Geoform Rankingløp (06/09/2017)

Horrible weather plus an experiment to see if I could run in rain using a pair of multifocal contact lenses: The answer was "No, absolutely not". I had to stand completely still and peek at the map through the magnifying glass on my compass in order to be able to read just a square cm or two of the map, the rest of the orienteering was basically a map memory exercise.

Very easy first control but since I couldn't even see the big ski track in the middle of the marsh, I just knew that I was runnning there, it took longer than normal.

Towards #2 I just tried to follow a compass bearing.

Up to #3 I hit the road and was sure that I had to be below the path junction when in reality I was just above it. I ran up the road, then cut across when I realized that I had to be high enough, passed across the path but then stopped just a few meters before I would have seen the boulder. Lost about 1.5 minutes here.

At this point I had figured out how I had to handle the orienteering so except for spending far too much time reading the map the next controls up to #11 went quite well with good routes. I am particularly happy with the way I executed the route to #6.

In hindsight it is obvious that I should have kept on south from #11 to the path and road, then crossed the hill just north of where I had gone in the opposite direction from #1 to #2, but I just took the route I partly remembered from previous events on this map.

The two "huge boulders" on #13 was in reality two water tanks!

Since I was unable to read the map I never saw that there are some paths contouring around to #14, instead I did about 15-20 m of near rock climbing ascent straight up and then followed the path system across and down to the last control.

I suspect that I was beaten quite severely in this race, but so far there has been no results.

EDIT: Everyone else had trouble as well! I ended up in 3rd place just a few seconds behind the winner.