Last selection races for WOC

Last weekend everyone who wanted to qualify for the Austrian WOC-team travelled the long way to Miskolc to take part in the 3rd and 4th selection races. Similar to WOC we stayed at the Uni-Hotel Miskolc, which offered us nice 4-bed appartements with internet access and cooking facilities. We arrived late at night so we postponed the start of the sprint to 11:45. Mens course was 2,7 km + 110 hm; ladies course was exactly the same, but without controls 15, 16. It was around 50/50 forest/housing estate.

With a strong first part with no mistakes and a good pace in the second half I finished on 3rd place (14:58) behind Bindi (14:30) and Kerschi (14:34). Tobi and Wolfi achieved 4th (15:43) and 5th (15:50) place.

After the race I recognised that it was one of my best sprints I have ever run! :)

In the afternoon there was the possibility to run a model event for next day's competition. I took the chance to relax my muscles and get more familiar with the terrain.

Sprint on Saturday, 30. 5. 2009



On Sunday it was time for our last selection race. It was a middle distance race (6,6 km + 295 hm) and part of the hungarian borsod-kupa. I again had an excellent run with just one and a half mistake: the bigger mistake I made at 17th control where the green area was really strange, where I lost direction and where it took me ages to run along the small river which runs next to the control. The 0,5 mistake I did when I left the 6th control: I should have run directly to the path and not stumbling around in the green-lined area. Although the Czech Michal Smola run an incredible 41' on the course, I again was very happy with my performance (especially the technical parts) and therefore with the result as well (austrian ranking):

1st Wolfi: 47:21

2nd me: 48:06

3rd Markus L: 49: ..

Map "Tekenös" with my route

On pentecost-monday we participated in the Herman-Ottó relay, too. Austria 1 (Kerschi, Wolfi, Markus), Austria 2 (me, Tobi, Thomas L.) and Austria 3 (Helmut Gremmel, Michael Stockmayer and Agoston) were fighting for good positions. Much (fast) hungarian teams, some polish and a spanish team completed the start-list. Austria 1 managed to win ahead of the strong first hungarian team with Zsolt Lenkei, Istvan Zsebehazy and Adám Kovacs and Poland 1.

According to the motto "All good things come in threes" I had a perfect (technically) run with just a small unsureness at control 3. There is still much speed missing, but it's some time left ;)

Additionally, my time was the second fastest that day among the Austrians.

map from relay

On Sunday evening the WOC-team was fixed as well.

Men:

Kerschi, Wolfi, Bindi, Markus, me, Thomas Krejci

Women:

Ursi, Anita, Thea, Karin

Summarising the weekend I only can say that I'm really happy to represent Austria at WOC and I'm very satisfied with my technical shape. I need to work a bit on my pace and then I'm looking forward to WOC! :)