One month prior to the ordinary entry deadline we’re closing in on 5000 entries
Friday’s race has now passed the 1000-mark, and together with Saturday seem to be the races with most participants.
As soon as the spectator races are done at Mørk on Saturday, we’re up for some thrilling WOC relays. Among those who’ll combine racing and watching the WOC relays are several previous relay world champions.
Christian Aebersold from Switzerland has entered the M55 at the spectator race. In 1991 Norway was denied six contiguous men’s relay golds when mr. Aebersold fought down Håvard Tveite on the last lap. He went on to win two more relay golds in 1993 and 1995, and now he’s back to take part of the WOC 2019 fun along with thousands of others.
Brit Volden secured gold for Norway at the WOC relay in 1987. During WOC 2019 she will run W55 at the spectator race on Saturday, ready for a perfect way of rounding off a hopefully successful championship.
A third relay world champion attending is Sigurd Dæhli, who ran the last lap when Norway started a golden decade in 1981. Even though he’s probably excited of running M65 at the spectator race, we bet he is even more excited to see if his son Magne will succeed in winning his fourth relay gold medal at the men’s relay. And there will be many Norwegians hoping for the same present on the evening of August 17th.
With a number of international entries in the spectator races, all the national teams will have good support during the relay as well.
The organisers promise an exciting week during WOC 2019, for past and present national team runners and orienteers at any level alike. Not to mention the possibilities for great leisure time experiences.
There will be a sprint race in connection with the opening ceremony in Sarpsborg on Monday, followed by a middle-distance race in Varteig Tuesday and Mørk on Wednesday. Thursday the spectator races head to Fredrikstad, and Mørk again on Friday. The last day there will be a long-distance at Mørk. On Friday the junior elite classes have a mass start and finish inside the WOC arena.
The WOC schedule contains an opening ceremony on Monday, middle qualification on Tuesday, long-distance finals on Wednesday and middle finals on Friday. On Saturday WOC is closed up with the relays. The spectator races will be in proximity and partly overlapping the WOC competition areas. The spectators can easily combine racing and following the WOC excitement up close
