Kalevi Ilonen, the competition director of the Porvoo Jukola relay, estimates that this year’s event will have the third largest group of participants ever.
The traditional orienteering Jukola relay will be contested this coming weekend in the scenery of Porvoo. Leader of the competition Kalevi Ilonen says that the total number of orienteers will be more than 18,000.
– There has been more in Jukola’s messages from Lahti and Kangasala. We are perhaps the third largest Jukola at the moment, says Ilonen.
More than 20,000 orienteers had signed up for the big event organized in Kangasala four years ago.
The organizers of the Jukola relay to Porvoo were expecting up to 20,000 orienteers.
– There have been various events here, which must have made a bit of a mess. However, the goal has been achieved. We are quite satisfied with the number of participants.
According to Ilonen, a large population does not cause impossible challenges. The event is organized in the village of Epoo, 10 kilometers southeast of Porvoo.
– We have free electric bus transportation from Porvoo. In that, we think a little about what the distribution of people is. The guides have so much to do, so I believe that most of them will come with their own cars.
Self-preservation instinct
Intense heat is predicted for the rest of the week. This has been taken into account in Jukola.
– There are drink points both in the terrain and in the competition area. We have the advantage of being connected to the municipal water supply network. Porvoon Vesi supplies us with water. There is no shortage of water if the well pumps just work.
However, the competition director has a wish for the orienteers who will be there.
– If people have an instinct for self-preservation, it is understood that fluid balance is taken care of. Someone who starts as an extreme athlete can forget about it. We emphasize that competitors take care of their fluid balance.