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Swiss 5-Day, day 1, 1980, M35

Map is 1:15,000, hard to read, just as it was then on a dark and rainy day. Far from a perfect run, but everyone had problems and it turned out to be the best time by 2 seconds, with third place one more second behind. First win in Europe! Finished 5th overall for 5 days. The week before, first time in Europe in M35, I'd been 2nd at a 3-day near Paris. This was a lot more fun than coming in near the end of M21.

Just before the 5-Day I decided that I was having trouble sometimes reading the map, so I bought a Recta compass that had a big magnifying bubble on the front of it, the type you just put right on the map and the focus is perfect. On this day, with this map, I'm sure it saved me at least a couple of minutes.

I also learned, if I didn't already know, that you always finish as fast as you can because you never know how fast the others are. I busted my tail on this run-in, including going right over a guy who fell just as we came out of the woods (I don't think I actually stepped on him). Seconds do count.

Map and results are below, also a blown-up version of the map to show what it might have looked like with the magnifier.