The Long Night

Last weekend 10mila was held just north of Stockholm, and I had the privilege to run it with my Swedish club, Göteborg-Majorna OK. I ended up running the leg they call "Långa Natten", or "The long night". It was a crazy experience, and I've had more than enough time now to gather my thoughts. So here goes...

For those that don't know, 10mila is an overnight 10 man relay, and the most prestigious Swedish relay, with around 330 teams entered this year. GMOK, like most other Swedish clubs, had put in a lot of preparation ahead of the race. It is one of the year's biggest weekends in the orienteering world, and I was really looking forward to it again this year. Little did I know what was really in store for me.

It was with excitement a week before the race when I found out I was chosen to run the 7th leg on the club's second team. A 7km  day leg on a really solid team. But things changed a day before the race on the bus up to Stockholm. Coach Fredrik sat down next to me and asked if I could trade legs with Robert on the 4th leg, since he was feeling a bit uncertain after some sickness. I didn't hesitate too long before I came up with a response.

"Um... yeah, sure". As those words slipped out of my mouth my heart began to race. What did I just agree to do!? Långa Natten, 18km in the middle of the night, the most storied of the 10mila legs, the make or break leg where some teams lose it all...

I sat in my bus seat for the next hour pretending to sleep, but really having my head swirling with what laid ahead.  My thoughts went back to highlights of previous years, what the guys said who ran the leg last year, and the exciting stories of Ottawa club member Stefan Bergström. It was all a drastic change from the short  day leg that I was expecting to run.

As nervous as I was, I knew that I was prepared to do it, and I knew that I wouldn't have been asked if the coaches didn't think so as well. I've felt in really good shape as of late, and I'd run quite well in recent night races and trainings.

I managed to get a few hours sleep before we arrived at the arena at 11pm, an hour after the start. After scoping out the arena and drinking some much needed coffee, I got in a bit of a shortened warm-up and was into the change-over just after 1am.

All three of my teammates ahead of me ran super well, and we were sitting in a better position than I thought we'd be. Mikael changed over to me in 34th, 15s behind a pack of 6, and 11minutes behind the leaders. The thing about Långa Natten this year is that it was unforked, meaning that it really paid to be in a good group. It was really important that I catch the group ahead, which included IFK Lidingö, one of the race favorites. I managed to catch up after the long run to the start triangle, but I had pushed too hard to do so.

Course Overview

I don't remember a whole lot about the first leg, from trying to get settled into the pack and get the massive A2 map folded. The pace was really high with Lidingö leading the group. To the 2nd and 3rd I was able to check things off, but I was mostly just trying to hang on at the back of the line of lights. We had managed to gain 20s on the leaders at the 3rd control at 4.7km, but then things got interesting on the long leg to the 4th.

There wasn't a whole lot to read on to this control, and we ran straight on through the green areas. I started to get really tired here, and was struggling through the closely knit pines. I mostly remember just focusing on the light in front, as the ones ahead were already hidden past the next trees. One guy had already dropped off, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could last at this pace. "Just to this next control", I told myself.

As I felt we were getting somewhat close I took a stumble and dropped my map behind me. In those five seconds it took me to regroup I had lost the lamp ahead in the thick forest. I was all of a sudden on my own with not much of a clue where we were. I pushed on to try and get a sight of the lights farther ahead, and as the forest opened up I could see them a bit off to my left.

As the lamps started to get closer I arrived at a control, #48, control 5! As I had tried to recover after my fall they had punched 4 and I had followed their lights on to 5. What a horrible feeling! How could I make such a big mistake? Well, when you're not reading your map and trying to hang on for dear life in the middle of the night crazy things happen.

I was so close!

The scariest feeling was suddenly being on my own during Långa Natten. As I trudged back up the hill a trailing pack of 7 runners passed me in the opposite direction. After five minutes lost I got back to #4, luckily with a runner from Tampereen Pyrintö. It was nice to have company on the long tough leg to 7, which we spiked.

