NCAA: Classic Race
March 11, 2010
NCAA Nationals are running this week out in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Thursday was the classical races. Three CCSA women finished in the top 15 with NMU's Laura DeWitt leading the way for 8th place. Santiago Ocariz, UW-Green Bay, was the fastest CCSA male skier finishing 13th. Racing wraps up Saturday with the freestyle format events.
Related:
Results: 5K, 10K classical

Olympic Slideshow
March 11, 2010
Join Garrott Kuzzy, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympian, for a slideshow at the Ideal Market and Rivers Eatery in downtown Cable this Saturday, March 13 at 6:30pm.

US Ski Team: Newell on Classic Sprint Podium
March 11, 2010
Andy Newell sprinted to his first World Cup podium in two years, finishing third in a classic sprint Thursday in front of thousands on the streets of Drammen, Norway.

Junior Nationals: Classical Races
March 10, 2010
The Midwest division picked up the pace on Wednesday, scoring a couple of podium places at Junior Nationals classical races in Presque Isle, Maine. Annie Hart, J1, was 2nd by 7.8 seconds and Matthew Nichols, J2, finished 3rd, less than 3 seconds out of first. Other top results: Paige Schember 5th J1, Eleanor Magnuson 4th OJ, Corrine Malcolm 6th OJ, Sarah Daniels 10th OJ, Adam Martin 9th J2.
Related:
Results: 5K, 10K, 15K classical

Weekend Racing
March 10, 2010
Racing season is winding down but still some fun events...
Mar 13 Great Beat Chase - Still holding a good base on all the trails and your last big ski marathon chance (some course changes announced).
Mar 13 Wooden Ski Rendezvous - Cancelled! Go old school at Snowflake Nordic Saturday.
Mar 13 Pole Pedal Pant - Ski, bike and run winter triathlon at Elm Creek.
Mar 13 Chili Bowl Equinox - Duathlon format ski race, hill climb race, and post-event chili feed!
And events at Lake Wissota and Elm Creek as well.   The Racing Outlook has our latest updates.
Related:

Waxing Recommendations

24 Hours of Lappe Ski Relay
March 10, 2010
The last weekend in March holds the big season ending 24 Hours of Lappe event. The race has become a tradition for many skiers and is highlighted by fun relay teams and great food. Form your team and make your plans for Thunder Bay now.

Marshall Nordic Skiers Go the Distance
March 10, 2010
Three Marshall skiers capped a great season by going for an epic 100K classic skiing day at the Korkki Nordic in Duluth.

Racing Outlook
March 9, 2010
Racing season isn't over yet. Race updates on the Chili Bowl, Midwest Junior Championships, and the Pole Pedal Pant winter triathlon.

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
March 9, 2010
The first weekend in March held a dozen races on the calendar. The Skinnyski Race Team hit up two metro events, as well as the Sleeping Giant Loppet in Thunder Bay. Read race stories from Per and Elaine.

Junior Nationals: Sprints
March 9, 2010
Junior Nationals opened Monday in Presque Isle, Maine, with the classical sprint races. The Midwest division had a mixed day with just one podium placing, Corrine Malcolm 3rd (OJ), and two others skiers, Eric Slater (J2), and Summer Ellefson (J1) making it to the finals. The New England division dominated the podium. Corrine Malcolm comments: "I crashed hard in the A final but fought my way back through the field to finish third in the OJ womens race. It was a tough day, you saw anything from slush, to powder, to ice on the trail." Racing continues Wednesday with classical races.
Related:
Results: Classical Sprints

Birkie Flick
March 8, 2010
Catch Scott Brown's perspective on the 2010 Birkie with a special movie showing this Friday, March 12th in Hayward.

Elk River Biathlon Results
March 8, 2010
Over 100 skiers turned out Sunday for the biathlon race at Woodland trails in Elk River. State Champion Raleigh Goessling, already a top biathlete, held off Olympian Garrott Kuzzy and Matt Liebsch by mere seconds to take the experienced category division. In the novice long course races, Emily Goetsche and Nick Pauley won the junior division, Rich and Molly Hoeg topped the masters field.
Related:
Rich Hoeg's Blog Entry with Photos and Video

Wood N Ski Rendezvous
March 8, 2010
The Tenth Annual Wood N Ski Rendezvous will take place at Snowflake Nordic Center in Duluth, MN this Saturday, March 13th. The event celebrates the culture and traditions of early cross country skiing on wooden skis with a 5K race and prizes for best vintage apparel.

Lotvola Cup Coverage
March 7, 2010
Warm weather and slushy snow resulted in some very slow conditions for the annual Lotvola Cup race at Maplelag Sunday. Jake Richards completed the weekend 'Resort sweep' taking the victory Sunday to complement his win Saturday at Rainbow Resort. The race was a tight battle of roughly ten skiers in the lead pack right up the final kilometer. Johanna Winters was the top woman finishing fifth overall, less than 30 seconds back. Full results plus photos online now.

US Ski Team: Randall Leads U.S. in Finland
March 6, 2010
World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall got back into the World Cup season Saturday, leading the U.S. in 24th during the women's 15K and men's 30K pursuits in Finland.

Sleeping Giant Loppet Results
March 6, 2010
Beautiful conditions Saturday for the Sleeping Giant Loppet in Thunder Bay. Andre Watt pulled away from Nikolai Anikin and Jeffery Cameron to take the premiere 50K freestyle race. Karla Bailey topped two Skinnyski race team members, Paulette Niemi and Elaine Nelson, in a close pack finish for the womens division. Mason Bacso and Kerrie Fabius collected the 50K classical titles. 35K victories went to Don Sisson and Jiska Westbroek. In the 20K event, Ross Chuchman and Anna Crawford posted top times. Full results linked in.
Related:
Lakeland Loppet Results

Rainbow Rendezvous Results
March 6, 2010
Amy Xu reports: 29 skiers from Twin Cities, Detroit Lakes, Park Rapids, Fargo-Moore/ND-MN, Ames/IA, and Norway hit the race courses in Saturday morning. Course records were broken by our local rising star skier, Jake Richards, and Birkie veteran skier, Craig Stolen. The fast icy condition made the 10k, 16k, and 6k courses fun yet challenging.
Related:
Riverview Loppet Results
Spring Fling Coverage

Hoigaards Slush Rush Results
March 6, 2010
The Hoigaards Slush Rush race hit the trails of Elm Creek Saturday morning some for fast racing. Nathan Porath and Kathleen Dewahl won the 12K masters race, Nate Brown and Kathryn Keller-Miller the high school division (Brown also posted the 2nd fastest time in the masters race!).
Related:
Snowjourn Results

Midwest Junior Championships
March 3, 2010
Theodore Wirth will host a two day Midwest Junior Championships with ski races and fun events for kids 15 and under. Besides freestyle sprints and classical races there will also be skiball and SkiX-c time trials.

Weekend Racing
March 3, 2010
Wow, one busy weekend with dozen events on tap!  Here are just a few:
Mar 6 Sleeping Giant Loppet - One of the great post-Birkie marathons, held on scenic trails Thunder Bay.
Mar 6 Snowjourn - Buena Vista hosts a fun
Mar 6 River View Loppet - The After Hours ski trails are featured in these interval start set of races.
Mar 6 Slush Rush - Put in some last, fast laps, at Elm Creek.
Mar 6 Rainbow Rendezvous - Freestyle and classic races on the smooth trails at Rainbow Resort.
Mar 7 Lotvola Cup - Maplelag celebrates another great season with their annual 12K classical race.
Mar 7 Shell Lake Sprints - New short distance races on the Red Barn trails in Shell Lake.
Plus races in Grand Rapids, Elk River (biathlon too!), Minocqua and even a triathlon in Grand Forks.  Find the latest race updates in our Racing Outlook.
Related:
Mar 13 Pole Pedal Pant

Waxing Recommendations

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
March 2, 2010
The big Birkie weekend is in the books and we've got ten race stories lined up. Everything from Inga's top 10 list to the LAME system to how to make your own skis.

Birkie By the Numbers
March 2, 2010
Ari Ofsevit digs into the numbers behind the 2010 edition of the Birkie, complete with numerous graphs!

Racing Outlook
March 1, 2010
The racing season isn't over yet -- the weekend is full of races. Race updates from Sleeping Giant, Lotvola Cup, River View Loppet, Rainbow Rendezvous, Shell Lake Sprints, and Elk River biathon race.

Olympics: Kershaw Fifth in Mens 50K Classic
February 28, 2010
Canada's Devon Kershaw and George Grey did their country proud skiing with the lead pack for nearly the entire race and in the end, Kershaw sprinted with the medal contenders just missing the podium by less than a second and finishing fifth by a hair. Petter Northug, Norway, took the gold in a final stretch sprint. James Southam was the top American finishing 28th.
Related:
Olympics: Northug Wraps Up With 50K Gold

Olympics: KIkkan Randall Personal Best at 30K
February 27, 2010
Kikkan Randall had her best-ever distance finish in the women's 30K mass start classic on Saturday. Known primarily as a sprinter, Randall finished 24th, while Holly Brooks also had a strong showing for the U.S. in 36th. Poland's Justyna Kowalcyzk won gold.

American Birkebeiner Coverage
February 27, 2010
If there was ever a perfect Birkie, this year may have been it. Skiers were treated to sunshine, temperatures in the teens rising to the 20s and fast, firm trails. How fast? Italian Fabio Santus won the mens 50K freestyle race sprinting ahead of Tad Elliot and setting a new course record of 1:56:58. Chris Cook rounded out the podium leading out a big field sprint. Rebecca Dussault cruised to repeat as the womens Birkie champion, Taz Mannix and Brooke Gosling finished second and third. Classical titles went to Juergen Uhl and Audrey Weber. Results linked in and photosets posted. Photosets added from Julie Joy Wenner, David Owen, Dick Anderson and Rich Hoeg, along with video clips from Scott Brown.
Related:
Press Release: Birkie Champions Take To The Podium
Press Release: Kortie Winners

Birkie Elite Sprints
February 26, 2010
The big Birkie weekend warmed up Thursday with the elite sprints on Main Street Hayward on Thursday. Norwegian Morten Eide Pedersen took the mens sprint over Kevin Hochtl. Audrey Weber defeated Maria Stuber in the womens final.
Related:
Photoset from Mark Milford: Elite Sprints, Barnebirkie
Results: Mens Sprints, Womens Sprints

Olympics: Demong Gold, Spillane Silver in Nordic Combined
February 25, 2010
Overcoming at 46 second deficit, Billy Demong joined with teammate Johnny Spillane to catch leader Bernhard Gruber in the cross-country portion of the large hill nordic combined. On the final hill, Demong put down a monster effort, dropping Gruber, followed by Spillane sprinting past Gruber as well, as the pair skied into the finish to seize gold and silver medals for the US team! It marks the first gold medal by an American in any Nordic sport. The incredible performance was shown tape-delayed in a premium position primetime on NBC TV.
Related:
Video: Demong's push to the finish, Event Recap
NBC Summary: Demong wins Nordic combined gold
Olympics: Randall Leads U.S. in Womens Relay
Olympics: Demong named U.S. flagbearer for closing ceremonies

Olympics: Swedes Take Mens Relay
February 24, 2010
The Swedish team continued their strong Olympic performance, taking the mens relay at Whistler Thursday. But the story on the day was the incredible performance by Norway's Petter Northug who single-handedly took his team from fifth place to a silver medal. Canada turned in a disappointing 7th place after hopes of a possible medal. America was 13th.
Related:
Toko e-Blast: Olympic Report
Olympics: US Team Finishes 13th

Weekend Racing
February 24, 2010
Yes, there is actually more than one race...
Feb 27 American Birkebeiner - The largest field ever is expected to compete on some of the best conditions ever.
Feb 27 Honey Bear Classic - 15K and 30K classic races on the Big Bay trails north of Marquette.
Feb 28 Beaver Dam Classic - Mora host a low-key 10K classic race on Sunday.
Review the latest race updates we've got in the Racing Outlook.
Related:
Video from Birkie: Snow Going Down on Main Street

Waxing Recommendations

Go for Gold at Yellowstone Rendezvous Race
February 24, 2010
Keep the Olympic fever burning with 31st annual Rendezvous Race in West Yellowstone on March 6th. Registration deadline is noon on March 4th.

