22:30 in the Long Night and still no runners have reached the first control. Long leg? Big boom?

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001

Answers

Turns out to be a 4.5 km leg to the first control....and now we see a lamp out in the woods....Halden first, then IKHP with Hakan Ohlund...A total of five teams went through. Lidingo was not one of them.

The announcer at the first control is wondering where Lidingo is. Could they have gone straight on the leg? Now, Lidingo shows up about 3 minutes behind the leaders.

Looking at some early results, I see Magnus had a so-so run. He ran 84 minutes and finished in 166 (he dropped a few places). Casper, running for Lidingo's first team did the same leg in 74 minutes and moved his team up 23 places. He didn't win the leg, though.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

I was looking at 2nd leg results for two clubs I ran Tiomila with (Lunk and OK Skogstrovarna). I didn't see Lund. What is up with that? Are they not in the top 330 that are currently posted?

OKS has gone together with IFK Linkoping and is now called OK Roxen. OK Roxens two teams are 254th adn 255th after two legs. THey can't be thrilled by that.

And now back to the Long Night -- at the next report, IKHP, Kav. Rasti and Ronneby were in the lead and 50 seconds ahead of TuS and Halden.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

Spike here (still)

I should take the time to say a bit about the internet coverage from Tiomila. Alternativet and Tiomila are providing updated results (just like last year), text reports, and (best of all) live real audio from the event speaker. It is great!

Swampfox is enjoying the music they are playing -- Jimi Hendrix! "Live at Tio Mila."

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

At the tenth control the same three teams are in the lead.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

At the 11th control, 5 teams were together: Turunn Sun., Halde, IKHP, Ronneby, and Kavelan Rasti. The next teams were 7 minutes back.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

About 5 kms are left on the Long Night. Small world--funny that one of the main radio people reporting from the forest is Lars "Lillis" Nordgren, a fellow I know from Eksjo. Lillis is a former Swedish Junior Champion and ran for IKHP for several years. In fact, I'm pretty sure he was on the last IKHP team to win Tio-Mila.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

The lead group consists of 5 teams, then 7 minutes back is another group of 5, including Orion, Lidingo, and Skogsfalken. Then 7 minutes further back is a huge group.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

Now the announcer is saying that the lead should be changing over in about 6-7 minutes, or at about 8:00pm EST. And it's going to be the same 5 teams in the lead it looks like...but how long back will the next clubs be?

In honor of the Long Night, Spike has strapped on a portable head light apparatus and is walking around the motel room, looking futilely for the control that must be there somewhere, while Mary is asking, "Why not just turn on the room light?"

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

The last report was coming from the 15th control, at the 14.7km mark.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

Headlights are in sight at the forewarning now! It's gone quite fast on the Long Night! The Devil Runner was up to the task!

Now they're on the way to the last control!

Janni Salmi, Mikael Bostrom, Hakan Ohlund were 3 of the runners.It looks like they're 8 minutes ahead. Tore Sandvik is another runner in the group. Sergey (Detkov) from Ronneby is the other runner, and they've all just crossed the Finish to change over!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

Mats Granstedt takes over for IKHP now. Will he be up to the task? I have no idea at all what his form is like now, but when he's been well trained, he's been very good before.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

What do "we" know about the 5 teams at the front?

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), April 28, 2001.

We know that 2 teams are Finnish, 1 is Norwegian, and 2 are Swedish. Halden is one of the favorites. Ronneby wasn't a team anyone had picked to win, even though they are quite good. I think both of the Finnish teams are thoroughly dangerous teams with chances to win.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

Micke Bostrom for Kavelan Rasti ran the Long Night in a really quick 99 minutes--fantastic!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

We're waiting to see how big the lead is, it's still at least 7 minutes, and no lights are in sight--completely dark around the control--wait, now 4 lights are in sight, headed for the next last control.

They're going to be more than 9 minutes after the lead! Orion, Skogsfalken, Lidingo are among the next group. 9:20 after it's going to be...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.

Janni Salmi was interviewed and he said the group came together at around the 1st control, he was absolutely alone at the beginning, when he saw that the first leg was 5kms long, he basically said "Oh (expletive deleted)!"

When he came up to Tore Sandvik from Halden, he knew that things were going to be ok, and he said that Tore basically took charge of steering the group around the course.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlinbk.net), April 28, 2001.