Explore Sweden

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Five gearboxes … two fleece … one decision

Susan McKenzie / 13.05.2005

Scissors and contact paper in hand, SOLE Custom Footbeds’ Karen Lundgren pieces the maps together like so many big pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

“That green line is there on that map, and, okay, here it is on this one,� she says as she pours over the 1:100,000 colour maps that make up the course.

This is SOLE’s second Explore Sweden, and the America/Australian is so much the wiser because of that. “And last year we didn’t put the maps together before the race. We did it out on the course and that was not good. Okay, these pieces kind of match,� Lundgren says as she fits two more sections together.

“The course looks well set up,� Holofiber’s Lawrence Foster says as he sews gaiters into his racing shoes. “There are short sections with lots of transition areas, which are good in a cold race like this. More TAs means more places to warm up and get dry clothes. The only problem is that there are more TAs than we have clothes, which means we have to pick and choose what to pack in which gearbox.�

This sentiment was echoed around the room, as racers poured over maps, methodically plotting checkpoints and transition areas, gauging river depths (and freezing points) and speculating on route choices. There are five TAs in the race, but all the gearboxes won’t be going to all the TAs. Quite the contrary: in most cases teams will only see each gearbox once.

Planning your gear is always critical in a race, but in this cold, wet race, gearbox strategy will be vital. Gear will be an issue here.See All Event Posts