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
February 23, 2010
The Skinnyski Race team was out across the region competing in a number of fine events over the weekend. Read Elaine's double race weekend recap.

Sleeping Giant: Double Take on Bib #1
February 23, 2010
This year, organizers of the Sleeping Giant Loppet are thrilled to be presenting the honour of Bib #1 to two individuals who have skied every year since the event first began in 1978: Ron Lappage and Guy Latimer. The Sleeping Giant Loppet is scheduled to take place on March 6th in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park just outside Thunder Bay, Canada.

Olympics: US Team Takes Silver in Nordic Combined!
February 23, 2010
The US Ski Team delivered an exciting silver medal performance, scoring the first US team medal in Olympic history and delivering on their own high expectations. The team started the day with some excellent jumping that left them in second place, starting just two seconds behind Finland in the 4 x 5K freestyle relay. Austria quickly made up the gap to the front and the capacity spectating crowd was then treated to an exciting tight battle as the Austrian and US teams skied away from the field. It wasn't until the final downhill than Austria made the winning move, taking the gold medal by a mere five seconds over the US team. NBC showed tape-delayed coverage of the relay in primetime.
Related:
NBC Nordic Combined Recap

MiSSeries: Minnesota Finlandia Recap
February 22, 2010
The Minnesota Skinnyski Series wrapped up last weekend with the 25K pursuit race at the Minnesota Finlandia. Some new and some very familiar faces on the final tally board! Season ending banquet is scheduled for April 10th.
Related:
MiSSeries Current Standings

Olympics: US Skiers Make Team Sprint Finals
February 22, 2010
US pairs of Kikkan Randall and Caitlin Compton and Torin Koos and Andy Newell advanced all the way to the finals of the team sprint events at Whistler Park on Monday. The womens race was a drag race for much of the event with Randall taking the final leg and pulling off a sixth place finish as Germany took the gold medal. The mens race was a slightly more relaxed pace until the final pairing when the fire was lit. Petter Northug delivered for Norway with a spectacular finish to take the victory as the US men faded to ninth. The Canadian men had another strong day taking fourth.
Related:
Olympics: US Men Sprint to 9th in Team Final

Racing Outlook: Birkie Edition
February 22, 2010
The Birkie week is here and we've got a summary of the latest news and changes including a posting of the elite skiers (the Italians are coming!), changes to the start and traffic plans, and even a look at the Birkie profile.
Related:

Waxing Recommendations

Snowflake / Inga-Lami Races Coverage
February 21, 2010
Stuart Thomas reports: With over 189 adult participants in both races the Snowflake Race was the largest it has been in years. There were also over 50 kids ages 3-13 racing in shorter distances with volunteers from the MYSL helping with the event. The men's field was an exciting field with David Duede winning over high school star Jake Brown by 5 seconds. The women's field had Johanna Winters winning handily. Many of the woman participants got into the spirit of a fun event by dressing up in colorful costumes. Even the upcoming Birkie Viking skiers Dave & Josie Nelson were seen in full regalia (complete with real birchleggings). Special thanks to the Baker Park staff for their excellent grooming. Full results plus photo sets from David Owen and Jay Adams.
Related:
Photoset from Robin Thomas: Feb 21 Skijor Race - 42 photos
Results: Feb 21 Gear West Ski Jor Race

Erik Judeen Classic Coverage
February 21, 2010
Dave Johnson writes: Perfect weather greeted the 29 skiers entered in the 2010 Eric Judeen Nordic Ski race held Sunday at Korkki Nordic. Master groomer Marty Heimer and Don Mitchell groomed a track that was described by many as close to heaven as a person can get while still living. The glorious conditions helped lead to a near record breaking performance by Adam Swank. Dr Swank skied the 10k classic course in 28 minutes and 31 seconds just missing the course record of 28:28 set by Olympian John Bauer in 1995. The race for second place was a close one, with Shawn Miller edging out Tyler Kjorstad by just 2 seconds. Top woman Elaine Nelson over came a tough fall at the start to finish 13th place overall (to do so she had to pass 16 skiers on the narrow Korkki Trail). Full results (truly old school: handwritten) and photos from Jonathan Rulseh.

SuperTour: Madison Criterium
February 21, 2010
The Madison Winter Fest featured SuperTour criterium racing on the streets of Madison Saturday. Rebecca Dussault and Phil Widmer collected victories.
Related:
Photoset from Renee Callaway: Madison Winter Fest
Results: Criterium

Michigan State High School Championships: Pursuit
February 21, 2010
Dan Wiitala reports: Day two of the Michigan State High School Championships in were held in Marquette under perfect race day weather conditions on Saturday. The days event featured exciting pursuit format racing. Starting in fourth place and 17 seconds back following the morning’s freestyle individual start race the defending girls champion, Marquette Sophomore Ellen Wiitala, quickly caught then broke the leaders pack at the 1.5 kilometer mark in the classic race and defended her pursuit championship title with a 19 second overall time gap on Ruth Oppliger of Copper Country. Oppliger’s teammate Kai Sharp came from third place in the boy’s freestyle race to win the pursuit championship with a 22 second overall time lead over Traverse City Central’s Ross Williams. Copper Country Ski Tigers were the elite team at this years competition, winning both the boys and girls team titles.

Stump Farm Results
February 21, 2010
Scott Putman writes: The 2010 Stump Farm 20k was won going away by Chad Tolbert and Gina Elmer under great conditions. Kyler Berg and Siri Block won the 5k in a tighter race. We had a total on 98 skiers finish the 5k and the 20k combined. The new single lap course was a hit. The Bay Area Nordic little skier races had over 50 little striders and skaters out prior to the headline races.
Related:
Twin Ports Championships Coverage

Book Across the Bay Results
February 20, 2010
Over 1,700 skiers jumped on the snowpack of Chequamegon Bay for the annual Book Across the Bay race. Andre Watt beat Adam Swank by a hair to win the close mens race. Hilary Patzer held off Elaine Nelson for the womens victory.

Olympics: Canadians Score Three Skiers in Mens Pursuit Top Ten
February 20, 2010
Canada had a historic day Saturday in the mens 30K pursuit as they placed three men in the top 10: Ivan Babikov 5th, George Grey 8th, Alex Harvey 9th (and all three beat both Petter Northug and Dario Cologna, two of the best skiers in the World!). Sweden continued to have a strong Olympics taking gold and bronze with Marcus Hellner and Johan Olsson. The top American was George Southam in 34th.
Related:
Olympics: US Men Push Through Tough Pursuit
Toko e-Blast Olympic Report
US Ski Team Joins Forces to Help Host Kids Day Event at Whistler

Minnesota Finlandia Coverage
February 20, 2010
A beautiful winter morning at Buena Ski ski trails on Saturday morning for the Minnesota Finlandia events. Temperatures climbed into the upper teens by start under mostly sunny skies and light winds. Classical skiers went out first in the 25K classical and pursuit races, followed a half hour later the freestyle skiers. Brothers Joe and Ben Dubay took the classical race, with Joe collecting the first place position. Ingrid Olson was the top classical woman. In the 25K pursuit titles went to Nathan Porath and Mary Beth Tuttle. The 25K freestyle race came down to a pair of sprints with Blake Hillerson edging out Jake Richards for the mens victory and Anne Ellefson just pulling ahead of Robin Tedlund for the womens division. The mens 50K race featured the trio of lead skiers Andy Liebner, Zack Simons and Andrew Johnson. In the run to the finish, it was Liebner that lead the pack across the field to take the title. Diana Munger collected the big axe for the womens victory. Results posted along with photos from the classical and 50K race. Additional photos from Karen Skoyles and Kris Kolar posted.
Related:
Skiers vs Cyclists TT Coverage

Olympics: Petra Majdic Won Bronze Sprint Medal with Major Injuries
February 20, 2010
Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic had four broken ribs and a collapsed lung when she won a bronze medal earlier this week, injuries that will keep her out for the rest of the season and have prompted a protest by her national team.

Michigan State High School Championships: Sprints
February 19, 2010
Dan Wiitala reports: Classic sprint racing kicked off the Michigan State High School Championships in Marquette on Friday. Race day featured perfectly clear skies and 30 degree temperatures on excellent trail conditions at NTN’s Forestville Trailhead. In the girls division, Traverse City Central's and Norwegian exchange student Hilde Gronvold took the girls A final heat and when the smoke cleared in the Boys Division it was Gogebic's Ben Noren on top. The Copper Country Ski Tigers were very strong in the competition getting two boys and two girls each into the A finals. Racing continues tomorrow with more sunny skies forecasted for the pursuit title to name the overall state champions.
Related:
Michigan State Meet: Saturday Start List

Olympics: Renner Finishes 10th in Womens Pursuit
February 19, 2010
Friday afternoon at the Vancouver Olympics featured the womens 15K pursuit race with 7.5K classical followed by an on the fly switch to 7.5K freestyle. Norway's Marit Bjorgen continued her comeback tour with another victory, stomping away from the womens field to take the gold medal. Canada's Sara Renner had the top North American result with a strong 10th place finish. Morgan Arritola was the top US skier finishing 38th. Caitlin Compton was 43rd. NBC carried live TV coverage of the event.

Minnesota Finlandia Pre-Race Notes
February 18, 2010
Pre-race notes on the Minnesota Finlandia, including new start times for the races and a new location for the awards ceremony.

