I think the start is at 3:30 p.m. HDT (i.e. in Kansas City and Lawrence). I just checked the live audio coverage and got an announcement in English (!) that the start would take place in 90 minutes (which would put it at 3:30 HDT).

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004

Answers

3:28 HDT. The announcer just told the runners to approach, but not touch, the maps.

My pick for winner -- Kristiansands OK. Of course, I'll probably be wrong, but it is a decent pick.

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004.

We'll get the first update at about 2.5 km (which should be any second as they are running fast), then the first internet control, where we get actual punch times, is at 3.2 km.

I'm not sure any of the running will be with headlamps. The web cam pictures show it quite light as it nears midnight in Finland.

Now I'm hearing Finnish announcements that might be the 2.5 km point and I hear the name Mikell Lund, Nydalen. Does that mean Lund is first? Who knows? In any case, we'll get a split time in a few minutes.

Even if you don't understand Finnish or Swedish, check out the audio coverage. They seem to throw in some English now and then. And the speaker coverage is essential for making you feel like you're at the event.

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004.

Welcome Swampfox!

The online control results at 3.2 km show the leader arriving in 12:24 (fast!). The crowd is big...The first 100 teams are within 56 seconds of the lead.

Swampfox, who is your pick for the win?

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004.

Ted Good, Attackpoint, is 4:47 back at the first split in 774th place.

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004.

OK, just finished dealing with some minor computer issues...now back to following the race.

the Jukola page has a nice system for following a specific team. You can open a browser that lists the team, the specific runners, and tracks their progress. Makes it a lot easier to follow a favorite team than just scrolling through the split times.

-- michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004.

The Jukola results pages are slow to load ... In fact, I can't get them to load at all right now.

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004.

Now I've got results back, but the team pages don't load. Oh well, it seemed like a great idea.

I think the dude Gjermund Hansen is a long distance specialist.

Did you know my mother's father was a Hansen (his parents were born in Norway, he was born in the USA)

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), June 19, 2004.

I am reminded that Finnish is very hard to understand. I can't understand anything at all the speakers say in Finnish.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), June 19, 2004.

I don't have any special picks; I haven't studied the lineups at all. But we just had a hailstorm come through Laramie and I've just stepped in from a yard inspection to see if there were any casualties.

Since I don't have a special pick, naturally I will root for the good boys of Hakarpspojkarna!

Is there any best webcam to use? The Finnish words don't help much there.

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), June 19, 2004.

It's so weird when the speaker swithces from Finnish to Swedish--all of a sudden you can understand what's going on! And then they switch back and you have no idea again.

Now another hailstorm is passing over. I'm really glad I'm not 15 miles out of town on my bike (not much cover out there)!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), June 19, 2004.

Mmmmmmmm-bop!

-- Swampfox (wmikell@earthlink.net), June 19, 2004.