The first trainings of our team took place in Lidecko.
July 30, 2007 ...by Jan Sidla
Thinking of the Czech Elite Series in 2003, Lidecko only means pain and tears. Why is hardly anybody able to forget?
Because of the tough terrain, oppressive weather, insensitive course setter and heroic winners, of course.
As far as I can remember, the long distance was a madness in that scorching June of 2003 and I can't recall much of it.
On the middle distance, Michal Horacek, one of the toughest Czech runners ever pushed the time under 36 minutes on this 5.9km long course.
He won clearly, 96 seconds ahead of Michal Smola and 120 seconds ahead of Tomas Dlabaja.
Four years later I was back with my own course.
It measured exactly 5km and offered only 17 control (but what a job to set them out), some of them with road options to change the speed.
Considering the terrain, the 200 meters climbing was not too much.
My estimation was 7 minute per kilometre for Michal Smola, 35 minutes together that is.
One thing I hadn't reckon with was the undergrowth near to yellow areas. It was far out of boundaries and few of my controls were hard to reach.
For example control number 4. In the end, Michal made it under 38 minutes, Evzen gave up and I finished exhausted in 44 minutes.
Times reached on the sprint were all right, we all made it between 12 and 14 minutes.
The weakness of the course was its middle-likeness.
Just take the 7th control. It is not a very typical sprint control, is it? Not to mention that I set the stripe on a wrong ditch which isn't on the map.
So, guys sorry, I learned my lesson. Well yes, but Lidecko only means pain and tears.
Many thanks to VIZ.
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