It was a rainy Friday night in Anchorage, but that didn't stop some hardy cross country skiers from showing up for a rollerski sprint race. Eleven racers participated in the event, which took place around an 800-meter paved loop in the Cuddy Family Park in midtown Anchorage. The small park, situated next to the main Anchorage public library, is used by many as a place to take a quick walk during a lunch break, but on this night it was home to some exciting rollerski action!
Because of the rain-induced small turnout, everyone competed together in one elimination bracket. This meant that everyone, male and female alike, got a chance to race against two-time Olympian Kikkan Randall. It was clear from the start that the senior skiers, including Randall, would have their work cut out for them. Not only were the juniors quick, some also had pretty fast rollerskis (In the photo: Kalen Ramey, Mike Hinckley, and Hanna Johnson).
In the prelims, next-year senior skier Mike Hinckley laid down the fastest time, 2:07. He was four seconds faster than rising J1 skier Eric Packer. The old guys in the field, Cory Smith and Alaska Winterstars coach Jan Buron, took third and fourth. These four skiers went head-to-head in the first semifinal, in which Eric Packer sprinted to the front early on to take the win. Mike Hinckley was close behind to also move on to the final. In the second semi-final, Cole Talbot had his hands full to stay ahead of Kikkan Randall, as those two moved into the fin ...
September 1, 2006 The fall training programs begin to fire up in September. On the calendar starting next week: - Adult XC Skiing Training Programs with Go! Training: A number of weekly workouts to select from, including AM and PM options. - Gear West's XC Ski Training & Technique Program: Wednesday night workouts, starting with dryland at French and transitioning to snow when the flakes fly.
August 11, 2006 - The annual Ringer Roll rollerski race at Baker Park featured another strong turnout this year. Conditions were perfect with smooth asphalt and temperatures in the low 70s. Besides the usual large numbers from the metro area junior training programs, there were a number of collegiate and elite level skiers participating on Friday.
Danielle Berndt posted the fastest womens time sporting a pair of Skett rollerskis. The top womens Marwe time was notched by Lauren Rantala. Overall, Matt Liebsch logged the fastest time of the day at 22:03 for the 10K course on a pair of Marwe rollerskis. Andy Keller was the top junior male. Full results online now, along with 140 photos.
Annullata a causa della pioggia la gara sprint, la 4ª edizione del trofeo si è disputata sull'ormai classico percorso in salita con arrivo a Platak.
Assenti gli italiani impegnati a Rotzo per il Campionato Italiano di Salita in Tecnica Classica, dominio degli atleti di casa nel Grobnik Open Skiroll 06, quarta edizione della International Skiroll Race - Alpe Adria Grand Prix organizzata a Cavle, in Croazia dallo Sci Club Rijeka-Cavle.
Quest’anno la manifestazione prevedeva la classica prova in salita che si ripete da alcuni anni, seguita da una gara sprint a tre su percorso ondulato di 250 metri nel centro di Cavle, con griglia di partenza determinata dai tempi della gara in salita. Purtroppo l'asfalto reso particolarmente scivoloso a causa della pioggia caduta nella tarda mattinata, ha consigliato agli organizzatori di rinunciare a questa seconda prova. Solo gara in salita dunque, su un percorso che misurava complessivamente 7,8 km con 460 metri di dislivello e arrivo nel centro fondo di Platak. Percorso splendido anche sul piano panoramico, in quanto permetteva in alcuni tratti di ammirare la parte settentrionale del golfo di Quarnaro, mentre la parte finale del tracciato si sviluppava all'interno di un fitto bosco.
La gara femminile sulla distanza di 5 km è stata vinta da Zvjezdana Veljkovic (SK Goranin) con il tempo di 21'28"618 che ha preceduto di 8" Andrijana Stipanicic (SK Buducnost)
Meadman 100K Camp Recap by Jenni Mead - August 22, 2006
The second annual Meadman 100k Camp took place August 11-14. Coaches Amy Wyman, Matt Leibsch, and Jenni Mead led the skiers on the cross country rollerski tour from Nerstrand State Park to Mankato. Mornings were spent rollerskiing to a new campground, afternoons were spent relaxing and playing games, evenings were spent analyzing technique, and nights were spent around a campfire. Sponsors of the camp were Minnesota Valley Ski Team and Pioneer Midwest Board and Ski Shop. Elise Gale, one of the campers from Bloomington, wrote a short journal on her experience:
This was my second year on the Meadman 100k, so I'll do a top three like I did last year. Even though we did the same route as last year, most of my favorites changed! Here they are: 1. My favorite memory of 100 k was playing mafia under the rain tarp at Sakatah. For those unfamiliar with the game, it involves a secret mafia member "killing" townspeople while a nurse tries to save the person the mafia want to kill, and a sheriff tries to find out who the mafia is. A judge keeps track of who has been killed, saved and accused and creates stories at the end of each round to describe what happened to the townspeople who were sleeping. It was really fun to relax and laugh with the other skiers and coaches. 2. Last year, the long skis were daunting and difficult. This year they were still a challenge, but I got a chance to enjoy the scenery of rural Minnesota much more. It was really exciting to see the things I could accomplish this year that last year were impossible. 3. One of my favorites from last year and this year wa ...
