Swedish Night Champs

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If I have the time difference right, the Swedish Night Champs start in about 30 minutes. There will be live speaker service over the internet from the race venue in Norberg, Sweden. Nothing is coming over the speaker yet, though the connection appears to be live and functioning already.

One interesting thing is that a few years back the format for the Night Champs was changed to a mass start with several loops, and I believe (but am not certain of it) that the last loop is a common loop for all the runners of a given class.

The organizers have warned the runners not to fall in any of the deadly mine shafts that lace the competition area, which are more or less impossible to see at night. So the effect is to add an extra dimension of excitement to the competition. Kind of like NASCAR racing, where nobody cares who wins (always the same people anyway) people just want to see the wrecks!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002

Answers

Speak of the devil: there is music being broadcast now from Norberg.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Speak of the devil: there is music being broadcast now from Norberg. It's the standard Europop junk; whoever invented that form should probably be sentenced to hard time breaking rocks in Death Valley in mid-summer.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Looks like I had the time difference wrong. Now they've started some pre-race announcements at any rate. The dialect is a good bit different from what you could hear from Tio-Mila.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Matthias "Vagnis" Karlsson is being interviewed right now before the race. They have just asked him what his race tactics will be. He's saying he'll try to be sure to make the right route choices. He also said that he thinks his clubmates Hakan "Devil Runner" Ohlund and Andreas Rangert have good chances tonight.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

The pre-runners--Anders Silvemark and Bengt Haglund, both former elite Swedish racers--are back and the race is ready to start. They said it's wet out and that some of the green controls can be tricky.

They ran while it was still light enough out to go around without a headlamp.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.



Just checking on what sort of coverage we can expect here. Will it be like last Saturday -- awesome reporting up until the race is about 80% over, then nothing, then preliminary bogus results a couple of days later, then final results maybe never?

-- peter (pg@crocker.com), May 03, 2002.

Now Eva Ohlund is being interviewed. Some of you may remember she just spent a half year over here with the Brautigams. She's got the right parents for O' genes (her father was a gold medal relay winner in one or two WOCs.)

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Are you guys watching the video coverage? If not, go to www.proze.com/nattsm It is very cool!

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), May 03, 2002.

I wan't planning on anything at all. I just figured as long as I'm working at my desk, and listening to the feed, I can type something up now and again as well. No promises made, no promises broken. and I know I'll be going out to train later. Soooo...btw, does anyone out there have a phone number for Oxbow Press handy?

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

The local phone book gives 413-247-3008 for Oxbow Press.

-- peter (pg@crocker.com), May 03, 2002.


The link Spike gave is wrong. Take the "r" out of proze.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

The website you want, I think is actually http://www.poze.com/nattsm, but I can't get everything loaded apparently. Is is still working for you?

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), May 03, 2002.

I got on and it was working--just slow because I have a slow connection. I'm better off just listening because the connection was good enough for that.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

I'm at work. I wish I was at home. My computer doesn't allow streaming audio/video, but I've got a co-worker who has the natt-SM video coverage online. I go over every few minutes to check it out. The video on a broadband connection is very good. They don't really seem to be showing much of interest, though (lots of shots of the speaker standing there and talking into a microphone).

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), May 03, 2002.

That's what I thought also--that the video wasn't that interesting-- but the commentary is great!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.


I'm looking at the socks I ran in yesterday while splits are coming in from a womens radio. The race favorite--Emma Engstrom was in front with 3 others, including Hanna Plam from IKHP.

The neat thing about my socks is that there are green stains on them from new vegetation growth--a sure sign that Spring is here!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.


Just listening to the coverage makes me think this has got to be a lot more fun way to do Night O'! I think I'm gonna to wait till the midnight hour!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

The women are about to come by the Finish for "varvning" (doing a lap might be the best translation?). They've been warned, and they're coming in right now...Emma E. is in the lead with Hanna Palm!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Well, on the video coverage of the varvning, it was Gunilla Svaerd a step or two ahead of Emma with Hanna Palm a few meters back. I'm routing for Gunilla...Go Gunilla!

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), May 03, 2002.

The men are coming in for varvning now. Kalle Dalin from Leksand is leading, Markus Karlsson (IKHP) is 3rd. Vagnis was about a minute behind. The speaker is saying M21 has really already become spread out.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Spike you can route all you want, but watch out for the enemy servers! I saw also the note about Gunilla. It's hard to keep up with everything. And there's more than one Matthias Karlsson running tonight, so that's hard to check on too!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

From the forest it was just reported that Hanna Palm was in the lead with Gunilla and Emma right behind.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

The leading women are expected to be warned in about 3-4 minutes. At last report it was still Hanna, Gunilla, and Emma in the lead, and together.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

One woman is warned: Emma Engstrom. Guess she's going to win!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Now Gunilla is warned, but she's too far back.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Hanna Palm was been warned, so she's going to be third.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Looks like they're running a few minutes faster than expected. So, the M21 winner might be finished in about 20 minutes.

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), May 03, 2002.

Emma won the Long SM a few weeks back, so now she's 2 for 2 this year!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Vagnis was reported to be leading the Mens race!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Tomas Asp and another IKHP runner (Devil Runner?) were reported about a minute behind, plus some others.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

The other IKHP runner was Markus Karlsson.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Now they're saying the men should be warned in a few minutes, and they're predicting a sprint finish duel.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

If it comes down to a Sprint, Vagnis will win. He won by the narrowest margin in the last few steps in the Long Champs back in April, coming from behind to pass Tomas Asp.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Vagnis is warned, and he's along, and will win his second straight SM this year also!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Now 4 other runners have been warned, but Vagnis just won!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Tomas Asp finished 2nd, just like in the Long SM.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

They just interviewed Vagnis. He said it was nice to come to the last control and realize he had won and wasn't going to have to outrun anyone in the chute this time. He said he's done well in the Night and Long Championships before, and so now he really wants to do well in the Classic this Fall, which are going to be hosted by OK Hedstrommen--at least a medal.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.

Fine races, and super announcing! (Ooops, they just said Markus Karlsson mispunched.)

Time to train! Bye!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), May 03, 2002.


Pretty good -- results from 4 of 6 classes are already posted! Even though I'm not sure what "standard" they meet, since it is now the next day over there.

-- peter (pg@crocker.com), May 03, 2002.

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