World of O News
A great course at #WOC2018 Long with many routechoice legs – even making the choices behind the computer is stressful. The WOC 2018 Long distance has just started, with GPS-tracking live via IOF Live center. Here we take a look at the course ahead of the race.
Before you read the preview of the course below, you can test yourself by checking out this RunningWild where you perform the course under time pressure (does unfortunately not work so well on mobile):
Easy start in flat area
The first two legs are easy without any special technical challenges. Open, nice forest – sets a speed which you’ll later have to get out of.
It starts to get dense
To the third control the forest starts to get denser with poorer runnability – a tale of what is to come.
I would probably go for the B option (faster) or A option (a bit more secure into the control?) here – but not crucial what you do as long as you find the control well.
Then another easy one to control 4.
Leg 5: The show begins
On the long leg to control 5 the show begins! A real challenging long leg where I expect the runners will spread out on many different routechoices (click to get the leg larger).
Some routechoice options are drawn below. Which one would you choose? I would probably go for option C;
C has good runnability down to the flat area, avoid the bottom of the valley which B takes, and A is probably too long. The E-option is too much up and down for the women, could maybe work for the men (but also here probably too tough). The D-option is quite attractive with a nice run-in to the control, but there is some climb up and down here.
Short transport legs
First a short leg which is really only transport.
Then a short leg with some routechoice options. Straight is probably not the best options here – I think going to the right is a good option:
Another short leg with some options. Running C here is a good option, safer than around on B and less steep than A. No big time differences though.
New routechoiceleg to 9
Then a new routechoice leg, going into the area of the long leg of the relay. Again the question is going down to the road, going direct or going up to the right.
Three options are drawn below. Going around to the left (option A) is 900 meters longer – that’s a lot, probably too long, so the options is between B and C. C has an advantage in the uphill not being steep, and it is probably not too bad to run close to that fence – C would be my option here.
Leg 10: Another routechoice – back to the arena
Another route choice leg to control 10.
An interesting option here is to run back through the arena (option A), but with 600 meters longer than straight, that’s probably too long – so my option here is the straight B-option.
Arena passage
Next up is the arena passage. Some cheers may make the runners nervous ahead of the last loop.
Another routechoice to 12
Another routechoice leg to control 12.
This is a quite open choice with good opportunities on both options. Maybe run the A-option to the left which saves you some extra climb towards the control? No big time-differences though, and the toughest will probably run best on a straight options.
Some tricky controls in the slope
Next up some tricky controls in the slope – here we might see some misses by the runners, starting to get tired towards the end of the race.
Again a routechoice leg to 16
Again a routechoice leg to control 16 in the relay-area- and again the question: Run down and run on the flat (this time even on a road) or straight up and down and up and down?
With 300 meters longer and lots of road running, it is very tempting to go down on the road here. Still, the B-option is a very good option – flat in the start and not too much up and down. I think the tough ones take B here and can run that one faster.
And then the finish …
Not too many challenges the last few controls, just get to the finish! Overall a very nice and interesting course, though – at least from behind the computer.
