistake.

When I arrived in the finish I still hoped to score some World Cup points but I soon realized that I had done too many mistakes even if the runners made mistakes as well.

Thierry (1st) showed a astounding race and Daniel (2nd - 9 seconds) was even more impressive in a forest that was for sure more common for Thierry. Both raced in a own league as Jarkko as 3rd ranked runner had already more than 30 seconds lost to Thierry and the 5th was already a minute down on the fastest time.

The best Austrian result was once more done by Kerschi with a 26th spot already 2:10 down on the lead. I ended up in the 51st position and Bindi got 56th.

Sprint Course Sprint Route Splits/Split Analyzer

Long Final:

Today the (for most runners very) Long Distance took place. The map offered unbelievable challenges and I don't want to loose too many words about it.

Mistakes were made a lot (by me and others - see Emil Wingsted/Daniel Hubman/Damien Renard/David Andersson). I never lost the fun in the competition - I simply saw it as a really huge challenge.

For sure 51 minutes down on the leader is not what I'm happy with still I was not really dissatisfied. What made me more angry after all is the fact that 215€ are missing out of my pocket. I didn't know that money can run away so far...

Long Course Long Route Splits/Split Analyzer

Middle Final:

After the cancelled Middle Final from Tuesday today everybody was allowed to enter the most challenging forest of the World Cup week.
As the race was the new World Cup Final everybody was allowed to start in the Final again and I got the last chance to score some individual World Cup points this year.

Despite feeling more comfortable in the very detailed area after some races I still didn't manage a race without bigger mistakes. Already to the second control in the easiest part of the map I misread the map and thought there would be one more line of hills - but there wasn't.
I also had some problems on both of the longer legs to seven and eight and lost a lot of time there. On the first of the two legs I wasn't really sure about my routechoice and in the end I decided for the worst option. Maybe I should have just run without thinking too much. I also lost my direction a bit in the end and lost some more time in the "further" surroundings of the control.
To the eight control I came too much to the left and didn't see the path or the very clear looking slope. I cold only relocate after I saw the small path western of the 9th control. On my way attacking the control from there I met Bindi who started six minutes behind me and we continued the race together.
We still made a small mistake to the twelfth control with about one minute. I think only Thierry was smart enough to see the right option which is "pretty easy" and fast as well.

In the finish I knew (once more L) that I wouldn't score any World Cup points that day but Bindi was able to score 3 points as well as Kerschi, who was even able to achieve an excellent 18th place.

Middle Course Middle Route Splits/Split Analyzer

Relay:

Already during the week we decided the running order of the team. The goal was to stay with the best as long as possible and it was clear that Kerschi was the best man for that job. So we decided that Kerschi would start, Bindi had the second leg and I was our anchor man.

As my results through out the week were not really good I was a bit worried about my performance in the relay but our coach managed it very well to give us all a lot of confidence and everybody was really looking forward for the relay which was held in the Middle Distance forest again.

A little bit of disappointment overcame us when we heard that Kerschi had already lost 4 minutes to the first radio control. So we were sure that our tactics wouldn't work out. Despite some other mistakes Kerschi was able to keep the time loss in an acceptable size and he handled over to Bindi in 18th position. It was really a very big disappointment for him that he had his worst race in the relay but nobody was angry at him because everybody knew that he tried to do his best.

Bindi had a fabulous race on the second leg. He only had one small mistake and was able to overtake 7 runners. When I saw him running in the in run to the exchange I knew that Thierry was about to start some seconds behind me - not a bad thought! J

I left the finish with a good feeling and my main thought was that I should always navigate on my own in order to avoid "waking up" at a wrong control. Already on my way to the first control Thierry overtook me. I passed the first very challenging part with only small time loss and was together with the Danish and Czech runner on the longer leg which gave my self confidence a little boost.

Still I was a bit unsure about my exact position just some metres away from the 5th control and had another mistake when I was attacking the 6th control because I simply didn't see or miss the stone wall.
The rest of the course was pretty flawless and I thought that I was about to keep my position. In the very end of the race when I was running together with an Ukrainian runner we caught up Petr Losman from the Czech team and when the two started their sprint towards the last control I was not able to follow.

We had to "saddle" with 10th place (9th nation) and were pretty happy with the result. Kerschi was still a bit mad at himself but overall also he was more happy than sad.

For me the relay was the best race of the week even if it was not perfect but still I was orienteering flawless and alone on the main parts of the course and that made me happy. I was also able to beat Thierry because he punched the wrong control in the very end of the course when he was fighting with David Andersson.

Relay Course Relay Route Splits/Split Analyzer

Conclusion:

Right after my easy jog on Monday morning, a wonderful Monday morning with very intense colours (blue sky, green forest,...) I really could feel how much I liked the last three weeks. Right on from the training camp in Ukraine these were the best days of my life so far. Being "on tour" surrounded by people who have the same passion as one himself was a really great experience.

I'm really sure that I will miss the big O-family though out the winter time but on the other hand I also can't wait for the winter and the training hours.

Another good news is that the O-season is not over for me now. There will be an Austrian team at this year's CISM in Brazil. The bad thing is that not a complete team will be sent which somehow makes my joy about decision "a bit" smaller...

Posted on: 02.10.2006 00:00
Last edit: 10.10.2006 00:00

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