Olympics: US Team Comes Up Short in Sprints
February 17, 2010
A disappointing day Wednesday in the classical sprint events at the Winter Olympics for the US Ski Team. The US men failed to have their two veteran stars, Andy Newell and Torin Koos even qualify for the quarterfinals as only relative newcomer Simi Hamilton advanced. Kikkan Randall had slightly better results, posting the 10th fastest qualifier and advancing to the semifinals based on time before losing out (8th overall). Canada had similar disappointment as 2006 gold medalist Chandra Crawford wasn't a major factor in the results today.
Related:
Video: Mens Sprint Final, Womens Sprint Final

MiSSeries: City of Lakes Loppet and Mora Vasaloppet Recaps
February 17, 2010
After some publishing delays the Minnesota Skinnyski Series results have finally been updated to include both the City of Lakes Loppet and Mora Vasaloppet results. The competition wraps up this weekend with the final event, the Minnesota Finlandia, with a number of titles still hanging in the balance.
Related:
MiSSeries Current Standings

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
February 16, 2010
A big weekend on the calendar with a number of major races going on. Read race reports from the Pre-Birkie and Mora Vasaloppet from Paulette Niemi, Grant Nelson, and Elaine Nelson.

Finlandia Weekend Approaches Under Perfect Conditions
February 16, 2010
Minnesota Finlandia organizers are excited for the 2010 event this weekend as course conditions are some of the best on record. The Finlandia wraps up the Minnesota Skinnyski Series with racing in a 25K duathlon format event. There are 25K and 50K races as well, all of which feature unique rosemaled axes for the overall winners.
Related:
Special TrekNorth Finlandia Lodging

Racing Outlook
February 15, 2010
Updates on the upcoming races, including a cool video review of the Minnesota Finlandia course.

Price Hike
February 15, 2010
The Sleeping Giant Loppet, the big marathon in Thunder Bay is coming up on March 6th. They have their next price hike this Friday, February 19th.

Olympics: Tough Day for US Ski Team
February 15, 2010
Monday marked the opening day of cross-country skiing events with the womens 10K and mens 15K freestyle races. Minneapolis' Caitlin Compton was the top American in a tough day for the US team as she skied to a 30th place finish, 1:50 behind Sweden's Charlotte Kalla. In the mens race, James Southam had the best US placing, finishing 48th. Twin Cities native Garrott Kuzzy was 58th. Canadian men had a better day with former Russian Ivan Babikov placing 8th and Alex Harvey 21st. Switzerland's Dario Cologna was the gold medalist.
Related:
MPR Pre-Race Interview with Caitlin Compton
Garrott Kuzzy's Blog: Olympian
Toko e-Blast: Olympic Waxing Monday Report
Olympics: 15K Free Kicks Off XC Men's Slate

Wisconsin State High School Championships Coverage
February 14, 2010
John Burke reports: The Wisconsin State High School Nordic Ski Championship was held Saturday in Rib Mountain on the Nine Mile Forest Trails. The meet had almost 400 participants in the one day/two race pursuit style format. The host Wausau East/West program took full advantage of the home course advantage by taking four of the top 10 places on their way to taking the Boys title. Matt Nichols led the way for Wausau East/West by winning the event by 8 seconds over Kevin Bolger of Lakeland who took second. Adam Martin and Chris Nichols rounded out the team scoring for the Wausau team by taking 3rd and 7th. Ashwaubenon took second followed by Hayward in third for the podium in the team standings. On the girls side, Deedra Irwin used a strong a strong performance in the classic race to win the overall title. Following her across the line was the freshman standout from the Madison team, Nicole Bathe and defending state champ, Brook Adams in third. Hayward however continued to display their depth by taking the team title over runner-up Peak Nordic. Lakeland, tied in points with the Peak Nordic squad, ended up third based on tie-breaker criteria. Hayward was led by their standout senior, Elizabeht Simak who took 4th, followed by Chelsa Tremblay (9th) and Jenny Parr (14th) to wrap up the scoring for their team title. Photos from Scott Nesvold added.

Mora Vasaloppet Coverage
February 14, 2010
A beautiful firm track and steady NW winds made for one of the fastest Vasaloppet races on record. Matt Liebsch easily collected his second title in a row, and Kristina Owen made it a CXC sweep in the 58K freestyle. Evan Pengelly won the drag strip finish in the 42K classical edging out Jacob Beste and three other skiers. Youngster Molly Watkins was the top female. In the 35K freestyle, Nathan Porath solo'd in for the mens victory, Mary Beth Tuttle, last year's 58K winner, returned to the 35K to claim the womens title. The 13K titles went to Adam Nelson and Marissa Yovetich. Full results linked in, plus photos from 58K and 13K races.
Related:
North End Classic Results

Olympics: Spillane Takes Historic Silver!
February 14, 2010
The US Nordic Combined absolutely delivered on high expectations with a stunning race on Sunday. The US men had three in the lead pack by the final lap, with Billy Demong making up an incredible 1:20 deficit. After Todd Lodwick lead for most of the race, it was Johnny Spillane that put on the game breaking move with 2K to go, and lead right down to the final corner before being outsprinted by #1 ranked Jason Lamy-Chappuis of France. Spillane held for second place, Lodwick fourth and Demong sixth. NBC showed the race live, including the final 4K commercial free.
Related:
Video: Mens Biathlon 10K Sprint, Nordic Combined Highlights
Olympics: Teela Places 9th in Biathlon 10km Sprint
Olympics: XC Will Get First Start Monday

State Meet Girls Finish Video
February 13, 2010
A wonderful collage and video mix of the Minnesota High School State Meet girls race between Jessie Diggins and Annie Hart, including video of the final stretch finish has been added to the high school results.
Videos from the boys and girls freestyle races added.

Pre-Birkie Coverage
February 13, 2010
Over 750 skiers hit the Birkie trail on Saturday for the annual Pre-Birkie races. Jan Mydra topped the 42K field with Paulette Niemi winning the womens division. Jonathan Rulseh and Jena Ogston were the 26K champions. Full results plus two photosets.

Olympic XC Predictions
February 12, 2010
Once again this Olympics, Mark Lahtinen is organizing a "you-pick-em" contest for the Nordic skiing events. List the top three for each event, along with the top North American skier. Entries must be received by Sunday night, Feb 14th!
Related:
NBC Olympic Cross-Country Skiing TV Schedule

Birkie Change Deadline Monday
February 12, 2010
If you want to change your division (skate or classic), race (Birkie or Kortie), or petition for a better wave placement, you need to file by Monday, February 15th.
Related:
Prince Haakon Race Registration Closes Monday Evening, Feb 15th

Minnesota State Meet Coverage
February 11, 2010
Bright sunshine and calm winds warmed things up quickly on Thursday morning for the Minnesota State Meet. Racing action opened with the individual start skate races on the hilly Silver trail. CEC's Raleigh Goessling took off flying, starting in a position just behind all the favorites and hammered to a 4 second lead over Apple Valley's Andy Dodds. Jessie Diggins appeared to be on top form as she moved to the front of the girls field in strong fashion. In the afternoon, it was all Goessling in the boys pursuit as he broke away from the field to win with a healthy margin. The girls pursuit turned into one of the most exciting races of the past five years. After spotting Jessie Diggins a roughly 15 second head-start, Annie Hart chased down Diggins and eventually took the lead. The duo roared into the stadium and down to the finish with Diggins coming from behind in the final meters to pull out the win. The Ely boys team pulled off the surprising upset to win the state title (first in 40 years) by 8 points over Forest Lake. The Stillwater girls took home yet another state title with second place going to Wayzata by 1 point over Ely. Full results plus photosets now online. Photos from Ron Kutsi added.

Charlie Banks Relay Coverage
February 10, 2010
The Charlie Banks Relay, held the day before the big State Meet, featured 27 girls and 30 boys teams in some close competition. Coming out on top, Wayzata girls and Mahtomedi boys. Results plus photos from Ron Kutsi.

US Ski Team: Set to Chase Medals
February 10, 2010
Although the U.S. has just one cross country medal in Olympic history - Bill Koch won silver in 1976 - results for men and women have improved dramatically on the international stage, and Americans are poised to chase medals on both sides of the draw in Vancouver. The 11-member U.S. Olympic Cross Country Ski Team met the media today in Vancouver before heading north to Whistler.

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
February 9, 2010
Another big classical race with a strong Nelson turn out for the City of Lakes Loppet, plus Mark Parman racing in the Badger State Games. Read one wild ride from Chip and Margie's illuminating recap.

MSHSNSCA Award Nominees 2009-2010
February 9, 2010
The nominees for Minnesota Nordic Coach, Assistant Coach and Volunteer of the Year have been posted. Voting will take place at the State Meet Coaches Association Meeting Wednesday afternoon at Giants Ridge.

Minnesota State Meet Preview
February 8, 2010
The Minnesota State Meet is just days away, coming up early this season, on Thursday, February 11th. As usual, we've taken our shot at predicting who will be a top of the podium at the end of the day. What's your take?
Related:
Biwabik Hourly Weather Graph
Minnesota State Meet Classic Course
Minnesota State Meet Skate Course
Minnesota State Meet Start List
Live State Meet Radio Coverage from WELY 94.5 FM

Waxing Recommendations

Wisconsin High School Nordic Skiing Championship Preview
February 8, 2010
The Wisconsin State High School Championships are this Saturday, February 13th in Wausau. Ken Schoville provides a complete breakdown on the favorites.

MNJRC Season Kick-Off Meeting Feb 12th
February 8, 2010
MNJRC, the Minnesota Juniors Cycling organization, will hold their annual kickoff meeting this Friday, February 12th at KSTP in St. Paul.

Arrowhead Ultra Results
February 8, 2010
Cheryl Ostor writes: The Arrowhead 135 mile Ultra Marathon took place under optimal weather conditions on Feb 1-3rd. A record number of 61 racers out of 102 starters reached the finish line. Jeff Oatley of Alaska, the overall winner, finished on bike in 16 hours 17 minutes with bikers Pete Basinger, Alaska and record holder, Dave Pramann of Minnesota, a few seconds behind. All finishers receive a unique custom handmade arrowhead trophy. Next year, the City of International Falls will offer a purse to top finishers in each category. Several records were broken on foot and bike, but the ski record held by Phillipp Finzel remains at 36h 35 min.
Related:
Int'l Falls Journal: Arrowhead 135 Intro

City of Lakes Loppet Sunday Coverage
February 7, 2010
Sunday's Loppet races featured the new stadium start area, which allowed fields to roll out on a fairly flat to downhill terrain over the opening kilometer. Weather conditions were ideal with temps in the low 20s and firm, fast trails. In the 35K freestyle, Matt Liebsch (just back from Canmore World Cup) took the lead from nearly the opening gun and held off a hard pressing Josh Smullin to take the victory. Andre Watt took the sprint for third. Kristina Owen lead a CXC podium sweep with Maria Stuber and Johanna Winters for the womens 35K. In the classical race, Andy Liebner powered off the front of the mens field to win handily. Audrey Weber topped the womens classic division. Results posted now along with nearly 1200 photos broken into 12 photosets.

