1500 teams, one mass start but only 3 teams that really
matter. Lillomarka OK team 1, 2 and 3 in our sexyyy sexyyy white running
‘suits’ :P. SO I was super excited for this trip and it definitely didn’t
disappoint! I arrived at Helsinki and waited around for the rest of the team to
fly in before being introduced to everyone (forgot their names almost
instantly…specially as I couldn’t pronounce anything in Norwegian without
sounding stupid!).
They were all lovely and very welcoming though and soon we
were off to the cabins that we would stay in the next couple of nights!! We
spent the day before the race doing a little bit of training but mainly
chilling out for the race! I was running 1st leg on the
second team with originally Ingvild, Ingvild and Ingvild…easy to remember right
but then one of the Ingvilds had to drop out because of an Achilles problem :( although all of use
seemed to have weak/problematic Achilles issues!! What a team :P Soon I was
getting used to everyone’s names and decided I am definitely going to learn
Norwegian over the summer!! Although they all spoke excellent English but I
felt a bit ignorant expecting everyone to speak English!
Most of the team got 10 hours sleep the night before the
race so we were well rested and excited!! Ingvild braided my hair before the
race as well which was awesomeeee (always wanted to be able to do my hair in
braids but don’t have the patience to learn)! I got changed into the white kit
which everyone seems to hate…and yeh it might look hilarious but I LOVE IT, not
amazingly flattering but you do stand out :P we had special socks designed for it as well…the ‘magic socks’ which we were optimistic would get us around the course if all else failed :P 
So the start. OH MY GOD. Awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I started
like five rows back, which in a crowd of 1,500, was pretty daymmm cool. At the
beginning I was waaay too caught up with the adrenaline rush to orienteer just
deciding to pace it for as far as I could get away with it!! Andrine (the first
leg runner on the first team) pulled the BEST banter start ever, racing off
after the gun, pulling a lead of about 30metres and getting to the first control
first!! OUT OF EVERYONE! And got on Finnish TV ;) what a legend…though after
she said she was absolutely knackered for the rest of the 8km course :P The
course went well for me…I just trundled round and enjoyed it, it didn’t feel
especially fast and I twisted my ankle fairly early on BUT came prepared and
bandaged it up as soon as I finished! I think I came back around 65th,
a minute down from Andrine :). We then waited for all our team mates to return…the three teams finishing in: 43rd, 151st and 379th. Generally pretty strong but I had the feeling we all wanted to pull it out
the bag and do something incredible!! NEXT YEAR GUYS! :D 
We went back to the cabins, had food before leaving again to
watch the guys start at 11pm (although it was still light…so although impressive
not as good as it could have been in the dark with just the headlamps to see!)
I didn’t stay too long – well until two am – saw the first legs come back in
(and Jonny Crickmore, running for Ravinen - on the team for JWOC this year - too
did amazing coming in 32nd…someone’s going to do boss it at JWOC ;)). In the
morning I found out the boys first team came 25th!! TWENTY FIFTH!!
Out of 1631 teams! So they got to go to the
prize giving and got a small medal :) Jealoussss! We met the boys at the airport
before everyone flew off home :D Such a good weekend
and I’m so glad I joined Lillomarka…definitely the best foreign club out there
with the nicest people!
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