Preview Sylvester 5 Days

Next week marks the start of the Sylvester 5 Days, an annual orienteering event held in Belgium and The Netherlands between Christmas and New Year. In the article of Liam you could already read the stage previews. This year’s edition promises thrilling competition, with exciting stages and an even more exciting line-up of participants. In this overview, we’ll have an interview with the course setter of the first stage, Simon Krekels and take a closer look at the top contenders in the women and men elite category. More information on the stages can be found on the site of Orienteering Vlaanderen.

Short stage overview and their difficulties

Stage 1 – Bosbergen West:
Hilly, physical first stage with plenty of green parts. Fast legs will come in handy.

Stage 2 – Sanicol:
A demanding stage requiring both technical and physical capabilities. Mistakes are easily made in this tricky terrain.

Stage 3 – Kattevenia:
Keep your head cool in the different types of terrain and you will master the forests of Kattevenia.

Stage 4 – De Winner:
This stage will test the versatility of the orienteers, with a mix of terrains that will challenge your adaptability.

Stage 5 – Galgenberg:
Very fast and open forest but also very technical small relief to decide the ultimate victor.

I asked the course setter of day 1, Simon Krekels, last years silver medalist a couple of questions about the first day and asked for some inside information.

1. What can the runners expect from the first stage next Thursday?
The first stage of the Sylvester 5 days will be a typical Sylvester race, to set the tone for what is to come. The map is mostly green and boasts an extremely dense path network. The terrain is part of what is called "De Kempense Heuvelrug" -- literally translated: The Campine Hill Range, and consists of a range of sand-dune hills. So expect green forest, lots of paths and lots of sand!

2. Will 1 mistake be the end of your race or is there any opportunity to take some time back?
Given the dense path network, BIG mistakes seem unlikely in the elite classes; the winner will likely have shaved off the most seconds by being a master of the greens.

3. Can you give us a little tip about the course setting?
Typical Sylvester course setting: there WILL be a long leg and there WILL be a lot of path running.

4. Who will win in the elite categories?
I dare not point fingers and name names! But looking at the start list it seems there will be several contenders for the top spot. In ME the race will be quite tight, with local legend Warre De Cuyper, who will have to come out of his pipe (as they say in Flemish) to keep his challengers behind him. I have heard rumours that some other runners have set their sights specifically on this race! For WE, the start field is a bit more compact with quite some international names. We will see!

Women’s competition:

Last year it came down to a close fight between 3 women for the podium. Anna Moilanen, a Finnish runner won E1 and E5 and also the overall. Iva Kavankova, a Czech runner won the second stage but lost a bit too much time on the first and last stage. The Belgian Greet Oeyen won the 2 most technical stages E3 and E4 but lost time on the rest of the stages. The women had respectively 3961, 3917 and 3890 points so a very close battle. Will there again be a big fight for the victory this year?

Top contenders:

3 stars - ***

Corina Hüni (Switzerland)
Is a strong elite runner living in Sweden. Having multiple top 10 places in Swiss championships and some great international results she is a big contender for the victory this year. She became 4th on the world university champs middle and 6th on Swiss championship long this year. She is ranked 127th on the IOF world ranking. Best result internationally: 4th JWOC middle 2021, 24th World cup long 2023. With such a record, you’re certainly favourite for Sylvester 5 days.

Eva Örnhagen Jorgensen (Denmark)
Is a promising elite runner living in Sweden. Ran EOC this year, finishing 41th in the middle distance. Ran also multiple JWOC’s with numerous top 50 last years. She’s a really promising young runner but can she master the Belgian terrains? She wont run the last day meaning she has to perform every day at her best level!

2 stars - **

Greet Oeyen (Belgium)
Is a technical runner who still has really good physical capabilities. Won the Sylvester 5 Days several times in the past. Look out for her on stage 2 and 5! She won silver in middle and gold in night at this year’s Belgian champs.

