Training Log: Hammer

Had planned on a longer bike or paddle today but work took much longer than expected.

absolutely devastated about the wildfire reaching the village of Jasper. Very likely the nicest village in all of Canada. so sad.

C • Jasper 3

Photo from Nevin.

Well the canary in the coalmine of this photo is that Sting was an adventure racer and just thinking that has me driven to tears. Voices in my head are saying that Sudden approves the baseplate compass do, do, do, do, de, da, da, da.

Big Sound with Etoile and Jonas (his first time in a canoe)

repeat of the other day but not with AG! :-(


There has been lot of talk (maybe too much talk) on AP and elsewhere about lack of forking in the WOC KO. Watching the races live and in the arena was very exciting and yeah sure while there was following it was also very clear that most of the runners were also keeping track where they were and waiting for the right moment (for them) to do something different. Either taking a different route or to correct a mistake at the front. It was fun to watch and makes for a great different race format. It isn’t for everyone and that’s fine but it is also different from the traditional and there is a period of adjustment taking place. I remember similar grumblings when XC skiing adopted mass start races. I very much doubt XC skiing is going to abandon their first across the finish line wins format any time
soon.

Time trial cycling races and interval start XC ski races are athlete vs the clock but mass start head to head racing in those sports are also really enjoyable to watch and involves different tactics. Those sports embrace both formats and I think O should do the same.

Orienteering has spent a LOT of time and energy making the sport more complicated to reduce following but what this WOC showed me is that we shouldn’t worry as much as we do. In fact I would argue in a NorAm perspective races that head to head racing should be embraced a little more.

Many of my fave races over the years were mass start and unforked races like THOMASS, billygoat and also chase start races like Oringen and Troll Cup. The tactics are pretty important in all those races and we are seeing lots of tactics in the KO at WOC too.

In addition to offering more unforked KO races perhaps the compromise in North America is to offer more chase starts in long distance based on the previous day middle race results. Or more mass start team races or score O mass start races.

IMHO NorAm O there is too much of the same (format) and very little that distinguishes a middle from classic or long. a fear of doing something different i think limits the growth potential of the sport. But you know change is hard.

water running at Nobel beach while etoile biked

water running

travel day.

Back in the land of stupidly big humidity and stupidly big pick up trucks.

Playing some Mike Myers SNL classics to keep the Scottish vacation alive.

https://youtu.be/DCkVJk4_ddk?feature=shared

Just 4 weeks to the peat tour and conference in Ireland!

Another summer and another terrible wildfire and air quality situation in BC and parts of Alberta. Over 300 wildfires burning in BC and yet another massive lightning activity tonight with heavy winds meaning more fires are going to pop up. The town of Jasper in Alberta is being evacuated but southern and eastern routes are closed so people are being evacuated west to BC on a road that is closed going eastbound due to fires as well. This is a really bad situation.

The area burned in BC in 2017-2024 is now more than the burned from 1950-2016 (67 years). And 2024 is gonna get worse real fast.

hotel gym with AG! Elliptical to start.

Spectacular FamJam MTB through Ryvoan Pass and AG! and I added the out and back ride to Loch Einich. Longest MTB ride in a long time but the hardtail rental made it feel much much longer. Stunning scenery throughout the ride including a section through the very beautiful 1999 World Orienteering Champs Relay map and terrain (we visited CP10). Yummy ice cream at the end.

Speaking of WOC’99…
I can’t remember why I skipped WOC’99 but I certainly have regretted it before and even more so now after seeing the relay terrain today. Wil would know this story better than me (since he raced WOC that year) but I believe Canada beat the US in the men’s relay in a finish line sprint during the awards ceremony. KAB!! Mahoney vs Everett?

Also Katta with the bronze for the Swedish team.

C • WOC99 2