Mt. Ashwabay Summit Ski Race Results
February 6, 2010
Scott Nesvold writes: The Mt. Ashwabay Summit ski race was a tight duel between local High School racer Scott Johanik and many time Stormy Kromer winner Jonathon Rulson. With a home field advantage, Scott came out on top this time with a time of 32:29. A former skier of 4H-CANSKI, Catie Cogger, walked away with the womens title in 40:16. The 3.5 km race mens race was won by 4H-CANSKI skier James Gilbertson. The womens 3.5 km was won by Britta Schropter. Including the kids 1/2 km kids race, over 100 skiers enjoyed beautiful conditions and lots of pie and cookies.
Related:
Badger State Games Results

Moraloppet Results
February 6, 2010
Over 60 skiers participated in the mini-tuneup for the Vasaloppet, the Moraloppet, Saturday on the trails at the Vasaloppet Nordic Center. Chip Gerdin and Kim Kylander won the 14K race, Pedro Pesta and Jessica Olen the 7k event.

City of Lakes Loppet Saturday Events Coverage
February 6, 2010
Big crowds turned out all day for the City of Lakes Loppet Saturday events. Mild temperatures in the mid-20s made it almost a perfect winter day, especially with a few brief glimpses of the sun. The day was packed with events starting with the snow sculpting in the morning, ice bike racing, a huge ski-jor race, the Junior Loppet and Minneloppet events, sprints in the late afternoon, and capped with the Luminary Loppet night ski on Isles (whew!). Sunday will feature the big races from Wirth to the uptown finish.
Related:
Photoset: Snow Sculptures - 27 photos, Ice Bike Races - 73 photos, Skijor Races - 104 photos, Junior Loppet - 89 photos, MinneLoppet - 143 photos
Photoset from Dick Anderson: Sprints - 28 photos
Video from Bill Lundberg: Ice-Cycle Loppet Advanced Race, Skijor Race
Video from Scott Brown: Skijor Race
Results: Saturday Events

Canmore World Cup: Compton 14th
February 5, 2010
In the final tune up races before the Olympics, Caitlin Compton scored an impressive 14th place finish on Friday in the womens 10K freestyle in Canmore. Matt Liebsch and Garrott Kuzzy also had solid results in the mens 15K, finishing 29th and 33rd respectively.
Related:
Results: Canmore World Cup 10K, 15K Freestyle
Canmore World Cup: U.S. Qualifies Seven in Canmore Sprints

State Meet Info
February 5, 2010
A few helpful links for the Minnesota State Meet...
- MSHSL Info (including schedules and lodging)
- Skate Course Map
- Classic Course Map

Vasaloppet Price Hike
February 5, 2010
The Mora Vasaloppet will have a price hike on Sunday, February 7th, so register online today!

Section 7 Results
February 4, 2010
Section 7 wrapped up the week of Sectional meets, and as usual, racing on the State Meet course of Giants Ridge, turned out one exciting finish. Amy Bianco, 9th grader from Ely, took a 22 second lead out of the freestyle race and then held on to win the classical pursuit by a mere three seconds over Kelly Kjorlien, Grand Rapids, and Annie Harvieux, Duluth East. The Ely girls would need every second as they came down to a tie with rival Duluth East with Ely getting the nod based on the tie breaker. Ely will be sending both teams as the boys earned the team title as well. Raleigh Goessling won the boys title. Full results posted.

Section 2 Results
February 4, 2010
Camp Ripley hosted its third day of racing with the Section 2 meet on Thursday. Wayzata dominated the section, taking both the boys and girls team titles as well as a sound victory by their own Paige Schember in the girls pursuit. Number one ranked Ben Ohman, Orono, won the boys pursuit, although Wayzata's 10th grade star Alex Meyer nearly snapped up the fastest skate time, finishing just two seconds behind Ohman's posted split. Full results posted.

MiSSeries: Nordic Spirit Recap
February 3, 2010
The MiSSeries is in mid-season form with four races now in the books and just three to go. Michael Meehlhause recaps the action from the Nordic Spirit last weekend.

Section 8 Coverage
February 3, 2010
Camp Ripley trails received a second day of racing as Section 8 squared off on Wednesday. Jake Richards, Detroit Lakes, spotted Bemidji's Matt Lee a four second margin after the classic and then moved ahead to win the pursuit title by an eight second margin. Summer Ellefson topped the girls field. Little Falls swept the team titles ahead of northern neighbor Bemidji. Results plus photosets online now.

Section 6 Coverage
February 3, 2010
Ari Mahonen reports: The Section 6 meet took place at Baker Park Reserve on Wednesday with excellently groomed trails. Great tracks made classic waxing simple. In the boys race, Jack Hinkens (Hopkins), Connor Benton (Hopkins) and Ted McKlveen (Edina) went 1, 2, 3 in the classic event. They maintained their positions through the skate pursuit with Hinkens becoming the boy's section champion. In the team competition, Eden Prairie and Hopkins tied on points going to the tie breaker. Hopkins boys came out the victor by a 6 second average to become Section 6 team champions. In the girls race, Jen Rolfes (Edina) skied to a 50 second lead after the classic race with Shannon Evans (Eden Prairie) and Sarah Benton (Hopkins) taking the next two spots. In the pursuit race, Rolfes increased her lead to become the section 6 girl's champion. Evans held onto second with Emma Krieter (Edina) skiing her way into third. In the team competition, both Eden Prairie and Minneapolis Southwest put three girls in the top 10. Southwest came out on top by a 7 point margin becoming Section 6 team champions. Full results and photosets posted.

Section 4 Coverage
February 3, 2010
The state's powerhouse teams faced off Wednesday at Battle Creek for the Section 4 title. Jessie Diggins, Stillwater, easily handled the girls field, posting top splits in the classic and freestyle races. Steve Coozennoy had similar results in taking the boys pursuit title. The Stillwater girls topped Roseville for the team title by taking places 1, 5, 6, 7. The Forest Lake boys team earned yet another trip to the State Meet. Full results and classical photosets posted.
Mike Weimerskirch adds: Stillwater lead by 9 points after the morning in the girls race. Roseville closed the gap in the afternoon, with Rachel Mason and Zoe Reker picking up a place each, but Stillwater's Annie and Emily Olson held off Roseville's Nikki Reker and Kristina Poss to clinch the four point victory.

City of Lakes Loppet Online Registration Closes Tonight
February 3, 2010
The City of Lakes Loppet registration is running at near record levels and the classic field as already filled. If you're still planning to do the race, your best bet is to register before online registration closes tonight (Wednesday).

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
February 2, 2010
The Skinnyski Race Team was competing in three events over the weekend with a number of podium placings to their credit. Read race stories from Paulette, Grant, Elaine and Dave (Karl).

Section 1 Coverage
February 2, 2010
Brian Abery reports: The Section 1 pursuit meet took place at Valleywood on Tuesday on a soft track that made for a difficult two races for skiers. ISD 196 teammates Andy Dodds (Apple Valley High School) and Chris Parr (Eagan High School) staked themselves to unassailable leads in the morning interval start classic race. After battling it out with each other throughout the freestyle pursuit event, Dodds took first place over Parr by 8 seconds with Lakeville North skier Ben Saxton third. After close morning and afternoon races, the Lakeville North Boys took the Section 1 crown from the Eagan team by 6-points. Racing after the boys, the girls had to deal with extremely tough conditions as the track broke down. Lakeville South senior Jordyn Ross posted herself to a 37 second lead over Kyla Ewert of Winona/Winona Cotter in the morning classic race and stretched that to over a minute by the time the afternoon pursuit was complete. In the battle for 3rd place between Lakeville North’s Michelle Ferguson and Eagan Freshman Sonja Hedblom, the latter turned in one of the best performances of the day with a stellar freestyle ski that netted the 3rd spot on the podium. A close contest between Winona/Winona Cotter and the two Lakeville teams emerged after the morning race, but the Winona Girls broke things open in the afternoon freestyle pursuit placing 4 skiers in the top ten to take the Section 1 Girl’s Championships. Full results plus photos from the classical races.

Section 5 Results
February 2, 2010
Racing over a coating of fresh snow at Camp Ripley, Section 5 titles were decided on Tuesday. The Osseo boys secured their spot at the State Meet with a nine point victory over Andover as their top three skiers finishing 3, 4 and 5. Robbinsdale Armstrong girls also denied Andover in collecting the team title. Calvin Mehrhof, Coon Rapids, won the boys pursuit. Alice Flanders, Robbinsdale Cooper, posted the top pursuit time with nearly a minute margin of victory.

Vasaloppet Expects Very Good Race Course Conditions
February 2, 2010
Mora Vasaloppet organizers report trails should be in good condition for the big race on Valentines Day, Feb 14th.

Section 3 Coverage
February 2, 2010
Beautiful afternoon conditions at Battle Creek West for the Section 3 Meet on Tuesday. Annie Hart took a commanding 2:28 lead from the classic race and stretched it to more than a four and half minute margin of victory in the girls pursuit. The SPA girls turned in a stellar performance, narrowly taking the team title over Minnehaha Academy. A bit of an upset in the boys race as Jake Brown, Minnehaha Academy, and Eric Slater, Henry-Sibley, finished first and second, ahead of favorites Ben Greenwald and Martin Aspholm. Minneapolis South boys took the team title ahead of Minnehaha by just 6 points. Full results linked in plus photos from the pursuit races.

Upcoming Vasaloppet Events
February 1, 2010
The Vasaloppet has two "pre" events coming up before the big race. The first is this Saturday with the Moraloppet, a 7K or 14K race on the trails at the Vasaloppet Nordic Center. And the other is big-time sprints at the Nordic Center on Saturday, Feb 13th.

Minnesota High School Rankings
February 1, 2010
The weekly rankings for the Minnesota High School Nordic skiing have been posted. There will be a final one next week in advance of the State Meet on February 11th.

Birkie Cap Reached
February 1, 2010
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation announced they have reached the field limit for the Birkie/Kortie with over 7,500 skiers registered. However, they have decided to hold registration open until 2 pm Wednesday, Feb 3rd to allow one last opportunity for skiers.
City of Lakes Loppet: The classic division registration closed this morning.

Marine/O'Brien Race Coverage
February 1, 2010
The 39th annual Marine/O'Brien race saw a huge spike in popularity this year as record field of nearly 400 skiers turned out. The 25K freestyle race was the big event of the day with nearly 200 skiers competing. A lead group of four broke away and brought it in for a sprint finish with Jacob Beste edging out Ben Popp for the victory. Carolyn Bramante was the womens champ. In the mens 25K classical, Chris Harvey and Michele Oja took the titles. In the one lap 12.5K races, freestyle titles went to William Stoltz and Jen Rolfes, classical crowns for Matthew Bernston and Katie Anderson. Full results posted, along with a few photos.
Related:
Marine/O'Brien Ski Race Recap Press Release

Minnesota State Meet Notes
January 31, 2010
MSHSNSCA President Mike Hecker has posted an update on the upcoming Minnesota State Meet, scheduled for Thursday, Feb 11th at Giants Ridge. Included are details on the Coaches Association Relays.

