Delightful Finnish Terrains at WMOC 2024
Eight LuxOC runners participated in this year's World Masters Orienteering Championship in and around Turku from 3-9 August - a true Finnish delight for orienteers from 35 to nearly 100 years of age.
As usual, the weeklong festival - featuring many household orienteering names and "real" world champions such as Simone Niggli (W45 - time flies!) or Baptiste Rollier (M40) alongside more than 4,000 recreational runners - kicked off with a sprint.
The qualifying race took place in a quiet residential neighbourhood west of the center of Finland’s oldest city, with a grand finish at Paavo Nurmi Stadium. Not too easy and not too tough, the qualifier managed to achieve precisely what it was supposed to - separate contenders from also-rans. A very fast affair (even yours truly, with two wobbly knees and one worthless ankle, kept his time well under 5 min/k for much of the first half!), it nevertheless didn’t bring much glory to LuxOC, with only two runners making it into Final A (Maggie in W65 and Gabi in W50), three into Final B (Jonas in M55, missing the top final by a whisker; Jan in M50; and Helina in W40) and one into Final C (David in M65).
A picturesque finish right next to Turku’s ancient cathedral awaited the finalists the next day, after a course through the city’s university area and some older neighbourhoods that wasn’t very tricky but nonetheless did offer route choices that could make or break your race. Our best ranking: Gabi’s 53rd place.
The forest qualifier took place close to the area where LuxOC first contested Jukola and Venla back in 2015, but the terrain was markedly tougher on the feet and much less runnable - the kind of forest where Finns fly but continental runners suffer. If at the start I harboured some ambitions to « pass my orienteering A-levels » and make it if not to Final A then at least to Final B, I realized very early on that this wouldn’t be my day, and more or less resigned to the fact. Not overly difficult orienteering-wise - certainly not more than any of the Jukolas we have been to as a team - running in this extremely rugged terrain nevertheless required a certain « hop-on, hop-off » skill which I don’t posses - and, judging by the results, neither does any of my clubmates. Forests like this simply don’t grow in Luxembourg …. We didn’t muster a single A Final, but, among the categories where there were more than two final groups, Chris made it to Final B - no mean feat in M45!
The final itself was an entirely different affair though. The forest - although only across the field from the qualifier, and with a joint arena - was lovely, clean and supremely runnable (if one knew where to run …). Full of bare rocks - denoted by that typical grey Finnish map symbol - boulders and small marshes, and with not a trail in sight, this was orienteering in its purest form. Our results, too, were much better. Gabi managed a fantastic 10th place in W50B, when only two controls from the finish she was still fifth - a place that would have guaranteed her a spot in Final A for the long distance!
The long distance race on the final day of the championships was indeed the grand finale - and the first event where it was possible, and sometimes perhaps even faster, to run « around » rather then straight! A typical LD with controls on clear objects far away from each other, the event saw our best results of the week - Gabi came in 4th in W50B while Maggie finished a close 2nd in W65C.
This was the first WMOC where LuxOC participated in larger numbers. It was also an exceptionally well organized event in fabulous orienteering terrains - hats off to the Finnish organizers! And, finally - like every WMOC - it was a source of great inspiration. Seeing a W80 sprinting to the finish, whizzing past much younger men, makes you wish: if only I could be like this at that age….
Jan
