JWOC Middle Distance Preview

The next race at JWOC in Kosice, Slovakia is the middle distance qualification race on Wednesday.
The middle distance race is different than the other JWOC races because it has two stages, a qualification and a final. In the qualification, there are three heats for men and three heats for men with slightly different courses. Instead of starting individually, the runners start 3 at a time (one person from each heat). Since nobody know which heat anyone else is running, it discourages following. The top 20 finishers in each heat will advance to the A final, the next 20 from each heat will make the B final, the next 20 the C final and so on. The middle distance finals will be held on Thursday.

The terrain for the middle qualification is deciduous forest on continental terrain. Runners should expect some steep sections, intricate erosion features, and many marshes. The women's course is 3.5km and 100m of climb. The expected winning time is 24 minutes. The men's course is 4.2km and 140m of climb. The expected winning time is 25 minutes.


Canadian Middle Qualification Start Times (Slovakia time)

Emily Ross - 10:30
Molly Kemp - 10:42
Kerstin Burnett - 11:04
Trevor Bray - 11:13
Emily Kemp - 11:16
Kendra Murray - 11:32
Alexander Bergstrom - 11:39


Good Luck to all of the Canadians in the middle qualifier!