Team USA had a good day in the middle with Ali coming in 40th and Anton coming in 55th.
Here are Ali's comments about the race:
I started very early (4th starter) and knew I’d have a chance to finish first if everything went well. Happily, my race did go very well! I raced very consistently, with no real mistakes – just one route choice error and a few hesitations close to the circle which were solved with a quick map glance or just looking around. I am totally happy with the result – my goal was top-45 (the equivalent of making the final back in the day) and came through with a 40th place!
The terrain felt not too foreign – the vegetation is about what you might expect in New England over the summer (so green and thick, but possible to get through if you work at it). Although the contour features are more like Ohio, without much rock detail at all. But the orienteering at least felt familiar, which was a really nice! I used my compass well and pace counting on around 5 controls. The pacecounting really boosted my confidence when I used it and kept me moving fast when I otherwise might have slowed down to look for the control to early.
It was fun to be the first competitor to almost all the controls and through the arena and then finish. The event officials wanted to get my feedback as soon as I finished. They knew all the controls were there for sure because of the prerunners (and there are people watching each of them), but I think they just wanted to hear how a WOC athlete found the course. Think I gave a pretty favorable report, perhaps biased by having had a good race. =)
I went to cool down and then returned to the team tent where I watched my name at the top of the results board until the Finn, Henna Riikka Haikonen took the lead. After that I kept pretty consistently getting bumped down from there. I still find it astounding that someone could do the course almost 10 minutes faster than I did, but I can at least think about how the next few minutes might be gained here and there!
A link to the men's course with GPS routes is here: https://www-tulospalvelu.
I had a smooth good start, first 3 controls without difficulties, just with a slower pace so I could keep my orienteering together. Going to #4, I was a bit unsure of what to expect and that's why I ended up stopping twice and going too low before the control, +1min.
Then on #6 I was going way too high instead of going a bit down and so I ended up searching it 100m to the right, +1.10min. After that my orienteering was flowing well, tho should have left #6 straight up to the road instead of going on the level to the trail.
Then at #7 the Australian Matt Doyle caught up to me and followed me until #8. After that he started running really hard so we caught up to the Portuguese Ricardo Ferreira. Matt kept that fast pace over the bridge until the drink stop. Once I was done with the drink, I lead the train to 11 and almost until 12. Then Matt took the lead again and I just couldn't keep up with them. Tried to recatch them on the way to the spectator loop in the uphill from #14 but the flat part after was just too fast for me.
I tried to read the last loop ahead on the spectator shoot but just totally failed it. At #16 I was not focused, I didn't read my map well at all so I just couldn't make sense of the control circle, +1.30min.
After that it was just a fight against the brutal hills at the end of the course. And it was really brutal, I don't remember a time when I would have walked to the last control...
The relay is up next with Ali, Tori, and Amanda (in that order) for the women and Anton, Greg, Eric for the men (also in that order).
Here are Ali's comments about the race:
The terrain felt not too foreign – the vegetation is about what you might expect in New England over the summer (so green and thick, but possible to get through if you work at it). Although the contour features are more like Ohio, without much rock detail at all. But the orienteering at least felt familiar, which was a really nice! I used my compass well and pace counting on around 5 controls. The pacecounting really boosted my confidence when I used it and kept me moving fast when I otherwise might have slowed down to look for the control to early.
It was fun to be the first competitor to almost all the controls and through the arena and then finish. The event officials wanted to get my feedback as soon as I finished. They knew all the controls were there for sure because of the prerunners (and there are people watching each of them), but I think they just wanted to hear how a WOC athlete found the course. Think I gave a pretty favorable report, perhaps biased by having had a good race. =)
I went to cool down and then returned to the team tent where I watched my name at the top of the results board until the Finn, Henna Riikka Haikonen took the lead. After that I kept pretty consistently getting bumped down from there. I still find it astounding that someone could do the course almost 10 minutes faster than I did, but I can at least think about how the next few minutes might be gained here and there!
A link to the men's course with GPS routes is here: https://www-tulospalvelu.
I had a smooth good start, first 3 controls without difficulties, just with a slower pace so I could keep my orienteering together. Going to #4, I was a bit unsure of what to expect and that's why I ended up stopping twice and going too low before the control, +1min.
Then on #6 I was going way too high instead of going a bit down and so I ended up searching it 100m to the right, +1.10min. After that my orienteering was flowing well, tho should have left #6 straight up to the road instead of going on the level to the trail.
Then at #7 the Australian Matt Doyle caught up to me and followed me until #8. After that he started running really hard so we caught up to the Portuguese Ricardo Ferreira. Matt kept that fast pace over the bridge until the drink stop. Once I was done with the drink, I lead the train to 11 and almost until 12. Then Matt took the lead again and I just couldn't keep up with them. Tried to recatch them on the way to the spectator loop in the uphill from #14 but the flat part after was just too fast for me.
I tried to read the last loop ahead on the spectator shoot but just totally failed it. At #16 I was not focused, I didn't read my map well at all so I just couldn't make sense of the control circle, +1.30min.
After that it was just a fight against the brutal hills at the end of the course. And it was really brutal, I don't remember a time when I would have walked to the last control...
The relay is up next with Ali, Tori, and Amanda (in that order) for the women and Anton, Greg, Eric for the men (also in that order).
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