Many of our best runners have just departed / are about to depart overseas for Junior, University or elite World Championships.  Some early arrivals took the opportunity to race in Finland, including the prestigious Venla – Jukola Relays last weekend.   Following the races on live internet coverage, with cameras in the bush and GPS tracking on the maps made for entertaining watching, even from here.

Our women’s team, comprised of all elite runners, did exceedingly well both place and time wise.

Vanessa Round’s individual leg place of 59^th was our best.  She followed this up by filling in for a Finnish Jukola team the next day, and did well in running the longest leg (15.1km).  Anna Sheldon also ran first leg of Jukola for another team – energetic girls!

The men’s team had several last minute replacements subbed in and they sensibly led off with three elite runners before putting the veterans out on the shorter legs and having promising junior, Kasimir Gregory, run the long last leg.   Murray Scown and Ian Lawford ran outstandingly, with Ian having the long night leg.

WOC runners Julian Dent (42^nd) and David Brickhill-Jones (99^th) ran impressively for their respective Scandinavian clubs.

Venla women’s relay – 1,235 teams

1)      2.57        Halden (NOR)

2)      2.59        Paimion Rastii (FIN)

3)      2.55        OK Pan Arhus (DEN)

93)  3.38       AUSTRALIA

Leg    Win team         AUS       Leg place     Overall          Name

Kms      mins               time

5.4         38                    47.30     200                         200         Anna Sheldon

5.5         38                    47.09     133                         139         Laurina Neuman

6.9         46                    58.17     108                         117         Felicity Brown

8.1         54                    66.01     59                             93          Vanessa Round

Jukola men’s relay – 1650 teams

1)      7.56        Kalevan Rasti  (FIN)    Leg times were – 78, 74, 82, 47, 47, 59, 86

2)      8.04        Malungs (SWE)

3)      8.08        Halden (NOR)

278      AUSTRALIA

Leg    Win team         AUS       Leg place     Overall          Name

Kms      mins               time

12.7        78                   94           277                 277       Evan Barr

12.7        74                    89           121                174       Murray Scown

14.1         82               100             133                140       Ian Lawford

7.7         47               109             1,259             315       Nick Dent

8.1         47                   74           432                317        Anthony Cox

10.2         59                   93           406               318        Jim Russell

15.1        86                    123         244               278        Kasimir Gregory

Other Australian Runners

Julian Dent     Malungs 2                        Leg 7     99.40 mins  42 leg place  36^th team place

David Brickhill-Jones  Rasti-Kurikka   Leg 1   93.26       99th leg place  62^nd team place at end.

Vanessa Round                                      Leg 7   131 mins  373 leg place  373^rd team place

Anna Sheldon                                         Leg 1

130 mins  1035 leg place after starting at no 1605!

FINNISH  FORSSA GAMES middle length course

17 – Murray Scown          11 – Vanessa Round

24 – David B-Jones           27 – Anna Sheldon

32 – Evan Barr

64 – Kasimir Gregory

FINNISH Sprint

4 – David B-Jones             1 – Vanessa Round

11 – Murray Scown        11 – Anna Sheldon