Jukola/Venla'17 OKZK sastāvā

Thursday evening, June 15^th, on the bus en route to Estonia, I asked myself – What am I doing here? And memories from a year ago came flooding.

It was a warm summer’s day, when I received a call from Elizabete Vimba asking me: “Elīna, you coming to Jukola?” Honestly, at the time, I had no idea what it even was, I asked and found out that these kinds of relays are very “fun” and that OKZK is missing one girl. I accepted the offer to join them as it had been a while since last riding a boat and not to mention orienteering in Scandinavia. Despite the wet weather, I felt very at ease with the new team since first stepping onto the bus. I got to know them better and I immediately decided that I’ll be joining them next year here as well. Who says that you can’t switch teams occasionally?

And so, it all began – with last year’s Jukola Relay – I signed up to run, but I ended up on a bus to Tallinn, sleeping laid out over the 5-seater at the back of the bus. We reached the city a little earlier than planned, so we got to check out the harbor. Once we got on our ship, time flew away and we got to witness an amazing sunrise, which was followed by a 400km ride, which led to the epicenter of the race. Weather was nice, the mosquitos were not, but complaining about them seemed lame, as I was in Jukola, with a fabulous orienteering team, doing what I love.

The morning of the Venla Relay started with a hearty breakfast and lots of mental preparation – “Just don’t get the ‘disc’!” The last directions and I’m already standing at the start. Church bells are tolling, and many women of wildly varying ages are running by, I’m loudly supporting every Latvian I manage to notice while preparing myself to represent the 2^nd team of the 2^nd part. I jog a bit, enter the start corridor with the Auseklis girls, we realize that we don’t understand the scores at all, so we are earnestly warming-up at the hand-off point. Who knows how long my girls will be running?

An hour goes by, the fastest girls have been in the woods for a while already. No sign of our 1^st team. I am becoming increasingly worried and paranoid, I go through all the scenarios – “what if they’re already out and are looking me?” And as I’m psyching myself out, the girls from Auseklis are yelling that my team is arriving. I turn around and I’m staring at Aiva’s exhausted expression. She hands the race to Beta and I get the opportunity for a quick interview. “So, what’s the terrain like? Where’s Inese? How was it? Did you get hot? I was worried about y’all!” I got advice to be careful (is that something new to anyone orienteering?) and to wait for Inese cause not Now, all I had to was to wait patiently. 2 minutes felt 10 times longer, but I waited and waited and when Inese arrived, I congratulated her on the run, thanked her for the map and ran off. Crossing the bridge and entering the woods, determined to do the best I can. While trying to understand the bizarre map, I hear Aigars cheering me on and that helps.

Getting to the first control is a breeze, I jog into the woods, I choose a safe route, follow it and the control happens to be exactly where it’s supposed to be. I meet a girl in a neon yellow shirt asking me in desperation if perhaps we’re going to same control next. I peek at her map and say that if she wants, she can follow me. I am the hero; I feel responsibility weighing me down on the way to the second control. After that, the third, the fourth and the fifth get briskly checked off and I continue with caution. Running the road for the longer distance, I don’t know why, safety first, I guess, I realized afterward that had I ran the “ideal” route I would’ve shaved a couple of minutes off the final time, but you live and you learn. I finally reach my favorite part of the distance – the hydration station. I continue with water slushing around in my abdomen, realizing that I’m seeing a lot of rocks around I feel more secure. My relationship with rocks is truly strange, whenever I am running a distance and I notice a boulder, I look at the map and know immediately where I am and where I need to go next. Is it magic? Maybe. But I knew for sure that this leg will be the one for me. And so, it was, except for a small half-minute mistake looking for the radio point. But I recovered. I continued onto to the 100^th control, which surprisingly wasn’t the last. The following ones were much easier, as I could hear the commentator’s voice in the distance, which cheered me on even a little more than that hydration station 15 minutes ago. I conquer the last kilometer, staring at the map and then at my feet switching intermittently, trying to run a little faster than my body allows, quietly murmuring the number of the next control to myself for motivation. When I realized that I was tired I realized that I’m also en route to the next checkpoint, checkpoint number 888. I’ve always enjoyed counting the meters til the finish. This time, however, I shuddered at the thought of going on for half a kilometer more. I force my body to get it together and to pull through. After the last 550meters, I’m handing in my control card. But wait! That’s not all! I had forgotten that I must hand Daiga her map, I must run back to the control with the same number as mine. I run towards the 500s while trying to figure out what I have written on my chest. 89? Oh wait, it’s upside down! 568 is where I need to go. I find it, I rip it and I run to Daiga. Luckily, I had no difficulties finding her, and I hand the fate of the whole team to her.

The hardest of Jukola has ended for me. Tired, I head to control card check. Hearing the judge declare that everything is OK, I am elated. I’ve done good, Mārtiņš congratulates me, I ask him about Beta, she has just finished. Finally, I get to take off my running shoes, coming eye to eye with a decent-sized blister at the base of foot. It’s nothing, at least I’ll have a little memory of this event for a little while. At a warm down speed, I’m heading back to get with the rest of my team, remembering to hand a control card to Anita, aka the 4^th leg of our race. I reach them and find out that she has already left, having ensured herself with a card. Good, now all that’s left is wishing luck onto the rest of the girls, to whom this adventure is still in the future.

Having bounced back and told everybody about my achievements, I go on to spectate the men’s start, which was impressive. Sadly, I wasn’t one of the night spectators, following the rankings throughout the night, a headache put me to rest for the night. Sunday morning was spent getting ready for departure. Again, the 400km through the Finnish wilderness, then onto the ship, then breakfast in Salacgrīva at 3AM. Stepping off the bus I realize that I have finished a Jukola. 😊