WUOC 2018

Team Canada has finally all arrived in the small lake-side village of Kuotane, Finland, and we are all gearing up for the first race tomorrow!  We've been arriving steadily over the last few days, and with Emma and Tomas flying over fresh from JWOC, the team is complete.  Unfortunately, Michael Svoboda injured his knee at JWOC, and so is unable to compete this year.  We all wish him a swift recovery!

Today, most spent the morning on the model map figuring out how things are mapped, and what the best strategies are.  With temperatures hitting the 30s, most of the marshes are dried up, and the forest is mostly white, although hummocky underfoot.  2.5m contours and rocks galore make for some wonderfully technical terrain that is also quite speedy.

The model map

In the afternoon, Adam, Michael, Robbie, and Marg took the bus into Seinäjoki to check out the sprint relay and sprint areas, while Tomas, Emma, and I (Pia) inspected the terrain via google from our accommodation.  Their return confirmed what we suspected - the sprints promise to be fast and flat, with a few more complicated bridge and housing-complex areas.  Will Critchley and Graeme Rennie also dropped by on their way back home from the FIN 5, giving us insight into the terrain they had been running on, as it is adjacent to the middle.

Finally, WUOC was declared open this evening at the opening ceremonies. 

L-R: Michael Kondro, Emma Waddington, Adam Woods,
Pia Blake, Robbie Graham, Tomas Graham

Tomorrow begins with the sprint relay, with a starting time of 16:00 local time, 06:00 PDT and 09:00 EDT.  Running order is:

1. Emma Waddington
2. Adam Woods
3. Michael Kondro
4. Pia Blake

Go Canada Go!