Discussion: Jukola courses

I didn't follow Jukola on the web over the weekend, but I sat down last night to replay some of the tracking. While the choice of assembly area limited the options, I thought the course setting was pretty ordinary. A few long legs (eg 15-16) on mens leg1 had pretty much zero route choice options other than picking up tracks dead straight. I thought some of the splits were also not well designed. For example mens leg 4/5 the first split had 2 choices, one of which was easily 30-45 seconds quicker than the other. It made a real difference which split you got and when you got it.

Any thoughts from those who competed or watched the broadcast?

In addition, I don't understnd what was the point with the unforked part of legs 4/5 after control 6. Usually there is unforked section to get leg 5 some fresh terrain/controls with no tracks or pervious leg runners. And to be able to show leg4 gps tracking on TV without revealing controls to leg 5 runners. Now that unforked section was pretty much the same on both legs. Why?

Hmmm. I watched the race thinking about how awesome our sport is, the great live camera shots and coverage and the amazing three-peat by Stora Tuna. Same seven guys all three years with the four Svensk brothers. also thought that with only one week to WOC and some medal hopefuls were still there running for their clubs.

Our sport is awesome but it wouldn't be the same if someone wasn't complaining about it.

Or it might be called "constructive criticism".

Hammer, I think it's possible to think that Jukola is awesome, spectacular, and fun to watch, and also not think the courses were particularly impressive. I had similar thoughts to Ecmo.

Covid-19 postponed this event for a year, I guess may have lost some areas to forestry and had to re-plan courses, so courses may not have ended up quite like they may have originally thought they could be able to set on this area.

Thanks Boris. Jukola is the best O event in the world in my view and it's all of those words and more. It shouldn't prevent us from asking questions about getting the basics right though.

Hey Boris. Just stating my thoughts on the race and trying to inject some positivity into an AP thread. I wasn't commenting on the courses. I left national and international champs course setting because of the constant negativity. There are consequences.

agree with Ecmo it is the best event in the world. Only two categories. one big party. Great coverage. Some day I'll do it.

Hammer, you haven´t run Jukola yet?
Well, there´s still enough time to do it. This year there was a team of M65 West Sweden (#1433) that completed the race in 822nd place (losing just over 1hr per leg). I also heard that a team of 75 year olds in NTNUI took part (I couldn´t find them in the results...). I ran my last Jukola when I was 60.

Hej Bubo.
Nope no Jukola yet for me but you introduced me to the Svensk family and the four brothers back in 2006 at a race in Mora with the statement “these kids are going to be really good”

In previous Jukola three-peats did any of those winning teams have the same seven men each time too or is this a first with Stora Tuna?

I've run Jukola 6 or 7 times as an elite athlete. Sometime in the next few years I'm keen to talk to my Swedish club Nolaskogsarna about entering a masters team. I'd happily make the trip all the way from Australia if I could convince them. Finding someone willing to run (or walk) leg 7 might be a challenge though!

I thought the courses were crap. Jukola is and always will be the best orienteering experience but serious forking is needed. The same long leg (not forked) with no RC on leg 1 and 3? Come on…

As an average runner in the 700s it was a really enjoyable Jukola. Enough to think about - lovely bare rock to run on but also some rough stuff to crash through and lovely smelling marshes to enjoy in the pre-dawn light as the clouds lifted. The toilets flushed straight to sewer network - ok sauna was not very warm. As Jagge says the chief planner explained on Finnish TV that because of the years delay many landowners who had already delayed tree felling could not wait another year - and as such the courses that they had pretty well ready three or four years ago were practically all binned and replanned.... I agree with a lot of the above comments but also think the planning team did one hell of a job in those circumstance......

Definitely the first Jukola courses I've seen where I thought "this looks pretty easy, even at night".

I did also think "most of this forest looks awesome, and I can't believe I'm not there"

@Hammer
I didn´t really know if any of the other teams have been using the same runners all three victories but I doubted it.
Had to check the old results and this was confirmed - Tampereen Pyrintö winning in 1961-1963 used 8 different runners. The same 7 the first two years but switched to a new runner in 1963.
Kalevan Rasti won in 2012-2014 and used 10 different runners.

decisive leg 5 in 3D

Cool to see a Canadian on NTNUI 2 placing 11th. Perhaps the highest placing for a team with a Canadian ever?

Yes and that Canadian brought his team from 46th to 16th place despite having headlamp issues at the end!

Looking forward to seeing him perform at WOC next week!

So, are all the other elite orienteer Westergårds also Canadian citizens? Could you make a full WOC relay team of them?

Yes, we're all Canadian citizens by birth. But I'm the only one registered after Norway just recently changed their citizenship-rules. We're three, so I guess there is an opportunity to make a full WOC relay team if Morten and Håkon wants to give it a shot and qualify for the team :) Maybe Morten is able to get a last chance at WOC before he has to focus on WMOC ;)

Good luck next week, Vegard, we're rooting for all of you from afar!

How late are WOC nominations open given it starts in two days? I know for WMTBOC, which is still a few weeks away (first event 15 July), team composition closed a while ago (team size deadline 14 May; final athlete names by 4 July).

Never mind, I see you can still change team members up until tomorrow (25 June). Seems kind of late!

With a hefty fee (80% of regular registration, IIRC).