Posted by Sari
My friend Taru's hobby is Enduro. Personally, I think she is bonkers but in a totally admirable 'OMG how on earth does she do it' kind of way. I am dogsitting for her this week-end because she is taking part in "Päijänteen Ympäriajo", a three-day classic race which apparently is held at this time of the year because the weather conditions are the worst possible. The history of the competition is called "Wet and Cold. Sixty times around Lake Päijänne". The contestants are usualy so covered in mud you can't really tell who is who at the finish.
This time this is especially true. There is more snow, water, sleet, mud on top of frozen groud, just plain mud and did I mention sleet and mud than previously, the spring being late.
We went to see her off and checked out a time-trial in Sipoo. When we piled back into the nice warm car on our way back to Helsinki it started to rain sleet. Taru continued to the next time-trial. In the dark. While it was raining. Over two hundred participants began the race, four of them Women. Did I tell you she is mad?
Hauskinta Päitsissä on tietysti niillä noin yhdeksän vuoden ikäisillä paikalliskatsojilla, jotka ovat muutaman edellisen viikon ajan rakentaneet metsäojiin patoja saaden ylityspaikat tulvimaan oikein kunnolla! Ah, kultainen lapsuus...
Posted by: Teemu | April 01, 2006 at 10:52
We are pround to announce that Taru did (again) marvellously well - she was the only woman competing in the 'proper' classes (as opposed to the hobbyists' class) and in her engine-class (C4) 13 blokes bowed out in the middle of the race and Taru was 16th of the 18 who finished. Hooray!! She was also in a pretty good nick at the finish - able to talk and stand and smile and all that...
Posted by: Mekku | April 02, 2006 at 18:59