After a small mistake to 8, I was on my own again. The leg to 9 was another tough one, but I ran it quite well, if a little bit slower to be safe. I ran the rest of the course alone, but with no mistakes, although the orienteering was simpler. It was really hard though to keep pushing hard on my own with tired legs.

I changed over in 44th, losing 10 places, but most of them to top teams. I'm most frustrated by the big mistake to 4, and wondering if I could have kept on to a pack longer in the nicer woods and paths in the second half. A bit disappointed, but I got through the long tough course ok, without too much damage done.

They call it the Long Night, but in retrospect, it didn't seem so long at all. 18km flew by, and before I knew it I was into the last few controls. As I was running along an open ridge into the second last control I could see the horizon brightening to my left. By the time I was heading to the showers and sauna it was fairly light out, and an hour or so later I was lying in the sun waiting on our next runners while trying to catch some z's.

The rest of my team ran well, and were able to bring us back into the top 40 as the second best second team in 37th. Proud to be a part of that!

So much time and effort goes into 10mila, and I'm amazed at how calm and organized the coaches and crew kept during the weekend.  It is definitely not possible without them. A huge thanks to them!

The weekend wasn't a great success for the club, with the men's first team having some really bad luck, losing a lot of time during Långa Natten due to a broken headlamp.  But the positive club spirit remained on the bus ride home, knowing that these things tend to happen in the crazy tiomila night.

I hadn't really thought of it beforehand, but running Långa Natten was, in the back of my mind, a bucket list item. An experience I'll never forget.

Now on to the next one...

GPS for Leg 4: http://www.tulospalvelu.fi/gps/2013TmilaH4/

10mila Website: http://2013.10mila.se/

National Orienteering Week

In case you hadn't realized, we are partway into National Orienteering Week (NOW). This great event was established in 2004, imagined by the Calgary orienteering club. Initially known as Orienteering Week in Canada, it became National Orienteering Week in 2008. From May 4-12 there are 21 exciting orienteering events put on in 17 locations across Canada.

For more information on everything National Orienteering Week check out http://www.orienteering.ca/2013/03/2013-national-orienteering-week/

Being from Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club, I'm most excited about the McCartney Creek race being held in North Vancouver. I'm out of town on the 12th, but was privileged with the chance to run on the mostly completed map. The (completed) map that will be used this Sunday should be a real treat to run on.

While this week is a chance to celebrate the growing number of orienteers, I would like to point out that numbers aren't everything. Smaller numbers means closer knit communities of dedicated orienteers. Go to events often enough and one quickly becomes part of the core group. The core group, glad to have more people out, are welcoming to those who orienteer occasionally. The sheer size of our great country means that orienteering clubs are isolated, interacting mostly at large events. Thus, the chance for socializing at the large events is extra special.

I hope orienteering continues to gain popularity and grow in Canada. As it does, the attitudes and culture of clubs will change and grow. Most changes should benefit the sport, but the tightness of our current clubs will slowly loosen. If this is the case, we will look back with fond memories on the way things used to be.

More importantly, go out and enjoy the sport here and NOW.

There's sure to be an event near you!

A Blast From The Past!

After two months full of orienteering in Portugal, Spain and France. I dropped by to visit a place where it all began for me - Moldova.

While the above picture looks somewhat gloomy, it is no longer the case here, with consistent 25°C+ weather for the past week and a half. The countless rolling hills and vineyards bring up deep nostalgic feelings in me, reminding of the times when I grew up.

Unfortunately after a very successful March training in France, I slipped in some mud and hit my knee on a rock, therefore I had to take it easy for a week and a half, with easy jogging every-other day. This was a good opportunity to visit many of my old friends and relatives, and remember the good old days. It was an especially interesting experience stitching together the recollections of the sections of the city I have from childhood - I perceive it completely different now; much smaller that's for sure!

