2009 CNE

One of two most important french orienteering club relay has taken place the past week-end.

This relay has ran with 7 runners on man category and 4 on woman and child categories.

I should run the last relay on the Team 1, but one of my team mates suffered of an injury and finally we decide that I run the 1st (night) relay.

I woke up at 4.00 am on sunday, take a little breakfast and go to the race area to start at 5.50 am.

I've got a little experience of this very special (night and mass start) relay and without any orienteering (and running) training I'm confident.

POUM !!! I'm on the first line and decide to start fast. All the runners go on the track but not me. I decide to run on the forest straight on the red line :-)

I'm on the 10th. All the controls are good for me. I make a mistake on the control 10. More than 1 minute loose :-( I try to focus on the map reading.

At the spectator controls, I'm 8th with 6 runners just 30 m before me. I can catch them but few minutes after I've got a hesitation and I loose contact with. The route choice go down on path. I suffered of a little injury under my left foot and loose few seconds more. I try to push hard but I haven't high speed.

Now the finish is here, the next to the last control, the last and the final corridor. I cross the in 8th position give the relay to my team mates Igor.

I'm 2'20" behind the first runner and 30" behind the 6 men group. I'm a little bit dissapointed...

After few minutes of recovery, I try to take the positive parts of my course and I promise me to be better the next time. So, I'm happy now.

Unfortunatly, our 6th runners made a "missing pushing" and the team have been disqualified :-(

It's life, sometimes you win, sometimes you loose...

The next week-end, I run a national french adventure race near the Mont Ventoux.


Sorry for my poor english ;-)