SuperTour: Telemark Freestyle
January 31, 2010
Another exciting day of racing with the "hometown" CXC boys Brian Gregg and Matt Liebsch dominating the mens field, finishing in a two up sprint with the nod going to Gregg. Rebecca Dussault continued her strong season with Maria Stuber once again notching second.
Related:
Photoset from CXC: 14 photos
Results: 10K, 15K freestyle

Nordic Spirit Results
January 31, 2010
Nordic Spirit ski races were held Sunday with near perfect conditions and included the infamous uphill start at Spirit Mountain. Tyler Kjorstad blew off the front of the mens field to win the 25K race by nearly three minutes. Nathan Porath outsprinted the four man pursuit pack for second with Matt Ryan third. Mary Beth Tuttle notched another victory, staying in front of Johanna Winters and Elaine Nelson for the womens title. The 13K freestyle races were won by Luke Baker and Sondra Mowers. 10K classical victories went to Steve Kramer and Jen Pearson.
Related:
Lumberjack Jaunt Results

Loppet Shoveling Parties
January 30, 2010
While most of the Loppet course is in very good condition, organizers are seeking volunteers to help improve a few areas, especially on the lakes. Shovelers and folks with plows are encouraged to come out for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon events.

SuperTour: Telemark Classical
January 30, 2010
Bryan Cook and Rebecca Dussault topped the field in Saturday's U.S. Super Tour 5K/10K classic at Telemark. Matt Liebsch and Brian Gregg rounded out the mens podium. Maria Stuber and Melissa Schwartz join Dussault on the womens podium. Racing continues Sunday with the freestyle races.
Related:
Results: 5K/10K Classical

Noquemanon Results
January 30, 2010
A strong field of over 1000 skiers turned out Saturday for the Noquemanon ski races in Marquette. According to early results... The classical 51K marathon continues to be the premiere race and this year it was former Olympian Andrew Johnson edging out Bjorn Batdorf for the mens title with Hilary Patzer topping Lindsey Dehlin in the womens division. Chad Tolbert, who has had a hot season in SE Wisconsin, came and conquered the mens 51K freestyle field. Paulette Niemi continued her streak of victories in the womens event. The half distance 25K freestyle titles went to Tyler Jenema and Barb Beauregard, 25K classical crowns for John McFadden and Chandra Ziegler.

City of Lakes Loppet Classic Field Almost Full
January 30, 2010
The City of Lakes Loppet is also running higher registration numbers this season, especially in the classical race (part of the MiSSeries). The classic race is expected to fill very soon, so get your late registration in. Also, new wave starts for the classical race.

Classic Lake Conference Championship Results
January 29, 2010
Ari Mahonen writes: The Classic Lake Conference Championship 10km classic pursuit took place Thursday Afternoon at Elm Creek. On the Boys side, Connor Benton of Hopkins led his teammate Jack Hinkens by 6 seconds after the skate race. Ted McKlveen of Edina made the pursuit interesting by catching the Benton and Hinkens on the second lap. They were skiing 3 wide into the finishing turn when contact was made and all three skiers went down. Benton was able to "roll" across the line first, with McKlveen second and Hinkens third. Wayzata Boys captured the team title over Hopkins. In the girls race, Jen Rolfes of Edina took a 25 second lead over Paige Schember of Wayzata after the skate race. Rolfes was able to hold on to her lead during the classic for the win. Schember cross the line in second and Sarah Benton of Hopkins in third. Wayzata Girls captured the team title over Armstrong.

Update from Thunder Bay Nordic Trails
January 29, 2010
The snow is shaping up nicely for the annual Sleeping Giant Loppet in Thunder Bay on March 6th. Thunder Bay Nordic Trails will host the Kamview Tour next weekend, Feb 6th.

Chequamegon Entry Forms Available
January 29, 2010
Chequamegon dirt may be frozen solid and covered with two feet of winter's finest but its a great time to download a copy of the 2010 Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival entry blank. Completed entry blanks and payment must be postmarked by the March 15 submission date to be included in this year's registration lottery to select the lucky 2500 who will ride in either the Chequamegon 40 or Short & Fat 16.

Lake Conference Championship Pursuit Results
January 29, 2010
Brian Abery reports: The Lake Conference Pursuit Championship 6km Classic race took place Thursday afternoon at Murphy-Hanrahan Park with exciting finishes in both the Boys and Girls races. On the Boys side, Kyle Batrud of Eden Prairie had the fastest time in the classic race besting ISD 196 skier Chris Parr by less than 3 seconds. Parr’s teammate Andy Dodds, however, continued his strong skiing this season winning the pursuit by 5 seconds over Bratrud with Parr a close .4 second back. Eden Prairie nipped ISD 196 for the Boys Conference Pursuit title. The Girls race was just as exciting with Jordyn Ross from Lakeville South skiing to her second victory of the meet beating Eden Prairie’s Shannon Evans by a close 2 seconds in the classic race to score a 25 second victory in the pursuit. Lakeville North skier Michelle Ferguson held on for 3^rd place another 7 seconds back. Eden Prairie defeated Lakeville South for the Girls team pursuit title.

MiSSeries: Pepsi Challenge Recap
January 28, 2010
The Minnesota Skinnyski Series is heating up with three events on the books now. The first set of team standings have been posted, and this year the Cheaters are looking to stack the deck with three(!) teams in the competition.

US Ski Team: Final Skier Added to Olympic XC Team
January 28, 2010
A final skier has been added to the 2010 Olympic Cross Country Ski Team. Simi Hamilton, a former All American from Middlebury College, was announced Thursday after the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association received an 11th and final quota spot.

American Birkebeiner Almost Full!
January 27, 2010
With a month to go, there are already 7050 skiers registered for the Birkie and Kortelopet. The registration cap for the 2010 Birkie/Korte is 7500 skiers -- you'd better register today!
Update Jan 29: Registrations are up over 7200 now, may close this weekend!
Related:
New Birkie Wave Start Times Announced

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
January 26, 2010
Quite the classical weekend for the Nelson division of the Skinnyski Race Team, read race stories from Grant and Elaine Nelson.

Racing Outlook: Minnesota High School Sections
January 26, 2010
Minnesota High School Nordic sections are the first week in February. We'll try to stay on top of the latest updates.
Related:

Waxing Recommendations

US Ski Team: Olympic Cross Country Team Expanded
January 26, 2010
A week after naming the 2010 Olympic Cross Country Ski Team, two additional athletes have been added to the roster with expanded quotas received Tuesday by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. Named to the Olympic Team were Garrot Kuzzy (Minneapolis) and Holly Brooks (Anchorage). (Photo: Twin Cities Olympians, Caitlin Compton and Garrott Kuzzy -- credit: Garrott Kuzzy)
Related:
Garrott Kuzzy Olympic Team Selection Blog Posting

39th Annual Marine/O'Brien Ski Race this Sunday
January 25, 2010
The 39th annual Marine/O'Brien ski races are this Sunday at William O'Brien State Park. Read on to check out the schedule and full list of sponsors.

Racing Outlook
January 25, 2010
Updates on the weekend races including Elver Park series (cancelled tonight), Lumberjack Jaunt, Nordic Spirit and William O'Brien.

Minnesota High School Rankings Posted
January 25, 2010
No major shakeups at the top in the weekly rankings for Minnesota High School Nordic as Ben Ohman and Jessie Diggins retain the top spots, along with Eden Prairie boys and Roseville girls. Coaches/assistants: Your vote counts, cast it by Sunday night!

Fridtjof Nansen Results
January 24, 2010
John Burke reports: Sixty plus competitors braved the nasty wet rain/snow conditions at Tower Ridge of the Fridtjof Nansen Ski Race in Eau Claire Sunday. The wet snow made for very slow conditions and the racers all got a good workout. Dale Niggemann and Cheri Uelmen were crowned the 15K freestyle champs.

Mayor's Challenge Classical SuperTour/JOQ Coverage
January 24, 2010
Skiers awoke to a foggy and damp morning in Minneapolis for the second day of the SuperTour/JOQ at Theodore Wirth. The trails, while not looking pretty, were regroomed and double tracked for the mass start race. Brian Gregg pulled out the winning move to take victory in the mens race in a close battle overall. Rebecca Dussault made it a weekend sweep as she pressed a lead to victory in the womens race.
Related:
Photoset: Mens Classical - 311 photos, Womens Classical - 241 photos
Photoset from Ed Swain: Mens Classical - 149 photos
Photoset from Mark Lahtinen: Mens Classical - 194 photos, Womens Classical - 168 photos
Results: Mayor's Challenge SuperTour/JOQ

Lapham Loppet Results
January 23, 2010
Nearly 150 skiers cranked out 11K at Lapham Peak Saturday morning in the annual Lapham Loppet race. Chad Tolbert pulled away from Thomas Stuber and close group of chasers to take the overall title. Kim Hughes topped the womens field.

Balsam Vinter Fest Coverage
January 23, 2010
Skiers braved icy roads and brief rain showers to hit the trails at Balsam Branch for the annual Vinter Fest races. Craig Cardinal and Chip Tabor broke away and worked to three minute lead in the 20K race then sprinted out the finish with Cardinal taking the victory. Hilary Patzer cruised in for the womens title and 7th overall. Full results and photos posted.

Pepsi Challenge Coverage
January 23, 2010
In a surprising reversal of many recent Pepsi Challenge races, it was almost tropical instead of sub-zero temperatures that greeted racers on Saturday morning in Biwabik. Andy Liebner, all the way from Michigan, topped Adam Swank in the mens 50K free. Carolyn Bramante easily won the womens division. In the 50K classical, Travis Hinck and Josie Nelson walked away with the striding titles. Grant Nelson and Angie Robinson won the MiSSeries scoring 25K classical race. Swix wax rep Joshua Korn skated to victory in the 25K freestyle, with Jena Ogston just edging out Deborah Sussex for the womens field. Full results linked in, photos from Jonathan Rulseh, Julie Wenner, and David Owen.
Related:
Hormel Nature Center Race Results

Mayor's Challenge Freestyle SuperTour/JOQ Results
January 23, 2010
The SuperTour arrived in Minneapolis for two days of racing at the 2011 Junior National course at Theodore Wirth. Matt Liebsch, Twin Cities native, put on some major hurt posting the only sub 23 minute time of the day in taking the mens 10K race. CXC made it a title sweep as Rebecca Dussault won the womens 5K.
Related:
Results: Mayor's Challenge SuperTour/JOQ
Ari Ofsevit Mayor's Challenge Day 1 Race Report

Rochester Nordic Invite Results
January 22, 2010
John Resman reports: 142 skiers from Northfield, Prior Lake, Rochester, and Winona raced a 5.8 K course on the golf course and through the woods in the freestyle technique on Friday. Skiers were greeted with mild 30 degree temperatures and cloudy/foggy conditions. Course conditions were very good but a freezing mist earlier in the day created fast conditions and some tricky downhill curves. Winona skiers Eric Engen and Sam Miner took the top two varsity boys positions but Northfield had a tight grouping of their top 5 individuals to take the boys team title. Kayla Ewert from Winona won the girls varsity race and led her teammates to a convincing team title with Winona’s 7 varsity girls finishing in the top 9.
Related:
More High School Results

Changes to Barnebirkie Announced
January 21, 2010
The famed kids race, the Barnebirkie, will have a new start/finish location this season. Skiers will still finish on Main Street Hayward, but will now start at the Hayward Primary School.