For a while I actually enjoyed doing every-day things, such as going to the market or riding the overcrowded public transport, just so I could hear and speak the language, and observe the people, from where I used to live. While it's a great, nostalgic experience, it also forces you to notice the level of life people are living. The countless homeless people and animals, alcoholics, poor road conditions, as well as extremely aggressive driving and peoples' manner of communication in general. I also had the misfortune of attending a school friend's funeral... While all of these experiences bring a lot of nostalgic memories, it also reminds, and makes me more appreciative of, the decision of why my parents decided to move to Canada!

As my knee started to get better, I attended a fairly big, annual, orienteering competition. It was pure pleasure seeing all of the old friendly faces from the orienteering community. Running through rolling terrain of the beautiful open forests where my parents left behind a legacy in my last name was an incredible experience, and I had a decent run as well, except for poor routechoices to 4 and especially 9, a mistake at 16, and most importantly, being late for my start-time by more than a minute...

I was fairly pleased with the level that orienteering in general is at in the country. There are plenty of up-and-coming young guys around my age training hard, who have taken over the Elite category. The middle-aged categories are extremely competitive as well, especially on the men's side, filled with all of the competitors my parents ran with back in the day. There were about 4 buses completely filled with kids from all the nearby cities and villages, of all ages, but all very eager and enthusiastic. It is truly a great experience for them to live in tents, cook food on campfires and orienteer, as one big family for a weekend. Certainly also brings back lots of memories. Competitions of all sizes are fairly frequent throughout the season, as well as lots of great continental maps, all throughout the city, with a new, quality map made every year. Makes me appreciate the mindset and culture around quality orienteering here. In fact, my grandmother's place that I'm currently staying at is located on a park sprint map, which had been recently updated; with another, bigger but older map, right across the road from it. I am back to 100% and taking full advantage of these parks right beside me. :)

Looking forward to going to Sweden for two months in May! It will be a time with LOTS of orienteering on some incredible maps! Will try to keep everyone updated.

Confirmation of Intent for World Orienteering Championships (WOC)

These athletes have indicated that they wish to be considered for selection to the 2013 WOC team:

Damian Konotopetz

Eric Kemp

Forest Pearson

Jeff Teutsch

Will Critchley

Jon Torrance

Nick Duca

Robbie Anderson

Serghei Logvin

Louise Oram

Emily Kemp

Kendra Murray

Kerstin Burnett

You can find more information about the selection process in the Athlete Handbook.

Recovering from injury

I have recently injured my ankle again but this time I am being a lot smarter about it. Last time I had this injury I rested it for a week and ran, played volleyball, basketball and soccer on it. It took me a long time to trust my ankle again well I was orienteering, instead of focusing on route choice and attackpoints I was think don't roll my ankle even thou it was taped. I was also stupid and didn't see physio till 2 months after I was injured.

This was in the Juneau airport waiting to go home

This time around I was playing soccer in Juneau, Alaska and went over on it but I was smart as soon as I got home I was icing and elevating it multiple times a day. I went to emergency to make sure I didn't brake it and luckily I didn't. I was on crutches for 3 days and elevating and icing. I took it slow when I got off them. I started off walking and progressed into running, I did trying swimming but I am a sinker not a floater.

This was 2 days after I got back

I had trouble trying to get a physio appointment but I got one a lot sooner this time. The physio told me I can't run which is a huge pain in my rear end but also smart because I was compensating for my ankle well I was running. I was hurting my back and my right hip. The nice thing is she gave me alternatives so I can keep up my cardio. She also showed my how bad my injury is when I thought it was nothing. She also gave me great exercises to help get full rotation back and start strengthening the muscle.

This was about a week and a half later

Injuries are hard to deal with. Some parts of your body might be saying yes you can do this but other parts might be saying no this is bad stop. It is always good to rest the first few days after an injury I have found and go see a physio to see what you have damage because you might be surprised with what they find. I thought my injury was just some muscle in my foot but it turned out to be a lot worst and know I am on the road to recovery and I am doing it the smart and right way this time.

