The Monaco O' Federation had reports out yesterday that Tio-Mila was in crisis mode and was facing a possible threat of cancellation because of much feared "stalking pilgrims". There was speculation that religious pilgrims who would ordinarily be traipsing happily around the Jerusalem area this time of year were upset at not being allowed to certain areas of religious importance because of the ongoing Palestinian uprising against Israel, and had somehow found themselves in the area of this year's Tio-Mila instead. And the fear was that they might attempt to stalk the runners at Tio-MIla, attempting forceful conversions and such, probably in the Finish Chute, especially if rain and muddy ground had meant the chutes were churned into heavy mud, making it slow for the runners and hard to get away from the pilgrims.

However, when I investigated and looked at the source materials in Swedish the Monaco warning had been derived from, it became pretty clear there had been a serious error in the translation, and that where they had read "stalking pilgrim", they should have read "peregrine falcon", which changed the entire nature of the matter of course. Looks like Tio-Mila will go forward as usual, though with some modest precautions for peregrine falcons which may be living in the area of the race.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 20, 2001

Answers

I don't know much about picking the field in the 10-Mila, but Alternativet posted some Tipps...
Damer: 1) IKHP, 2) Turun, 3) Bækkelaget, 4) Halden, 5) Sundsvall
Herrar: 1) Halden, 2) Lidingø, 3) Delta, 4) Bækkelaget, 5) Skogmårdarna

It would be interesting to hear more speculation from those in the know this week! Will Halden win again? How did the IKHP from IKHP get snubbed by these people? Will they use this as "bulletin board" material to spur them on to victory? Are the IKHP women "untouchable"? How many bananas will be consumed over the course of the relay? How does the Devil Runner like his bananas? Black and blue or bright yellow with green around the edges? Just how important are bananas to the runners anyway? Would fried plantains suffice? Are standings really that important until the long night leg is run? What sort of arrangements is SMOC planning to make so that displaced OKers can follow the action live?

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), April 23, 2001.

Above, I meant to ask "why did the men from IKHP get snubbed by these people"?

Also, what about those little "finger" bananas you can get in Latin America? You could probably stick one of those in the pocket of your o' suit? Does anyone eat those?

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), April 23, 2001.

Inside sources have been in contact with me with regards to the composition of the IKHP teams. And while I am sworn to secrecy until the team rosters are officially publicized, lets speculate about what sort of bloke you might want running the Long Night. Probably you would want a fellow with a dependable head light that can carry a long lasting charge. He should be fast, and practically never make mistakes. He should have nerves of steel and should be resolute in the face of danger, fir trees, and stalking pilgrims. He should be able to re-fuel midrace with Mexican food if necessary, and able to feel pleased about having the option. And he should know all about what it means to sit down alone at a forlorn crossroads at midnight, and to sell one's soul for a compass that never points wrong...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 23, 2001.

One club we'll be following is IF Thor. They've recently announced their teams. Magnus will be running the 5th leg on the 2nd team. Sanna is leading off for IF Thor's 4th team.

http://www.ifthor.c.se/orientering/senasteNytt/10mila-2001.htm

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), April 23, 2001.

The latest tipping given on Alternativet has, surprisingly enough, IKHP as the favorites in both races! But this tipping must be considered wildly uninformed as not a single Finnish team was favorite tipped. The Finns are always dangerous but in this WOC year with the WOC to go in the Finnish wastelands around Tampere, they must be considered to be especially ready to slay all who would dare oppose them, and especially their semi-detested enemies, the Swedes.

I think Lidingo has a talent pool that goes a good bit deeper on the Mens side, and I pick them to be the top Swedish club. But to win? Who knows.

On the other hand, IKHP looks darned good in the Womens race, and I pick them to provide a historic first victory for the club in the Womens race.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 24, 2001.

Lidingo's Tio Mila teams are on the web at:

http://www.algonet.se/~lid-o/elit/herruk/tiomilalag.html

The first team will be one of the favorites. They look very strong.

It is interesting to see Casper Giding on the first team. I think Casper had a few years were he was running on the second team. Casper is quite interesting. He's capable of running incredibly well. Don't be surprised to see Casper have the best time on the second leg.

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), April 24, 2001.

It seems that most of the big name clubs are holding their cards close to their chest in terms of 10-Mila lineups. At least their webpages don't give any information... but we'll keeping checking this week.

One Finnish club, Pargas IF, has leaked their team.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), April 24, 2001.

I don't know if any of the "powers" actually try to game their teams and keep the running order secret in order to gain some sort of advantage. It seems it would be a fairly futile endeavor to me, but Spike probably has a better idea about this.

I do know that many teams aren't set until the last minute because of injured or sick people. If you have some folks you want to use who are marginal, then it's an advantage to wait as long as possible to see if they're going to be able to run or not.

Last year IKHP didn't set the Mens teams until about midday of the day Tio-Mila started. We had 2 guys (Fridolf and Andreas) who were injured and it wasn't sure if they could run or not. We went out and trained late in the morning and they tested themselves and it was clear they couldn't go. So the teams had to be adjusted then and there to reflect that.

IKHP was to announce their teams to the club at Tuesday Training tonight, so it's no surprise the teams haven't been listed on the home page yet.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 24, 2001.

I was thinking more along the lines of intrigue than tactics.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), April 25, 2001.

Through diligent efforts and at great personal risk, certain operatives working undercover in the Lekyred tracts (very near Huskvarna)have been able to acquire the rosters of the IKHP teams. Tell nobody, not even if your life is threatened!

Here are the #1 Teams (in leg order):

Women:Hanna Palm, Carolin Jonasson, Karin Hellman, Anna Envall, Annette Granstedt

Women: Ingvar Akesson, Joakim Karlsson, Fridolf Eriksson, Devil Runner, Mats Granstedt, Klas Karlsson, Markus Karlsson, Andreas Rangert, Matti Envall, Matthias Karlsson

I know it looks like the Mens team is a little heavy on the Karlssons, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.

-- swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2001.

My pick for the Tiomila will be IKHP for the women's race and Lidingo for the men (with a strong showing by my favorite team - Lidingo 2).

Is Anna Envall the former Anna Bergman? I think so, but I'm not certain. I stayed with Anna's family (assuming she is Anna bergman) when I was mapping in Lund. Most of the time she was away at one of the O' gymnasiums. But, I do remember running with her up a steep hill and being impressed with how hard she was running.

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), April 27, 2001.