O-Ringen Magazine, nr 1 2024

» Arena DÖDERHULTSDALEN
STAGE 4 MIDDLE DISTANCE
Friday July 26 th 2024
STAGE 5 LONG DISTANCE
Saturday July 27 th 2024
» Arena DÖDERHULTSDALEN
The arena for the final two stages is located right
next to the O-Ringen campsite in Döderhultsdalen.
Close by and easy to get to for everyone
staying there.
STAGE 4
MIDDLE DISTANCE
STAGE 5
LONG DISTANCE
Photo: Cornelia Höglind.
Stage 4 will be held north of Oskarshamn, right next
to the edge of town and with many paths of all sizes.
Runnability is good and there is no felling in the
competition area. The terrain is moderately hilly, with
quite sharp, detailed hills. Lots of paths and other details
means you have to keep contact with the map to avoid
silly mistakes. A good area for a tricky middle distance.
The area includes both a high-level adventure course and a frisbee
golf course, which are passed by most courses during this stage,
with the exception of the shortest courses. The courses finish by
going down a slalom hill. The ski run isn’t as long as those last year
but still offer a fast finish into the last control.
Interview with course setter Tony Lövdahl
What can competitors expect from Stage 4? What’s special?
– Stage 4 is near the coast, with lots of features. It’s next to a
residential area, which means there are many roads and paths.
Competitors will have to do a lot of fine navigation, says Tony.
What is the most challenging
aspect of this terrain?
– The biggest challenge here
is orienteering accurately
through the hills. Taking
time to find the quickest
micro-route choices and
avoiding silly mistakes will
always pay off, says Tony.
What’s your advice for
orienteering well here and
what should competitors
be practising?
– To succeed on Stage 4, it’s very important
to maintain map contact.
Losing focus for even just a short time could result in big time
losses. In particular, keep track of where you are when you go up
onto the hilltops, concludes Tony.
The final stage will take place north-west of Oskarshamn
and the terrain has a different character to that of stages
3 and 4. Small, complex hill formations are mixed with
flatter and vaguer areas. This stage mostly features open
pine forest crossed by some forest roads and a diffuse
path network. You’ll find runnable hilltops mixed with
denser, younger coniferous plantation, as well as open,
managed forest of varying runnability.
Despite being less hilly, this area will offer plenty of challenges. In the
vaguer areas with limited visibility it’s important to take careful bearings
and use the features that are there, otherwise it can be easy to lose
time. Most courses finish by crossing a hilltop with more deciduous
trees that limit visibility, before heading down the steep hillside, which
is stony in places. They then cross a meadow normally used to exercise
horses. The last kilometre uses the same bit of forest used at the end of
Stage 4, with lots of paths and other features. There will be many small
hills and short, steep slopes, where spending a few extra seconds on
route choices and map reading could well pay off. From the pre-warning
to the finish there will be fast running across open fields and past
the ski hill, with open views over the finish arena.
Interview with course setter Lennart Kalén
What can competitors expect from Stage 5? What’s special?
– The Stage 5 terrain has a different character to stages 3 and 4.
Here, the small, complex hill shapes are interspersed with vaguer,
flat areas. The forest is more managed here, meaning runnability is
more varied, answers Lennart.
What is the most challenging aspect of this terrain?
– Make sure you check your bearings carefully in the vaguer areas
with poorer visibility, otherwise it’s easy to lose a lot of time. In
the final part you’ll find yourself in an area with many features,
especially lots of small, steep-sided hills. Take extra care with
map-reading and route choices here, says Lennart.
What’s your advice for orienteering well
here and what should competitors be practising?
– To give yourself the best chance on Stage 5, like always, take
care when following your compass and slow down to read the
clear features on the way into each control. Again, as always, train
to be able to run strongly through the forest. Even though the area
isn’t all that hilly, the undulating terrain will sap your
energy, finishes Lennart.
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