Confident Orienteering

  MOM 2026, Leg 1 Analysis – Women’s Elite, Long Distance (Day 1) Let’s take a closer look at Leg 1 of the women’s elite course in the Long Distance race on Day 1 of the Maximus Orienteering Meeting 2026. At first glance, this is a long and visually intimidating leg. Right from the start, the course planner confronts us with complex relief and rocky terrain. Most likely, this leg was designed to make athletes hesitate. The immediate impression is that of a major climb, which may push competitors to look for “safer” route choices along the roads. In fact, some runners did exactly that, choosing longer but seemingly more comfortable options. However, if we analyse the leg more carefully, the picture changes. The direct option is clearly runnable. Despite the dense contour detail, there is actually very little climb. For most of the leg, we are moving downhill. The only real ascent is a short climb onto a large ridge — just 3–4 contour lines. After rounding it slightly, we remain...

 Following or Independent Racing? Share in the comments below how you feel when you catch up with a competitor who started before you — and then they follow you for the entire long distance, effectively relying on your navigation, even when you make a mistake. Based on the GPS tracking data, we can conclude that a similar situation occurred at MOM 2026 during the Long Distance race on Day 1. Pia Young Vik caught Eef Van Dongen before the first control, even though Eef had started three minutes earlier. From that point on, Eef appeared to run behind Pia for almost the entire race. Even during the five-minute mistake at Control 17, Eef followed Pia. Only near the very end of the course did she run independently.