Blodslitet - 3rd place
Less controls than the JK long!
Fun day but tough day
Started off on the same loop as Anders Nordberg and the pace was pretty high, I missed the first control a little bit which meant I was chasing him around 15 seconds. Managed to just have him in sight but was still doing my own navigation. At the common control didn't know where he went but we reached it at the same time as the other forkings so I thought I might get some company. Ran with Thomas Natvig Årstad for a bit, and then we almost caught up to Norberg and Emil Svensk again at the final control on the loop.
Second loop caught up to Anders and he had the same forking as me again so sat in. At the common control I had the same as Thomas so we went round together and picked up Emil Svensk on the way. Got back at the same time as Norberg so went out with him on the last loop, knowing I had the same forking. Picked up Johan Runesson on the loop.
So at the common control on the 3rd loop I knew that if I ran well, I could go out on the last loop with Anders and Runesson. Little bit of stress getting into the second control and then a bit of a faff with a routechoice but all went well and got back in touch.
Off on the last loop with Nordberg, Runesson, and Thomas. Didn't know what the gap up or back was, or who was where but guessing that almost certainly Olav was in front in the lead.
Hung at the back and then did a bit of my own navigation, but the group was still all together at the start of the long leg. Anders and Thomas ran fast here and dropped myself and Johan, almost without me noticing. I had thought that Johan was playing some mind games, hanging at the back and pretending to be tired so that he could take another routechoice and smash it... apparently he was actually tired after being sick. Anyway, there was a path and some downhill running and I worked super hard try and catch back up to Anders and Thomas. I just managed it and the top of the big climb mid leg.
At the start of the next long leg we split up doing different routechoices and I ended up on the road getting passed by first Emil, at very very high speed, and then Anders, who told me that we had caught and passed Olav. Met Thomas at a road junction but by then both Emil and Anders were gone so it was us fighting for what I thought could possibly be 3rd place.
My navigation held up and I was able to just keep going physically, and a speed only marginally faster than the M12-14s I was passing on the path.
Clean on the last few controls, minus minor wobbles, and into 3rd place
First part
Second part