Club relay season started before Norwegian Champs and since Elise Egseth was off to the USA I had to take the responsibility and learn to run last leg instead of snuggling in my comfort zone on the middle leg. First attempt did not go well but thanks to great runs by Tiia and Paja we got the bronze medal in the Mid-Norway Champs.
Tiia and Paja are all smiles in the rain, my head is down but I'm happy and relieved!
District Champs and I'm getting the hang of last leg. Marte ran a storming start leg and Tiia sent me out just a couple of minutes behind Mari Fasting. I ran a solid last leg but Mari is in amazing shape this autumn and I am eating her dust, silver in district Champs.
For Norwegian Champs we bring in super reserve Kiwi Emily Wall. Em and I have been training technique together in the forest and head out for a final practice the day before the relay. We have set ourselves a tough goal of finishing amongst the 20 best teams because we are greedy for a prize :-).
Posh dinner before the relay from Wing OK's amazing sponsors Offtrack
Fancy cheesecake will give us the extra edge we need to succeed!
It's Emily's first time wearing GPS tracking (because we were 5th last year). Marte totally rocks the first leg and comes back just metres behind Lillehammer and NTNUi. Marte tried to give them all a headstart by missing 2 min on the first control but she's just too strong and reels the leaders back in - legend! So Emily runs out just behind Bodil. NM felt kind of like a regular Trøndelag race at times since NTNUi, Frol and Freidig were on fire. The podium in the D21 middle distance was Mari Fasting, Bodil and Hanne Sandstad, could easily have been district Champs. Nice picture of Emily coming through the arena passage on the Norwegian Orienteering Federation website, photo 13/31.
I get totally emotionally invested in Emily's race and almost forget I have to race myself. She is awesome and comes back in 15th place still well inside our goal. I proceed to get really overexcited and make a total hash of the first part of the course doing dumb things like this...
Guess I haven't got the hang of last leg yet after all - hurry back Elise! ;). But after my terrible start I give myself a bit of a slap, calm down, manage the rest of the course better and secure 16th place. I see a couple of women on the last loop but kick hard away from each control and take the last few really cleanly desperate to get a gap before the sprint. My legs are pretty much finished but luckily in the end I'm home free and don't have to sprint it out. The Wing crew shout lots of abuse and encouragement anyway... both on the arena passage and run in. Nice. Here's us excitedly getting our NM diplomas & prizes before dashing to the airport.
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