Jukola 2015
Happy. post event at Helsinki airport
Coombs Family Epic
The Jukola relay is the world's biggest orienteering event with over 1700 teams of 7 running in an overnight relay. This year the Coombs family decided to set themselves something of an epic challenge. Read on for Roger's report of what followed...
Jukola 2015. Job done. Pure dead brilliant!
This was THE target for the year.
Duncan suggested it sometime in 2014. We all pretty much agreed maybe around Christmas time that it was a sound idea and maybe we could give it a go. Some flights got booked and an entry made – the commitment was there.
Running 7 legs with 5 family members was never going to be straightforward but we were clear there should be no ringers. First degree relatives only.
It got more complicated. IL Tyrving wanted Duncan. It got even more complicated. Calum messed up his knee ligaments on a Norwegian mountain in late February. Still no ringers.
Plenty of mulling over potential leg orders went on. Lots of scenarios were thought through. Nothing could become clear though until we knew Duncan’s Tyrving leg number and the state of Calum’s knee. Yes. Leg 1 for Tyrving as Duncan and we had hoped. Brilliant. That would allow him to run the long leg 7 for the Klaani. Calum had barely run for three months. “Can you jog round the long night leg?”. “Looks like thee and me” Kirsty for the doubling up. Maybe willing, in the interests of the team as she might say she is, I don’t think Trish would appreciate it.
Rest between legs was going to be important for Duncan, Kirsty and I, so we settled on:
1. Kirsty – the mass start and 13.9k
2. Roger – 12.4k
3. Calum – 15.8k “the long night”
4. Trish – 8.2k
5. Kirsty “Rachel” – 8.6k
6. Roger “Ben” – 12.7k
7. Duncan “James” - 14.6k
It was always to be all about the experience and the challenge, and there was never any mention of racing, or a result. Each of us had our own challenges ahead and we discussed the required “mountain marathon mentality”.
Beg, borrow and steal extra MAROC O-tops and head torches from very generous MAROC members. Dig out maps from previous Finnish races.
Head out Thursday. Two hours drive from Helsinki to Paimio near Turku. A day of R&R on a farm beside a lake. Swimming, BBQ, a spot of map geeking and a trip to the nearby training area for a bit of last minute O familiarisation in Finnish terrain. We’d all orienteered abroad plenty of times, and in Finland too, three of us at previous Jukolas, but some of us were somewhat ring rusty.
Lunchtime Saturday head to the arena. Must have been 4-5km of lugging bags to the military tent. Painful. We weren’t warned.
Duncan Grassie asks whether our extra Coombs team members Rachel, Ben and James have ever orienteered before. Yes I answer. He’s off before I can explain properly. We try not to be swayed by the strange looks from those who know Jukola, when we explain that no we are not running for MAROC, Nydalen, or Tyrving, but we are 5 and we have a family team “Coombs Klaani 1”. Even more strange looks when they get the answer to “who is doubling up?”.
Watch Venla – shout on a few Brits and others and soak it all up. Blazing sunshine. Little shade. Plenty of suncream.
Nervous big time. Extremely. Maybe it doesn’t seem quite such a good idea now.
Leg 1: “I don’t do night events” Kirsty
“I don’t think I’ve ever done an O event this long”. “It’s ok. Just go out and enjoy it!”
Team 1186, so starting a long way back but plenty of the 1750 ish teams still behind.
Keep checking the intermediate times for both Duncan and Kirsty on leg 1...trying to get a feel for terrain speeds. Disappointed in time loss for Duncan and Tyrving 2 after being top 50 at first check.
A great sound start for Coombs Klaani 1 though and still smiling at the changeover.
Leg2: Roger
A really mild night. Overdressed from the get go. Really light.
An encouraging shout at the changeover. I turn and wave at Doug Tullie waiting for his TuMe Leg2 runner.
Settle into MM mode to get round in good shape so as to be not too wrecked for later.
Two bad misses but loved the terrain. Two hours flew past. A whole lot of fun.
Thinking “maybe we really can do this”.
But..left calf is very worrying. Getting sore towards the end.
Leg 3: Calum
Strict instructions: “Don’t do the knee any damage. Walk round if you have to”.
“OK – bank on me taking 3 hours”.
2 hours 17 mins and 15.8k later. Well happy. Him. And the rest of us are absolutely delighted. For him as much as anything.
Meantime:
I happen to mention the sore calf to Duncan and Kirsty back in the tent.
Kirsty says “Want to swap the long leg 6 for the shorter leg 5?”
“I’ll do it Dad”.
What?...You’ve only just done 13.8. It would be another 12.7. How many daughters would do that?
Leg 4: Trish
Abruptly woken up once we realised the speed Calum was steaming round at. “You’d better get up there quickly”.
Not prepared for the change in weather. It’s raining. She went with no visor nor rain jacket and its Finnish technical stuff. Worry.
Internet not reliable back in the tent. How long will she be. Fine through intermediate time at 2k+. No more updates. I better go up.
A real effort to get out of the tent in the rain. Trundle up the 15 minutes to the arena. Calf is tolerable. Take rain jacket and be prepared to walk if need be.
Check progress on the emit screens in the warm up box as soon as I get there. Trish already through 6 or so. Wow.
Bedraggled but she’s disappointed not to dip under the 100 for the 8 plus k.
Leg 5: “Rachel”, meant to be Kirsty but how could I refuse an offer like that, Roger.
No real long legs on this one and lovely terrain in the light. Brilliant fun. Another couple of misses...and calf not getting worse.
Keep looking at my watch late on. Can I make the 8.45 mass start cut off time and save Kirsty on leg 6 from that. No chance. Tiring a lot from half way.. but keeping going..
Run over the bridge just as Leg 7 mass start takes off at 9. Go Duncan.
Leg 6: “Ben” but Kirsty
Chat to Kirsty over the fence before the mass start for all other legs at 9.20. “Take the rain jacket, gels and just do what you can”.
She seems happy enough.
The mass start is another huge affair.
Leg 7: “James” aka Duncan
Looking forward to it after what transpired to be disappointing equipment problems running leg 1 for Tyrving.
Sometime later: “I don’t know what some folk were doing” as he “jogs” into 74th on the leg and gives our "unimportant" team position a really huge boost.
Meantime its leg 6 that will be the “glory” one for Coombs Klaani.
Check the intermediates. She’s still reeling out sub-10 minute kms.
There she is.
“ I’m sooo tired!”
“I was disappointed not to break 2 hours”.
Done it. How good is that. Chuffed to bits.
Perhaps the journey home won’t seem so long now.
The figures:
716th out of 1737 teams starting
85k in 13:40:59
100k between 5 of us in 918 mins (including Tyrving leg 1)
3rd British team behind EUOC 1 (208th) and Scottish Junior Squad team (281st)