Jukola 2014 (14/06/2014)

Absolutely amazing experience to run first leg at Jukola. The scale was just incomprehensible and running those first few metres with 1600 people and jet planes flying above, was just insane.

The first leg was incredibly long, and it was difficult to read the map in the stampede. I decided to run my own route choice, and leave the train, which in itself is pretty funny. I ran to the right to make use of some paths and I also found some good tracking from the womens relay in the forest. It was a little slower, and I think more direct would have been better (like the fastest guys did). My biggest mistake was 1-2 (around 40 seconds) where I ran to the wrong forking. It seem to be a recurring mistake through the race where I would drift off my compass and be caught in-between two forkings, like again to the 18th. I seemed to lose a lot of places from 18-20, through being tired, small mistakes, and not taking the optimal lines through the terrain.

Really happy with this experience, and one I hope to have many times again, but probably not first leg. It is very difficult to have control over your orienteering when running with such a crazy number of people!