10MILA

I hadn't run the first leg at 10MILA or Jukola before, so this year offered something new. Although I consider myself to be an individual runner and prefer any "work shift" (middle legs), the past results have shown that I'm quite universal on any leg.

Photo: me (116) captured in the start

I had no expectations before the start and just tried to focus on my own race. In the beginning, it was impossible to get the rhythm since the ones in front were blocking and the ones behind were pushing, especially in the green. But after a few kilometers, it was much easier to set my own pace. Despite one mistake, I was 23rd in the spectator control. In the next radio control (no. 163) I had reached already 6th position (I didn't know it at the time). But then there was forking. When almost everyone that I saw had control 50, I had 162. To the next, I took the safe way and ran out to the road, which wasn't so easy because of really dense undergrowth. When heading into the forest again, I saw a lot of headlamps heading to control 147 and continued my route to 126. I was surprised that so many people had 147 and I was completely alone in my own forking. Fighting through the greens, I reached the finish.
I was asked if I made mistakes in the end - no I didn't! Only then I got to know that I had fallen from 6th to 46th and lost 3 minutes! Later I checked and discovered that no-one who finished before me, had that forking! I was a bit disappointed. It would have been great to finish among the leaders!
After me, my brother didn't run very well, but got us one place higher. After him, we started slowly falling behind, but managed to stay in the top 100. So the overall place was 98th.