The Road to JWOC 2026, #2 (Long Distance)
Short Leg 1: what to do
In the previous post in this series, we identified—based on the terrain characteristics and extensive experience from many previous competitions in this area—that a short first leg with complex navigation is highly likely.
In this post, we focus on what exactly to do in such a situation.
Let us begin by explaining why we are specifically discussing short first legs.
If the first leg is longer, it will most likely intersect paths, as this terrain is full of paths of different types. In that case, an athlete has several safety options:
– choosing a detour along paths;
– or navigating less precisely on a bearing, deliberately aiming off early to hit a path and then restoring exact position while running along it.
https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/JVM-test-lang/D20?classId=392774&live=false&tab=player
In such scenarios, the initial nervousness and uncertainty at the beginning of the course are resolved relatively quickly and have less impact on the precision of the control approach.
However, when anticipating short, technically demanding navigation at the very start of the race, one often hears coaches telling their athletes things like:
“Be careful at the beginning,” “Slow down,” “Don’t rush.”
The brain still does not receive clear commands on what to do.
After such advice, athletes tend to make the same mistakes as before — only slightly more slowly.
What is required instead are clear, pre-defined solutions for the most common scenarios.
We will look at those scenarios below.
First, however, it is important to emphasise that for short first legs, developing step-by-step responses to likely situations is especially critical due to pre-start stress.
This is even more true at a key event such as JWOC, where every athlete finds themselves in an unfamiliar psychological situation.
Additionally, you will be starting after time spent in quarantine. For some athletes, this may mean several hours of waiting.
We will address this topic in more detail in a later post in The Road to JWOC 2026 series.
So, what scenarios are likely?
It is very probable — and this is exactly what I would do as a course planner — that the distance from the start to the point where real navigation begins will be short.
Eighty metres is more than enough, considering the competition format and the limited number of athletes in the start corridor — you will be at the start line alone.
The “−2 minutes” start line may be placed several tens of metres away from the actual start line.
At the start line, there will be a TV camera focused on you.
Most likely, there will be live broadcasting to multiple countries.
You will have a GPS tracker on your back, showing your movement in real time.
This creates additional psychological pressure, especially if you are not used to it, making the start of the course even more demanding.
In addition to the short distance to the navigation start point, I would expect that this section will not follow a path, but rather a marked route through the forest.
This is a common approach among Swedish course planners.
While running through the marked start section — jumping over fallen trees (yes, they will not be removed), avoiding branches and bushes — you are unlikely to quickly identify the start triangle on the map.
(There are techniques to do this faster — follow my posts, I will cover them.)
As a result, when you reach the point where navigation actually begins, you may not yet realise that the first leg is short.
This is where a strict rule must apply:
If you do not have a clear plan for the leg — do not take a single step from the flag in the centre of the start triangle.
Not one metre. Not half a metre.
Your brief stop will not be noticed by spectators in the live broadcast.
A 3–5 minute mistake, however, most certainly will.
Continuing further.
Considering the large number of participants — around 200 athletes per class — I do not expect the first leg to be extremely short (100–150 metres) or strictly straight on a bearing.
With so many runners, clear tracks will quickly form, and later starters would simply be able to follow these newly created paths.
For this reason, the first leg is more likely to be around 300–350 metres and to involve micro route choices — different ways of executing the leg.
The control point will most likely be placed on a small feature, such as a knoll, a boulder, or a small marsh.
It will not be located on the top of a major hill.
https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/Varracet-lang/D21?classId=912019&live=false&tab=player
Instead, the control feature is likely to be positioned on a shallow slope or in a relatively flat area, with limited visibility, requiring a precise bearing for the final approach.
The simplest scenario is when the start of the course is located on a path, and that path runs roughly along the leg direction.
In this case, I recommend using the path but defining in advance a clear feature where you will leave the path.
Here, it is critical to run all the way to that chosen feature.
https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/Varracet-lang/D21?classId=565145&live=false&tab=player
Do not leave the path early out of impatience.
Leaving too soon often introduces uncertainty and doubt, which then negatively affects the precision of navigation further along the leg.
In many cases, this leads to hesitation when you reach the first distinct features after leaving the path.
The most likely scenario, in my view, however, is that the start of the course will not be on a path.
The feature at the centre of the start triangle will likely be something like:
– the top of a small hill,
– a stone on a slope,
– or a small clearing, or so.
https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/Swedish-League-2-medel-med-Varracet-lang/H21-Elit-2?classId=64242&live=false&tab=player
https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/JVM-test-lang/D20?classId=392774&live=false&tab=player
In this situation, you will not have linear features that allow for easy map orientation without a compass, as would be the case with a path.
👉 Use your compass to orient the map properly!!
At this point, having a clear plan is essential — but not sufficient.
It is equally important that the visible terrain around you matches exactly the picture you have built from the map.
All features must be in their expected positions.
A crucial part of the plan is the selection of a Key Landmark from which you will begin the final approach to the control.
(More detail on Key Landmarks can be found in Confident Orienteering, Book 2 – Planning Reliable Routes.)
I do not expect this landmark to be a large or dominant feature.
This could be:
– a higher hill,
– a small open clearing,
– or a distinct small marsh (especially if it is open).
If, however, a larger feature is available close to the leg line, it is usually the best option to use it.
The route may pass through two or three such collectiong features before reaching the control, requiring direction changes at each one.
And of course, don’t forget to monitor the distance covered.
https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/Varracet-medel/D18?classId=911981&live=false&tab=player
https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/Varracet-lang/H18?classId=565152&live=false&tab=player
In areas with dense vegetation, it is particularly important that the very first steps on a bearing are taken in the correct direction.
All examples are taken from Livelox under the Sweden tag, hosted by the club Orion (no time limit).
https://www.livelox.com/?tab=allEvents&timePeriod=allTime&country=SWE&q=orion&sorting=relevance
✅ Summary for Navigating Short Leg 1 (Mini Guide)
– Before reaching the start triangle, try to identify it on the map and plan the leg as early as possible.
– If this has not been done, stop at the centre of the start triangle.
– From the centre of the triangle, ensure that the visible terrain features fully match your expectations from the map before starting to move.
– If a useful linear feature is available, it can be beneficial to use it — but always assess whether it leads to a more complex control approach (for example, through green vegetation).
– Movement from the centre of the triangle must only begin with a clear plan and with precise execution of bearings to the selected features (when not running along a path).
Aleksandr Alekseyonok, January 11, 2026
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