Lake Conference Sprint Championships Results
January 21, 2010
Brian Abery reports: A fast track made for exciting racing at Elm Creek Park on Wednesday afternoon as the Lake Conference held its Sprint Championships. ISD 196 duo Andy Dodds and Chris Parr once again went 1-2 with Blake Faulk of Eden Prairie taking 3rd , and Ben Saxton of Lakeville South 4th . On the team side, Eden Prairie showed its depth with all seven of its skiers finishing in the top fourteen to take the team sprint and regular season conference title. On the Girls side, Eden Prairie was just as dominant winning all eight of its dual matches with Shannon Evans taking first over Lakeville South skier Jordyn Ross and Lakeville North’s Michelle Ferguson.

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
January 20, 2010
The ever popular Seeley Hills Classic brought out much of the Skinnyski Race Team as they scored a number of top ten finishes. Read full race stories from Elaine Nelson and Mark Parman.
Related:
Jan 16 Edgewood Winter Blast Results Posted

US Ski Team: Olympic Cross Country Team Announced
January 19, 2010
World Championship medalist Kikkan Randall, along with Andy Newell and Kris Freeman headline a group of eight athletes announced Tuesday by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) for the 2010 Olympic Cross Country Ski Team. Twin Cities-based Caitlin Compton also earned a position on the team. Surprisingly, Garrott Kuzzy was left off the list.
Related:
Garrott Kuzzy Olympic Team Selection Blog Posting

Racing Outlook
January 19, 2010
Updates on the weekend races including Pepsi Challenge (new course maps!), Balsam, Lapham, Hormel Nature Center, and Fridtjof Nansen.

Little Falls Invite Results
January 18, 2010
Terry Wasland writes: Fifteen schools gathered at Camp Ripley's Biathlon trails on MLK Day to compete in a 10K Pursuit race. In the Boys race it was Sam Anderson powering his way to an individual title while leading his St Cloud Tech teammates to the team title as well. In a tight battle for second, it was Bemidji's Matt Lee turning the tables on Detroit Lakes' Jake Richards for an 8 second victory in what has become an interesting battle to watch throughout the season. Lee's perforance helped his Bemidji team to a second place finish ahead of Little Falls. In the girls race, Cathedral/Sartell's dynamite duo of Hannah Kellerman and Maria Anderson went 1-2 respectively but it was not enough to overcome the balance of Little Falls as the Flyers placed 3 in the top 10 led by a 3rd place finish by Manon Gammon-Deering to capture the team title. Cathedrals/Sartel finished second with Bemidji third.

Greenbush Challenge Results
January 18, 2010
Sunday's Greenbush Challenge drew out nearly 150 skiers to the famed SE Wisconsin trails. Thomas Stuber collected his second victory of the weekend in a photo finish over Chad Tolbert. Joellen Torresani was the top womens finisher.

Minnesota College Relays Results
January 18, 2010
David Johnson reports: The Minnesota College Relays were held at St. John’s University on Sunday. It was a wonderful day for racing with air temps 32 to 35. Alaska Fairbanks showed up and swiped the top two spots to win both the men's and women's races. The competition for 3rd was wild in both the men's and women's races. In the men's race Gustavus edged out St. Scholastica by 3 seconds. Three teams sprinted to the finish in the women's race St. Scholastica edged out the St. Ben’s and Gustavus finishing 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively.

Minnesota High School Rankings Posted
January 18, 2010
The weekly rankings for Minnesota High School Nordic skiing have been posted. A few shakeups this week as the post-Mesabi results get tweaked. Ben Ohman of Orono moves to the #1 ranking, Jessie Diggins retains the top girls rank. Eden Prairie boys and Roseville girls remain the top teams. Coaches: We need your input, cast your vote this week!

US Ski Team: Newell Just Misses Semis in Estonia
January 17, 2010
Andy Newell missed out on the semifinal round by an eyelash at the Viessman FIS World Cup sprint in Estonia on Saturday, finishing 13th after qualifying sixth. Sweden's Emil Joensson won on the men's side and Hanna Falk on the women's.
Related:
Nordic Combined: Demong Takes Lead for U.S. in 4th

Boulder Lake Ski Race Results
January 17, 2010
Boulder Lake Ski Race was the second stop on the Minnesota Skinnyski Series with the 31K freestyle race on Sunday. Adam Swank made it 2-for-2 over the weekend, taking the Seeley on Saturday and topping the mens field at Boulder today. Joe Dubay and Tyler Kjorstad rounded out the top three. Mary Beth Tuttle repeated as the womens champion, two minutes ahead of Carolyn Bramante and Angie Robinson. In the 10K freestyle race, Dudley Coulter and Kara Jaspers, both of Thunder Bay, took the titles.
Related:
Jan 16-17 Copper Loppet, Copper Island Classic Results

Seeley Hills Classic Coverage
January 16, 2010
Nearly 600 skiers turned out for a fantastic day of classical skiing on the Birkie trail in the Seeley Hills Classic. Adam Swank powered ahead of Andre Watt and Bjorn Batdorf to take the victory in the premiere 44K event. Johanna Winters cruised ahead of the womens field, taking the crown by nearly a five minute margin. Santiago Ocariz won the mens 22K race, posting the only sub-hour time! Carolyn Free captured the womens 22K event. Full results plus photosets from Scott Nesvold and Julie Wenner.
Related:
Jan 16 Seeley Hills High School Race Results

Snekkevik Results
January 16, 2010
John Burke reports: Over 300 races took part in today’s Snekkevik Ski Race in Wausau. This race was recently featured in Silent Sports as possibly Wisconsin's second oldest ski race (only the Birkie is older). Fast conditions made for some excellent racing as Tom Stuber of Waukesha won the 12K classic race and followed it up with a win in the 12K skate race. On the women's side, Barb Bradley and Brittany Drengler, both of Wausau, won the classic and skate races respectively. The high school classic race was won by Adam Martin from the Wausau West/East team and Felicia Geisor of Peak Nordic took top honors for the girls.

ABC Relays Coverage
January 16, 2010
ABC Relays were at Theodore Wirth this year, racing on much of the new snowmaking loop and some of the Back 9. The boys featured a close battle as Coon Rapids took the early lead, then Stillwater moved up from third to first, before Minneapolis South took over with Andover chasing hard. South and Andover came down the final stretch together and on the unusual U-turn finish, Andover went for the inside line and got tangled up, going down just short of the line - South took first. The girls race featured two of Minnesota premiere skiers, Annie Hart and Jessie Diggins. Hart got things rocketing taking a 20 second lead in the opening kilometer of the girls relay. But it was Diggins overcoming roughly a minute deficit on the final leg to overtake Armstrong and give Stillwater girls the victory. Full results and photosets up now.

Mayor's Challenge Volunteers Needed
January 16, 2010
The Mayors Challenge Weekend needs some volunteers to help us put on the races January 23 & 24th at Theodore Wirth Park. The event will help fine tune the trails and facilities for the upcoming 2011 Junior Olympic Nationals.

Olympians Receive Free Lifetime Birkie Entries
January 15, 2010
The American Birkebeiner has announced lifetime complimentary race entries for Olympians.
Related:
2010 Birkie Skiers for Cures

Lake Conference Results
January 15, 2010
Brian Abery reports: The Lake Conference continued its schedule of regular season races Thursday afternoon with a 6km classic race in mild conditions at Murphy-Hanrahan Park. On the Girls side, Lakeville South skier Jordyn Ross, who won the Giant’s Ridge Invitational Freestyle Race this past Saturday, continued her string of strong performances besting Lakeville North’s Michelle Ferguson by 8 seconds with ISD 196 Freshman Sonja Hedblom coming in third another 42 seconds back. In the Boys competition, Andy Dodds and Chris Parr, both of ISD 196, continued their domination. Dodds, also the Freestyle winner at the Ridge, skied the tough 6km course in 17:43 with Parr coming in 17 seconds back. Lakeville North Sophomore Ben Saxton took third with a time of 18:26.

Weekend Racing
January 13, 2010
Racing season is full on this weekend with more events that we can list here! Just a few of the highlights...
Jan 16 Seeley Hills Classic - One of the queen races of classic skiing with multiple lanes on the Birkie trail.
Jan 16 Snekkevik - Skate and classical races on the Nine Mile ski trails in Wausau.
Jan 16 Lake Minnetonka Race - Short, and of course, very flat races on Excelsior Bay.
Jan 17 Boulder Lake Ski Race - A strong field (over 250) is expected for this second race in the MiSSeries.
Jan 17 Greenbush Nordic Challenge - The famed Greenbush trails of the  Kettle Moraine are sure to bring out SE Wisconsin's finest.
Jan 16-17 Keweenaw Nordic Ski Festival - Copper Loppet and Copper Island Classic offer two days of racing in the UP.
Plus a big JOQ race at Mt. Itasca, Coca Cola Classic near Alexandria,  and Edgewood Winter Blast in Fargo. 
Review the latest race updates we've got in the Racing Outlook.
Related:

Waxing Recommendations

MYSL Team Sprint Results
January 13, 2010
MYSL Team Sprint series is taking off with more teams participating each week. Wednesday evening at Wirth featured a tight battle between Chris Sachs/Dave Duede and Jake Boyce/Nes Dyste teams with the Sachs/Duede duo winning by just 20 seconds in the 8 x 1.2K relay.
Related:
Jan 13 Elm Creek Series Results Posted

Minnesota School Coaches Polling
January 12, 2010
The Minnesota High School Coaches Rankings polling goes online, as we attempt to help streamline the voting process and hopefully generate more involvement in the rankings. We're asking coaches/assistants, 1 per team, to step up and make their opinions known. We'll tabulate the results Sunday nights and post a new edition on Monday mornings. Go vote!

Racing Outlook
January 12, 2010
Race updates on the Wednesday night series, and the big Seeley Hills Classic as well as the Marshall Sprints.

Minnesota Skinnyski Series Team Competition
January 12, 2010
Race commissioner Michael Meehlhause highlights the Minnesota Skinnyski Series Team Competition including some of its famous/infamous history. Have you signed up your team yet?
Related:
MiSSeries: Twin Cities Championships Recap

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
January 12, 2010
Paulette Niemi recaps her race, and some background on the new SISU Ski Fest.

