Skip to main content

Left, Right, or Straight: Leg Analysis #20 part 1


Left, Right, or Straight: Leg Analysis #20

Part 1.

Today we’ll take a closer look at leg 9–10 from the M18 long course at the Baltic Junior Cup, held on October 25, 2025, in Estonia.

https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/Baltic-Junior-Cup-2025-long-M/M18?classId=1074541&live=false&tab=duel&leg=10

 I believe the right-hand route was the winning one. 

In the M18 category, the course leaders didn’t take it.
The map shows the route of the leg leader and the overall course leader Simon Hector. The second route belongs to an Estonian athlete Villem Piirimäe who was consistently slower throughout the course. By Control 9, he was already near 15 minutes behind.

However, on this leg, he lost only 17 seconds. Up to the trail-contour crossing, the difference was just 7 seconds. Another 6 seconds were lost on the common uphill section.


Now take a look at a duel between two athletes with roughly equal speed on this course. The right-hand route is again taken by Villem Piirimäe (overall 16th), while the straight route was chosen by Wilhelm Westström (overall 10th). The right-hand route turned out to be at least 30 seconds faster.



In the M16 category, the same leg appeared as leg 6–7. And in this class most of the leaders took the right-hand route.

Tijus Jokubauskis (overall 3rd) and Lars Anders Luiks (overall 4th) — the right-hand route was 32 seconds faster than the straight one.


This leg is very interesting for a more detailed analysis. I’ll be posting further route comparisons in parts — stay tuned!

And if you're looking for a deeper dive into orienteering technique — especially if you're interested in how to achieve consistent, high-level performance in navigation — check out my books Confident Orienteering.
Book 1: Fundamentals
Book 2: Palnning Reliable Routes

Aleksandr Alekseyonok, November 14, 2025.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

  Case Study #4 Case: You ran onto a narrow ride slightly below its end and are unsure which of several similar rides you are on.   Solution: In this situation, the relief profile can assist us. Even if the rides themselves appear similar, the relief profile along each ride differs , providing valuable clues for accurate positioning. This approach is discussed in Chapter 3 ( Using All the Indicators for Confident Positioning ) of the book Planning Reliable Routes . It demonstrates that relief can be used not only when we are uncertain about our current location , but also proactively during route planning . By analysing the map in advance, we can identify segments where linear features intersect with relief forms , creating distinct and easily recognisable points. These can serve as reliable positioning features . Additionally, flat areas and transitions between slopes and level terrain can also support effective location verification. (Example taken from my book Plann...
Post a Comment
Read more

New o-book is coming this fall!

  New O-Book Coming This Fall! Confident Orienteering: A Systematic Approach to Minimising Errors Book 1: Fundamentals was released in October 2023 and has already been translated into seven languages , alongside the original English edition. With 8 chapters and 140 pages, it introduced the core concepts of the author's navigation system — and I’m still amazed at how warmly it was received by orienteers around the world. 🌍 As we continued working on the next part of this practical guide, it became clear that the project had grown into something much bigger — not least because of the sheer number of examples and illustrations included throughout (around 250 in total!). To make the material easier to absorb, we’re now leaning towards splitting it into two volumes , each with its own clear focus. This isn’t a final decision yet, and even the titles below are working titles — but right now, this structure feels like the most reader-friendly option: 📖 Book 2 (working title...
Post a Comment
Read more

Left, Right, or Straight: Leg Analysis #21

  Left, Right, or Straight: Leg Analysis #21 Today we will take a look at Leg 5–6 from the M18 Long Distance course at the   Novembertävlingarna, lång event (23.11.2025) Organising club Tullinge SK (Sweden) In the M18 class, the most successful route choices used a less distinct path running between the hills. In general, the approach to the control could be planned either contouring around the hillside or crossing over the top . This decision largely influenced the entire route choice on this leg. Interestingly, both of these approaches were used by the fastest runners on this leg (Carl-Meijer Axelsson and Jonathan Enarsson) — and both produced very similar results . The athlete who placed 3rd on this leg - Ivar Nordberg (and eventually 3rd overall ) most likely made a mistake. After reaching the top of the hill , he deviated down toward the open field — a move that doesn't seem justified. Most likely, he lost direction while descending the slope. This leg also ...
Post a Comment
Read more