A whole, whole bunch of teams have changed over, and it's 3 minutes since Turuun S. changed over 15:18 LT.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002

Answers

39 teams have changed over...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Baekkalaget was real near the front, and is one of the absolute favorites, so they're looking pretty good at this early stage.

The first 3 legs are all about 10.5 kms long, so probably they're forked with each other. All 10 legs are forked this year.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

I took a shot at getting results or sound..no luck. It might be that we've had a slow connection...maybe something is not working right?

Anyways, the Chicago group of TioMila fans are leaving for some food in a few minutes.

Look for Baekkalaget to be tough. I'm also looking for Casper Giding (fifth leg I think) to kick it around and have the best time for the leg.

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), April 27, 2002.

15:23...Halden was just announced, and Halden was also a pre-race favorite and they're now 9 minutes back--a bad start. At least 2 IKHP runners have changed over, but I'm not sure that IKHP1 was one of them, and if they haven't changed over by now, then they're in hurt mode too. 15:25...lots of really good teams have already lost lots of time, so it could be a very exciting race with lots of surprising developments. Or, one of the good team at the top could simply just run away with the whole thing and never give the others even a chance.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Still no luck here in chicago with the speaker sound. I think I've diagnosed the problem, though. I think Dick (who is letting me use his lap top to follow the race) doesn't have an audio player on his lap top.

Swampfox's reports make it feel like I'm listening live, though. Way to go Swampfox. Keep up the good work.

Where is Mook?

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), April 27, 2002.

They took 9 minutes longer than the calculated winning time, for just 10.5 kms. Wow. 15:29 It's very, very tough orienteering, very dark out, and the terrain sounds like it's very difficult at night, just flat with small height differences over much of the area. If you go to the 10-Mila home page you can look at the program booklet on line, and find a copy of the map there to see what it's like.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Here's a bunch of the teams that were up front:

5 Turun Sunisaja Linköpings OK ? ? 86 Skogshjortarna 64 Gävle 194 OK Orient 22 Kristiansand 88 Isirasti ? 1 Bäkkelaget Rajamän Rykkänti 181 Rajamän Rykkänti 2 15 Tisaren 28 Sundsvall 81 Hedmora 241 vagn 114 vänersborg Eksjö NTNUI dalaporten stora tuna tullinge dacke umeå 1 Kastin Friskus Varberg

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Now they're talking to Lillis (Lars Nordgren by given name, from Eksjo nowadays), who is back out in the forest at a waiting Radio control again. 15:35...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

They're 33 minutes into the second leg, and they're waiting...the radio control is a little stone...Lillis is talking again, saying that the weather is making it harder, and that it's critical for the runners to be extra careful with map contact...15:38 the first light is on the way in, 3 lights...they don't see the control..4, 5 runners now...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

...the runners are standing still and reading the map, and now a runner has punched! 15:39... 5 teams have punched, Beakkalaget was one of them, now the forest is entirely dark again, so they have made a bit of a break, now the next light is in sight, and now another group is in sight...15:40

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Once again, it's very hard to get all the team names and type and listen all at once...15:41, the sound from Lillis just got bad again...about 15 teams have gone through the radio, and now the forest is dark again...completely dark...15:42

I think Turuun was one of the 5 teams in the lead. There was another Finnish team at least.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Another group is in sight...Lillis is saying there's another control nearby, and that each group has gone to the wrong control first so far. 15:44 LT NOw they've punched and the forest is dark again...and 19 teams have gone through in 5 minutes... and now another group has gone to the wrong control!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Järfälla, Kristinehamn, Kristiansand, Skogshjortarna, Tisaren, Kangasala, Orient, FarumTisvilde 2, Stora Tuna, Turun S. og Turun M. Those were a few of the leading teams.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Well, a bunch of teams have gone through the first radio now, and Lillis is moving to a new location.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Oy! Matti Envall went through the radio 11 minutes after the lead! Not a good start for IKHP; their goal is for a top 5 finish, and a top 50 finish for the 2nd team. 15:52 LT

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Another top team, Orion, was 12 minutes after. 15:55 LT

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

The first teams through the radio were:

74 denseln 20 leksand 28 sundsvall 64 gävle 1 bäkkelaget

2:10 efter 32 järfälla 230 kristenhamn

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

16:04...and now they're talking with the next radio control, manned by Bjorn (Persson, I think) and someone named Anders (could it be Anders Tistad)...they're saying the conditions are really tough out there...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

I think they just mentioned Lidingo has already dropped 21 minutes to the lead...16:10, there is a light in sight, but no runners are on the way in to the 2nd radio yet...the lights must be from runners lost on the first leg...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Now 2 teams are punching, and it is...they can't tell, no it's Denseln and team 230 --Kristianhamn, I think-- they're through the radio now, and by themselves...16:12 I have no idea at all what club Denseln is...now some more lights are in sight...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

16:12...Baekkalaget and Leksand have punched 2 minutes after...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

5th team on the way in now...16:14...running nicely straight in to the control, punching, I'm not sure which team it was, it sounded like Gavle...they're talking very softly again now...3-4 more teams are coming in now...they'll try to see who it is, Hagaby, Stora Tuna, and Turuun S. and they missed a team or 2...At any rate Halden hasn't come through yet...

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

2 more teams in sight...it's Halden and they've taken back a half minute between radios, and Kolmarden was with Halden, 7 minutes back

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

In 5th was Jarfalla, alone, and then a group including Stora Tuna, Hagaby, Hyvinkäan Rasti, Orient, Skogshjortarna, FarumTisvilde 2, Tullinge and Turun Suunnistajat, all about 6 minutes back, and then Halden with Kolmarden. 16:21

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

16:23...no sign of IKHP yet and at least 30 teams are through the second radio...the leaders will be warned for the changeover in an expected 6 minutes...16:24 and now some Swedish pop song is being played; it's not as even as good as Barry Manilow but it's better than Celine Dion at least.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Teams should get warned in about a minute or so...16:28 now, and IKHP was announced at the radio, 14 minutes back, so Matti had dropped another 3 minutes on the leg. Once you've fallen away from the lead it gets tough because you think you're running fast compared to the teams you can see around you, but it's never as fast as the leaders are running...16:29 teams are announced now

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

16:30...Let's see, teams are on the way into the Finish, it sounds like about 5 teams, Kristianhamn in the lead, then Leksand if I have it right, and they're alone, with no other team warned yet!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Oh, it was Denseln, and not Leksand, that had changed over but now Leksand is on the way in at 16:32, as the 3rd team, about 2:50 back. Deseln must be a new club, but it's definitely Swedish because they've said the first three clubs to change are all Swedish.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Now Baekkalaget is warned, and Gavle is changing over as 4th. Or was it Jarfalla? They sound similar. 16:35

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

Well, they're taking it back about Baekkalaget (BSK from now on, that really is the abbreviation they us), it wasn't them, and there's no sign of them yet, so they've missed since the last radio 16:36 LT

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.

They're interviewing the runner from Kristianhamn now, he's breathing hard still. He said he made a mistake early on but then caught the Denseln runner. Now a bunch more teams are coming in ...Stora Tuna, Orient, Halden, BSK, all about 7 minutes back. 10 teams will have changed over soon. 16:38

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), April 27, 2002.