Price Hike
January 10, 2010
Two price hikes coming up this week...
Boulder Lake Ski Race - Prices jump after Jan 11th.
City of Lakes Loppet - Prices go up on Jan 15th.
Also note that the Wirth JOQ (Mayor's Challenge) has a price hike on Jan 16th.

Minnesota High School Rankings Posted
January 10, 2010
The first Minnesota Coaches Association High School Rankings poll as been posted. The poll strongly reflects the results of the Giants Ridge Invite held over the weekend, with Jessie Diggins and Andy Dodds leading the way. Top teams are the Roseville girls and Eden Prairie boys.
Related:
MSHSNCA January Update

World Junior XC Team Named
January 10, 2010
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association has named 12 skiers to the World Junior Cross Country Team that will compete later this month at the World Junior Nordic Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany. Two midwest skiers made the team: Jessie Diggins and Anne Hart.

Sawtooth Results
January 10, 2010
Cory Berg reports: The Sawtooth International lived up to it's name today as many skiers made the trip south of the border from Thunder Bay to race on the Pincushion Trails in Grand Marais. There was a great turn out of Minnesota and Wisconsin skiers as well and course conditions were fantastic. Adam Kates won men's the 10 km classic race and Kerrie Fabius edged out Britt Bailey to win the women's 10 km classic race. Mike Somppi took the win in 20 km freestyle race and Jenna Krueger of Aurora took the women's 20 km freestyle title.

24 Hours of Telemark Results
January 10, 2010
The 24 Hours of Telemark wrapped up racing action on Sunday morning. Some of the winners: 24 Solo Freak Male - Chester Fehrmann, Freak Female - Beth Barrett; 24 Big Team - UMD; 24 Men - Nordic Nutz, 24 Women - Pipsqueaks and Me. Full results posted along with nice shots from Darlene Prois.

Biathlon: US Olympic Team Nominations
January 10, 2010
The US Biathlon association has posted their nominations for the 2010 Olympic team. Wynn Robert of Battle Lake, MN, was one of the five men nominated!

Green Acres Grand Opening Race Coverage
January 10, 2010
Green Acres celebrated their grand opening on Sunday with free skiing, a big food spread, equipment demos, door prizes and a fast 5K skate race. The race course featured much of the Green Acres terrain, including a "mountain top" finish on Per's Plunge. Nathan Porath broke away half way into the race and sailed in for the solo victory. Corey Coogan Cisek and Melissa Macmillen shared the lead until they hit Gallon's Gallop where Corey pulled away to for the womens title. Full results and photos posted.

Biathlon: History Repeats for Tim Burke With 2nd Place Finish
January 10, 2010
Tim Burke continued to make biathlon history today finishing in second place in the mass start World Cup event in Oberhof, Germany - the first ever mMass start medal for a U.S. athlete - and resuming the top spot as Overall Leader in IBU World Cup standings.

Nordic Combined: Demong, Lodwick Historic 1-2 Finish
January 10, 2010
It was history in the making in Italy Sunday as World Champions Billy Demong and Todd Lodwick took first and second, marking the first time two U.S. athletes have made the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup podium together.

Marine/O'Brien Race Coming Up
January 9, 2010
The 39th annual Marine/O'Brien race is coming up on Sunday, January 31st at William O'Brien State Park, located just north of Marine on the St. Croix. There are 12K and 25K distance events, as well as a wide range of kids races in the afternoon.

Giants Ridge Invite Coverage
January 9, 2010
With over 1200 skiers participating, the Giants Ridge Invite is the biggest single day high school Nordic race in the nation and showcases most of the top junior talent in the Midwest. Classical races, delayed an hour due to the cold overnight temps, kicked off the day. Ben Ohman, Orono, posted the fastest classic time by just 6/10s of a second over Raleigh Goessling, CEC. The girls classic race featured the two superstars, Annie Hart (SPA) and Jessie Diggins (Stillwater), with Diggins coming out on top by nine seconds. As temperatures climbed, the afternoon skaters hit the Silver trail. Andy Dodds, Apple Valley, was the top dog in the freestyle with a clear 20 second margin. Jordyn Ross, Lakeville South, had nearly the same margin in her skate victory. Photosets from Jay Richards and Ron Kutsi.
Related:
Jan 9 Lakeland Classic Results Posted

SISU Ski Fest Results
January 9, 2010
Nearly 300 skiers turned out for the inaugural SISU Ski Fest races Saturday in Ironwood. The new point-to-point race featured much of the ABR trail system then rolled north to finish in downtown Ironwood. Adam Swank and Paulette Niemi sailed to the titles in the 42K freestyle, both winning by almost five minutes. Joe Dubay held off Timo Puiras to take the 42K classical race with Kerrie Fabius easily topping the womens field. In the 21K races, freestyle crowns went to Santiago Ocariz and Carolyn Freeman, classic titles to Judson Steinback and Joan Rundman.
Related:
Valley Spur Ski Bash Results Posted

Pre-Loppet Coverage
January 9, 2010
Test driving the new City of Lakes Loppet start area, the Pre-Loppet squeezed over 150 skiers into the first kilometers of the snowmaking and onto the opening half of the Loppet course. It was a Loppet staff/volunteer podium sweep as John Swain took the victory in front of Jonathan Miller and John Munger. The orange Rossi trio of Carolyn Braemante, Kim Rudd and Hilary Patzer, along with Jan Guenther skiing strong, dominated the womens race with Patzer moving in front at the line in a sprint win over Braemante. Full results and photoset posted.
Related:
Joliet Nordic Coverage Posted

Queen of the Hill: Annie Hart
January 8, 2010
On Wednesday, Minneapolis Ski Club's own Annie Hart topped all juniors in a spectacular classical race at US Nationals. The victory qualified her for the 2010 World Junior Team. Kevin Brochman recaps Annie's racing action and looks back at her training.

US Nationals: Classical Sprints
January 8, 2010
US Nationals in Anchorage wrapped up Friday with another sprint race, this time in classical format. It was a tough finish for the Midwest stars as folks like Garrott Kuzzy, Caitlin Compton and Matt Liebsch did not advance out of their quarterfinals. Erik Soederstroem and Kikkan Randall won the sprint finals. Top midwest results: Lindsay Williams 2nd B final; Bryan Cook 3rd B final, Chris Cook 4th B final.
Related:
Results: Classical Sprints
Toko's Report from US Nationals Classical Sprints

Lake Conference Results
January 7, 2010
Brian Abery reports: The Lake Conference regular season meet schedule resumed after the Christmas break at Valleywood Golf Course, but little changed with respect to skier performances. Juniors Andy Dodds and Chris Parr of ISD #196 once again led the pack with Dodds besting his teammate by 31 seconds. Lakeville North skier Ben Saxton skied a strong race to take third a further 11 seconds back. With the absence of Sarmila Ahmed due to injury, the Women’s race was dominated by senior Jordan Ross of Lakeville South who bested Lakeville North’s Michelle Ferguson by 25 seconds. Sonja Hedblom, a 9th grade skier from ISD #196, in her best race of the year, finished a strong third for the final podium position.
Related:
More High School Results

Racing Outlook: Cold Weather Updates
January 7, 2010
Another weekend of forecasted cold overnight temperatures has some race delays starting to pop up. Giants Ridge Invite delayed to 11 am, Pre-Loppet also delayed to 11 am.

Racing Outlook: Giants Ridge Invite
January 7, 2010
Updates on the Giants Ridge Invite: Start time delayed to 11 am; start lists are posted.

US Nationals: Classical
January 6, 2010
Wednesday at US Nationals featured the mid-distance classical races, 20K for women and 30K for men. James Southam captured top honors, a little more a minute in front of Kris Freeman with Bryan Cook taking third. Kikkan Randall collected yet another title, holding off Holly Brooks by just 10 seconds. Caitlin Compton uncorked another big race, finishing third. Other top Midwest results: Brian Gregg 5th, Santiago Ocariz 16th, Lindsey Dehlin 10th, Maria Stuber 12th, Katie Bono 13th, Kristina Owen 20th.
Related:
Photoset from Ben Dubay: Classical
Results: Classical
Swix Post Race Report
Toko's Report from US Nationals Classical

Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
January 5, 2010
The Skinnyski Race Team took to action last weekend, competing in the big two-day races, the Stormy Kromer Pursuit and Twin Cities Championships. Read race recaps from John Munger and Grant Nelson.

Racing Outlook
January 4, 2010
Updates on the weekly series and weekend races, including the inaugural SISU Ski Fest, the Pre-Loppet, the huge Giants Ridge Invite and Northern Illinois Nordic.
Related:
MNYSS Series Standings

US Nationals: Freestyle Races
January 4, 2010
US Nationals continued on Monday with the 10K and 15K freestyle races. Caitlin Compton continues to ramp up her fitness, finishing second today with only Kikkan Randall in front by just 10 seconds. CXC's Tad Elliot had a breakout race finishing second overall, just 24 seconds back of winner Kris Freeman. Matt Liebsch also put in another strong race, finishing fourth overall. Other top midwest results: Chris Cook 8th, Brian Gregg 9th, Garrott Kuzzy 17th, Santiago Ocariz 18th; Maria Stuber 23rd.
Related:
Photoset from Ben Dubay: Freestyle
Photoset from Toko: US Nationals Freestyle
Results: 10K, 15K freestyle
US Ski Team: Newell 6th in Tour Sprint

Twin Cities Championships Day 2 Coverage
January 3, 2010
The Twin Cities Championships capped a glorious weekend series with an exciting multi-pursuit format at Theodore Wirth on Sunday. Spotting Bjorn Batdorf just a 15 second lead, Matt Weier quickly made up the gap and the pair skied strongly away from the field. Weier lead into the final kilometer and held on for the overall title. With the absence of Anna McLoon, Johanna Winters started in first and never looked back, taking the womens pursuit title. Full results, plus a big photoset now online.
Related:
Video: Post-race Interviews
Storm Kromer Freestyle/Pursuit Results

US Ski Team: Newell Sprints to Eighth at Tour de Ski
January 3, 2010
The U.S. Ski Team's Andy Newell finished eighth in the Tour de Ski's third stage Sunday in Oberhof, Germany, gaining valuable points in the FIS World Cup sprint standings.

Nordic Combined: Spillane Takes First World Cup Win
January 3, 2010
Johnny Spillane blew away the cross country field Sunday, finishing over 30 seconds ahead of the pack to take the first World Cup win of his career in Oberhof.

