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Division 1: divided

Sat 01:15. 1x 📷. Posted by Chloe Woodburn - IB Marketing Officer.

Division 1

Here, the race gets interesting! It’s no longer just about which team is fastest on their feet - throughout Inward Bound, good route choice can make a world of difference.

Good route choice is very complex. The best route for one team may be a poor route choice for another. There are a few factors to consider:

  • What is the difficulty of the navigation? If a team is confident navigating through a tricky area, they might choose a shorter route with difficult navigation. If a team is less confident, a longer route that’s easier to navigate could make more sense

  • What is the elevation profile like and how is the elevation spread throughout the course? Some teams will be fast on flats, and prefer a longer, flatter route. Others may embrace the hills, and favour shorter, hillier courses. Teams may prefer to have an uphill slope at the end, when they may be walking anyway, or they may plan their route so they get more elevation decline towards the end, so it’s easier to move faster when they’re tired.

  • Are there any aspects of the terrain that may be particularly physically or mentally challenging? Maybe you want to get the climb out of the way at the start, or maybe you know that starting with a big hill will ruin you for the rest of the run

These are things a team should discuss before they commence the event.

Now, Division 1 is looking very interesting at the moment because we’re seeing a near-perfect split: five teams have headed east, and four have headed south.

Behind the scenes, we think that east is the better option. It’s shorter, though admittedly, will involve more difficult navigation. Let’s see how each team’s decisions pan out.

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