Friday evening in front of an excellent mug of beer, our friend Silvia Hanusova who collaborates with the organization of the 37th edition of Dudinska Patdesiatka confessed that for them the next day would be the first experience with the Per Lane Rule.
In Slovakia this new rule had never been applied.
The next morning we immediately go to that area to see how the friends of the organization had solved the problem that was most dear to them, since the path to Dudince is not very wide.
The choice of the Pit Lane Area had fallen into a sufficiently wide space that led to a parking lot of a condominium, which had been evacuated for the occasion: the media power of an international competition in a context of a spa town succeeded in that that elsewhere would have been almost impossible.
A well-defined space, with a table with five stopwatches and a clock and a nice lady involved in this task.
More in the chair with five or six blankets.
Let's reflect for a moment, but we do not remember having ever seen some blankets in the Pit Lane Area.
Today, however, we imagine will be useful, since the temperature at 8:00 is just +0.5°C and humidity is close to 73%.
If some 50km athlete were to be stopped in the first two hours of the 50km walk inside the Pit Lane Area for the 5 minutes required by the rule, he would have some problems later to continue: this is what the blankets should serve.
We confess that we had not thought about it.
8:00: departure
8:18: here is the fateful moment. The third red card has arrived (the one that triggers Pit Lane). Everything's ready.
8:20: countermand companions. We will not do anything because our friends judges have already thought of the fourth and then the fifth red card. The athlete is definitely stopped shortly thereafter.
8:59: now probably we are. Meanwhile, the temperature has risen to around 3°C and the humidity has dropped to around 45%, but it is raising a breeze (2m/s) quite annoying. The blankets: that's what they were for.
9:06: the number 41 enters the Pit Lane Area, almost apologizing, he covers himself with a blanket and waits for 4 minutes as it will then have to go out to complete its 35km. which will complete in 3:02:57
10:11: everything is ready to let the first athlete of the U18 into the penalty age, but also in this case, before he passes in front of the station the judges send two other red cards.
10:30: begin the ten minutes more intense for the operator, who still does not know, while preparing to receive the number 101 (his penalty is 1 minute). It's just in time to get out that
10:36: shoulder to shoulder the first (number 102) and the second (number 103) of the U18 are invited by the Chief Judge to enter the Pit Lane Area. The two young Slovaks look at each other and smile. They think: it was better this way, we play it later.
In fact, the lesson is served: if they play it well.
Finishing three on the podium after being in three in the Pit Lane Area is a truly new experience.
10:44: the sun is high and touches the 8°C. No blankets for the number 40 are needed even if they have to stay there for 4 minutes before resuming their effort to finish 35km in 3:05:43
10:46: it is the turn of the only woman to go through this new experience. The young U20 from Slovakia is stopped for 1 minute. She will then finish in 50:00 in second position.
14:43: The temperature is now almost 9°C, humidity is around 45%, but the wind is more and more annoying, while the 20km of men is taking place. It is time for the number 58 to finish in the Pit Lane Area, this time for 2 minutes. He decides to abandon the race (DNF).
14:46: José Maria Raimundo Cox (GUA), who was trying to resist Arevalo and Soto, was sanctioned with the third red card (loss of contact). A few minutes later (14.51) he is stopped. He continues after the 2 minute stop.
He can still make a lap and a half of the course when he shoots for him the fourth red card that ends his race.
The account of a day of Pit Lane between stopwatches, blankets, sun and wind ends here.
For our Dudince friends the first time was a good experience.