O-Ringen Magazine, nr 1 2024

Laila has run O-Ringen 51 years in a row
You experience
everything
differently at
different stages
of life and the
weather plays
a big role in
the overall
experience
Spritsiga smaker
från norr!
Laila with her sons Robin and Johan. Photo: Private
.
Laila Höglund is one of our most
prolific O-Ringen competitors, having
completed 51 O-Ringens despite
only being 61 years old. We talked to
this busy and successful Herkules
runner on how she made it 51 years
in a row from 1971 to 2023 (with a
break for the pandemic, of course),
and her clearest and best memories.
In 2022, Laila was the seventh person
to receive the 50-year participation
medal.
How many O-Ringens have you completed?
– 51.
Which was the first one
and how old were you?
– 1971 in Sörmland, where I was nine years
old.
Have you ever not finished or mispunched?
– No.
Has this sweep of completing O-Ringen
been important to you?
– o, not until I’d run 44 of them and was
reminded of it. Then 50 felt like a good
goal. Unfortunately the pandemic made it
impossible!
What have your biggest achievements
been as a junior and senior?
– Silver at the D21 Swedish Championships
in Ultralong in 1994 and third the
same year in the Grand Slam. I ran in
the Swedish team at the World Cup and
Nordic Championships but never at WOC.
I was Nordic Champion as a junior, both
individually and in the relay.
I’ve heard that you have sometimes run when
you’re ill or during pregnancy. Is that true?
– Unfortunately I have sometimes run
when I’ve not been well but in those days
people weren’t so careful with their health.
I didn’t know how it could affect you like I
do now, if that’s any defence. Robin and
Johan were born in June and March, so
Johan ran with me at D21E in 1995.
ice hockey best and as parents, we fully
support them. It was fun to have them
with us and they have also run O-Ringen
more than ten times each. They continued
until they went to the ice hockey school in
Ljungby and played for Troja..
Can you rank your three best O-Ringens
(according to the week as a whole, not just
the results)?
– Many of the weeks have been great but
I remember at Västergotland 1978 I had a
really good time both during the races and
otherwise. I thought the competitions in
Boden and Eksjö were really well organised
in terms of logistics, etc. You experience
everything differently at different stages
of life and the weather plays a big role in
the overall experience. I’m starting in 2024,
too, and am hoping for good health and
good weather then.
Do you know how many times you’ve won?
– Not exactly, I’m afraid. D15-16 and then
a few times at D35-D60.
What was your best result in D21E?
– Third in 1983 in Småland.
58 O-RINGEN MAGAZINE NO. 1 • 2024
Your sons are ice hockey
players – why not orienteers?
– Both of them tried a lot of sports;
gymnastics, trampoline, wrestling,
motocross, football, athletics, bandy, inline
hockey, orienteering and more. It was
they themselves who decided they liked
Laila i skogen.
Vi är många som njuter av det som finns runt knuten i vår natur. För det
genuina och okonstlade har funnits där hela tiden, redo att ta dig med
storm eller ge dig andrum. Vad du än behöver. Lite så är det även med
Fjällfil® med sin speciella spritsiga och krämiga karaktär. Fjällfil® är gjord på
norrländsk mjölk och äkta bär, helt utan aromer. Så enkelt kan det vara.
PS. Vi ses på O-Ringen i sommar! DS