Violette Dupuy (France)
Is a French junior runner. 3th at French championship long in W20 this year. Won 3 stages in D21 last year. 10th at JEC long and 8th at JEC middle last year in Belgium. The terrain will be totally different but has shown some potential in the past.

Lisa Hubmann (Switzerland)
Is last year Swiss junior runner. Ran JWOC in 2023 with a 25th place on the long distance. She won Sylvester D20 last year where she won all five stages. Her speed last year was often only 10 to 20”/km slower than in the elite category and should be a dark horse for a podium spot.

1 star - *

Outsider for the podium are Ems de Smul (really technical runner, doesn’t run day 3, questions about her current form but she has “de Smul blood”), Rahel Good (Swiss junior from 2007, 4th on EYOC long this year), Victoria Stevens (British runners, having some good results in international stage competitions)

 

Men’s Competition:

In the men’s race last year, Benjamin Anciaux dominated, winning four stages and the overall title. Simon Krekels won one stage and secured silver overall. The German Christoph Prunsche took third place. Krekels and Prunsche won’t compete this year. Anciaux will, but he is injured and maybe won’t run everything and not at competion speed. This year the field is stacked with a lot of possibilities for the podium.

Top Contenders:

3 stars - ***

Joschi Smid (Switserland)
Is a really strong junior runner. Some excellent results at JWOC: 7th at long distance in 2023, 12th at long distance in 2024, 13th at middle distance in 2023. Silver at relay in 2023. He has both the speed and technical capabilities to go for the podium this year.

Wouter Hus (Belgium)
Is one of Belgium’s top sprinters with some really great results at the international top level in sprint at WOC and World cup’s. But he also showed some things in the forest (namely in Belgium). Won Sylvester in 2022 (before last year winner Anciaux) and won some Belgian and Flemish titles in the last few years. When the terrain is fast, Wouter will be there but he has to keep his nerves under control in the technical parts.

2 stars - ***

Adam Zridkavesely (Czech Republic)
Is a strong junior. He ran JWOC and the 2 sprint world cups in Italy and Switzerland this year. 35th at JWOC long distance in his home country. He has the potential to challenge for a podium spot.

Liam Thiels (Belgium)
Is a senior runner, he performs best in sprint distance. 3th at Veluwe WRE event, only 3 min after winner Yannick Michiels. After a short talk with Thiels, I came with the conclusion that he would like to be the dark horse for the podium. He’ll get everyone when no one expects it. I wanted to give him 3 stars but he said I wasn’t allowed.

Michael van Baelen (Belgium)
Is a senior runner living in North-Macedonia. Ran the Mediterranean championships begin November with a 17th place at long distance and 15th place at middle distance. There are questions about his current form, but has certainly the talent to fight for the podium.

1 star - *

Jeroen Hoekx (consistent performer, 8th last year), Nico Ceunen (strong runner, with a specialty in Flanders terrain), Benjamin Anciaux (injured but mentioning worthy), Olle Bergstedt (real Swedish forest runner), Michael Imhof (Swiss runner, 19th at Austrian championship middle), Brent Vleugels (7th at Belgian Middle championship this year and often just outside top 5 on important competitions, 10th last year).

 

Other notable mentions:

On day 1 and 4 we have to look out for Warre De Cuyper, both his kind of forest terrain (however he is a sprinter by heart). Especially on day 1 were the competition centre is almost in his backyard, he is one of the favorites. On day 5 Rune de Clercq will try to take advantage of the fatigue of the other competitors in a terrain that suits him very well in The Netherlands. On the other side we have his eternal rival and your reporter Jorn Kennis who will make his forest comeback after an injury on day 2. Corneel Casier will only run day 1 and Arno Keuppens (our night specialist) will run day 1 and 5.

Most of Belgium’s juniors and young seniors will be absent, focusing on their January exams. However, the battle in the under-18 categories promises to be fierce!

The 2024 Sylvester 5 Days is shaping up to be an exciting competition, with a mix of experienced elites and rising stars. Stay tuned as the action unfolds across five challenging stages with the first stage next Thursday.