Orienteering Canada Announces the 2013 Rising Star Awards

Orienteering Canada’s High Performance Committee (HPC) is pleased to announce the 2013 Rising Star Award recipients. The Rising Star Award is an annual award designed to support Canada’s most promising young orienteers in their quest for top international results. The nominees are assessed on past results, future potential, and contribution to the orienteering community, as well as financial need.  
Our female Rising Star for 2013 is Emily Kemp. Originally from Ottawa, Kemp has been living and training with the French Elite Orienteering Squad, Le Pole, in St. Etienne, France for the past 2 years.  Kemp had a breakthrough season in 2012, culminating in a bronze medal in the long distance race at the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC); Canada’s first ever medal at JWOC! Kemp is the current Canadian Champion in the long and sprint disciplines. As well as being tirelessly available for media interviews after her bronze medal win, Kemp has also inspired up and coming Canadian orienteers by participating in Skype training sessions and volunteering at the annual Sass Peepre Camp, a camp for 10-20 year old orienteers from across Canada.

When asked what this award means to her, Kemp said, “I am extremely grateful to win this award since it will be a ginormous financial aid for running the world cups and world champs this year. A humongous thank you to the HPP (Canada’s High Performance Program) for helping me and other athletes take orienteering in Canada to the next level!”

Our male Rising Star for 2013 is Serghei Logvin. Logvin had notable results at the North American Orienteering Championships in 2012, including achieving silver in the long distance race, and running the anchor leg for the winning Canadian relay team. Logvin has been very active with the Adventure Running Kids (ARK) program in Hamilton, ON, inspiring up and coming junior athletes. Logvin is currently training in Europe with the specific goal of improving his orienteering.

"Spending quality development time in Europe is a very important piece in the puzzle for me towards reaching my potential”, said Logvin. “The Rising Stars Award will make it a lot easier, both short, and long term. I really appreciate the support, and know that my best results are still yet to come! Thank you!"

You can follow Emily and Serghei through the 2013 orienteering season:
Emily Kemp Athlete Profile

Serghei Logvin Athlete Profile
Orienteering Canada Facebook Page
Orienteering Canada Twitter Feed

Please join us in congratulating Serghei and Emily!

Orienteering Canada appoints Toni Louhisola as Canadian National Team Coach

Orienteering Canada’s High Performance Committee is delighted to announce that Toni Louhisola has been appointed as the volunteer Canadian National Team Coach for the World Orienteering Championships. Toni will work with senior athletes selected to represent Canada at the World Orienteering Championships in Vuokatti, Finland this summer.

Toni brings a wealth of coaching experience, including 4 years as Lead Coach for the Great Britain National Orienteering Team. He is a level 3 coach certified by the Finnish Orienteering Federation. Toni was ranked top Finnish junior in 1996, and ranked in the top 20 orienteers in the world in 2004.

When asked how he feels about this appointment, Toni said, “Personally I am looking forward to working with Team Canada HPP athletes, volunteers and Canadian orienteers and clubs and I hope to have a lasting positive impact on the development of the athletes and to help drive the sport forward in Canada. I hope we can all enjoy the journey. I have a holistic approach to coaching but the focus for this spring and summer is to challenge the athletes and coaches to strive towards more effective orienteering thinking, and to contribute to a culture of systematic technical training, feedback, and analysis.”

Toni will travel to the Canadian team selection races in May. From there he begins a 4 week tour of Canada, with stops in Ottawa, Calgary, Cranbrook, Canmore, and Vancouver. Toni will have the opportunity to work one on one with many of the Team Canada athletes, as well as local junior and recreational club members. For more information on Toni’s schedule, please contact Adrian Zissos at Adrian@barebones.ca.

A full profile ofToni is available on Orienteering.ca. 

Please join us in welcoming Toni to the Orienteering Canada community. 

Go Canada Go!