Waukeska County XC Ski Race Results
January 2, 2010
The SE Wisconsin racing season fired up the New Year with a fast paced event at Nashotah Park. A tight finished saw four skiers finish within 10 seconds of the lead as Thomas Stuber took the victory. Joelle Wightman easily captured the womens title. Full results posted.
Related:
Blue Hills Ascent Coverage

US Nationals: Freestyle Sprints
January 2, 2010
Garrott Kuzzy was edged out by 1.5 seconds in the mens sprint final and had to settle for third place as US Nationals got underway with the opening event Saturday in Anchorage. Kuzzy had posted the second fastest qualifier, but it was Simeon Hamilton that had the top qualifier and eventually won the mens final. Kikkan Randall won the womens final (and fastest qualifier), but Caitlin Compton continues to show good sprint form, taking third in the qualifier and fifth in a tough womens final.
Related:
Photoset from Ben Dubay: Sprints
Results: Qualifiers, Final Heats
US Ski Team: Newell Competes in Tour de Ski
US Ski Team: Newell Maintains Spot at Tour de Ski
Nordic Combined: Spillane 4th in Oberhof World Cup
Toko's Report from US Nationals Freestyle Sprints

Stormy Kromer Results
January 2, 2010
Over 130 skiers gathered in northern Wisconsin for the annual Stormy Kromer race held this weekend. The first stage, classical racing on the Montreal ski trails, was won by Jonathan Rulseh with a 47 second margin over Scott Johanik and Ken Statz in third. Paulette Niemi will take a big margin over the womens field, nearly 3 minutes, into the skate race on Sunday.

Twin Cities Championships Day 1 Coverage
January 2, 2010
A delayed start until noon allowed temperatures to soar to the zero degree mark for the start of the Twin Cities Championships classical race at Battle Creek in St. Paul. The field was packed with the best of the Twin Cities and outstate in a tightly contested battle. Matt Weier and Bjorn Batdorf broke away on the second lap and pushed the pace with Batdorf making the final move to capture a roughly a 15 second margin for Sunday's pursuit freestyle race. Anna McLoon won the womens event but was hotly pursued by Johanna Winters and Kelly Skillicorn throughout the race. Full results and photosets posted. Video clip of start added. Kids results posted.
Related:
Sunday Pursuit Start Lists Posted

Marshall Sprints Postponed
January 1, 2010
Due to forecasted cold weather, the Marshall Sprints originally scheduled for Saturday, January 2nd have been posted to Saturday, January 16th.

Irondale Rice Creek Classic Coverage
January 1, 2010
Irondale volunteers groomed and buffed the Rice Creek trails into an excellent classic race course, complete with some quick turns and numerous short climbs for the Irondale Rice Creek Classic on New Years day. Erik Solsberg strided away with the mens victory while Katherine Himes and Corey Coogan-Cisek exchanged turns for the womens lead before Himes pulled away in the final lap. Full results and complete photoset posted.

Marshall Sprints Information
December 31, 2009
Dave Johnson has outlined a possible alternate schedule for cold weather conditions for the Marshall Sprints on Saturday. Feedback is requested.
Related:
Racing Outlook

2010 Minnesota Skinnyski Series Ready to Go
December 31, 2009
The Minnesota Skinnyski Series kicks off this weekend with the Twin Cities Championship two-day combined event. Battle Creek and Theodore Wirth are reportedly in fine shape for the opener.

High School Racing Comes to the Upper Peninsula
December 30, 2009
Marquette High School has started an official high school Nordic ski team under the guidance of Matt Weier, Joey Graci and Dan Wiitala. The team will challenge the Minnesota scene at the Giants Ridge Invite on Jan 9th.
Related:
Recent Results: Dec 31 Brainerd Invite, Dec 29 Spooner Invite, Dec 29 Deer River Invite

Elm Creek Series Results
December 30, 2009
Another strong holiday turnout on Wednesday evening for the Elm Creek series as more than a dozen skiers competed. John Kallemeyn and Christi Nowak posted the top times of the night.
Related:
Xmas-New Year West Itasca Ski Fest Time Trial Results
Short Notice: Finding Rainbow Race Added for Jan 10th

US Ski Team: XC Champs Set Down in Anchorage
December 30, 2009
One of cross country's biggest and most well known playgrounds, Anchorage, is geared up for it's second season of elite national racing as the U.S. Cross Country Championships hits Kincaid Park to name the nation's best in the sport.
Related:
ADN: A Little Snow Shoveling in Anchorage

Price Hike
December 28, 2009
Hard to believe the 2009 is already over, but a number of price hikes coming on Thursday...
• Sisu Ski Marathon
• Pepsi Challenge
• Nordic Spirit
• Mora Vasaloppet
The Twin Cities Championships registration closes Thursday -- prices go up for race day registration.  And finally, the Birkie Tour event has a price hike as well.
Related:
Nordic Spirit December Special

Racing Outlook
December 28, 2009
Race Updates for the holiday weekend with three days of racing on tap.

Metro Nordic Youth Super Series
December 27, 2009
A new youth race series (kids 13 and under) will debut this winter in the Twin Cities metro area. The series will pair with some of the premiere races to offer a fun introduction into ski racing.
Related:
Jan 2 Marshall Sprints High School Races Are On!

Como Championships Coverage
December 26, 2009
The Como Golf Course Saturday morning was a spin-off of the popular TV show only in Nordic theme, Skiing with the Stars, as Olympic hopefuls and numerous top flite skiers mixed it up with the local master skiers in the Como Championships. The race featured two fast, fast, (did I mention fast?), loops with the traditional layout, freshly groomed earlier this morning. Matt Liebsch peeled off the front almost immediately and sailed in for the easy victory. The battle for second place had Doug DeBold outsprinting Jesse Lang. Johanna Winters lead the womens field but was challenged until the final kilometer by Maria Wik. Big photoset up now along with full results.

Elm Creek Series Coverage
December 23, 2009
As in years past, there was a big turnout Wednesday night for the Holiday edition of the Elm Creek series. Over 30 skiers competed on the man-made snow loop with Anders Bowman and Jenny Beckman posting the top times on the evening.

High School Results Continue to Roll In
December 22, 2009
We continue to post high school results as they come in. Latest postings include: Stillwater/Roseville Pursuit, Tech Invite Sprints, and Lake Conf Classic.

Biathlon: World Team Trials Day 5 Recap
December 22, 2009
The US Biathlon World Team Trials wrapped up Tuesday with another victory by Battle Lake's Wynn Roberts. Minnesota men did well in the final standings as Wynn Roberts, Leif Nordgren, and Raleigh Goessling finished atop their respective divisions.
Related:
Biathlon World Teams Announced

Price Hike
December 21, 2009
The Boulder Lake Ski Race, the second event in Minnesota Skinnyski Series, has a Christmas Day price hike coming up this week.

Racing Outlook
December 21, 2009
Updates on weekly series (Elver Park series delayed to Jan 5th), a special St. Paul Central alumni race, and the Como Championships.
Related:
Tuscobia Ultramarathon Results

Invitational Meets Collection
December 20, 2009
Mike Hecker, MSHSNSCA President, is collecting information on the weekend invitational meets in the hopes of fostering more competition, especially across sections. Send in your meet info.
Related:
Wausau JOQ Sprint Results
Giants Ridge Invite Information (formerly Mesabi East Invite)

Biathlon: Tim Burke Takes World Cup Lead!
December 20, 2009
It was a historic day in the US Biathlon world as Tim Burke finished sixth in the Pokljuka World Cup event which pushed him in the the overall lead (and yellow bib) in the World Cup standings! It marks the first time an American has ever lead the Biathlon World Cup.
Related:
US Ski Team: Randall Reaches Points in Rogla
Nordic Combined: Lodwick Nears Podium in Ramsau
Biathlon: World Team Trials Day 4 Recap

Biathlon: World Team Trials Day 3
December 19, 2009
The Biathlon World Team Trials at Mt. Itascsa in Coleraine resumed on Saturday with the sprint format events. A number of Minnesota skiers scored well again, including Wynn Roberts who won the mens 10K event. Addie Byrne and Leif Nordgren won the juniors 7.5K format.
Related:
Photoset from Ron Kutsi: Day 3 - 38 photos

Elk River Race Results
December 19, 2009
A highlight competitive field lined up on the Woodland ski trails in Elk River Saturday morning. The field was stacked with top skiers including the likes of Matt Liebsch who was chased by Doug DeBold, losing to Liebsch by just 22 seconds in the 20K freestyle race. Dartmouth skier and former State Champion Katie Bono just edged out CXC alumni Johanna Winters by a single second for the womens title. Zach McGill and Marissa Yovetich took the 10K crowns.

Holiday Relays Coverage
December 19, 2009
It was an exciting day of racing at Troll Hollow for the storied Holiday Races as some of the perennial powerhouse teams fought for the overall titles. A quick breakdown on the results: Girls Classic - Stillwater, Wayzata, Roseville; Boys Classic - Stillwater, Osseo, Mpls South; Girls Freestyle - Roseville, Stillwater, Wayzata; Boys Freestyle - Wayzata, Stillwater, Roseville. Top times on the day: Girls Classic - Jessie Diggins, Boys classic - Martin Aspholm, Girls Freestyle - Becca Dyson, Boys Freestyle - Alex Meyer. Correction: Wayzata captured Simpson Trophy for the fasted combined time of all four events. Wayzata boys and Roseville girls had the top combined team times. Full results and photos from the skate races now online.

St. Marys Race Coverage
December 19, 2009
Nearly perfect conditions on Saturday morning for the short-notice race at St. Mary's University in Winona. The hilly course at St. Mary's had an abundance of snow and race temperatures were in the mid 20s. Ben Mogren and Nate Porath broke off early and raced together into the second lap before Mogren dropped Porath to ski in for the victory. Robyn Lauritsen posted the top womens time.

US Ski Team: Newell Leads USA Into Finals
December 19, 2009
American Andy Newell made his first final group of the World Cup season in the men’s sprint on Saturday in Rogla. Newell led all racers in qualifying and won his quarter final heat before advancing as a lucky loser in the semifinals to make the final round, finishing sixth.
Related:
Nordic Combined: Spillane Just Misses Podium Again

Holiday Ski Clinic with Garrott Kuzzy
December 18, 2009
Garrott Kuzzy and his alma mater Hopkins ski team will be hosting a ski clinic at Theodore Wirth on Wednesday morning, December 23rd. The clinic is open to all skiers.

Minnesota High School Coaches Update
December 17, 2009
Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association President Mike Hecker provides an early season update on a number of topics including the State Meet, travel restrictions, education and rankings.

Elm Creek Series Coverage
December 17, 2009
The Elm Creek series had a bigger turnout on Wednesday evening as a dozen skiers competed on the man-made snow loop. John Kallemeyn topped the mens field while Julie Kallemeyn was the solo woman.

Lake Conference Kickoff Results
December 15, 2009
Brian Abery reports: The Lake Conference Nordic Season got underway at Cleary Lake Park Reserve tonight with a 6km race in rolling terrain and cold temps. Picking up where she left off last year, Sarmila Ahmed of Burnsville won the women’s race by a 25 second margin over Eden Prairie’s Shannon Evans who nipped Lakeville’s Jordyn Ross by two seconds for second place. The Men’s race was easily won by ISD 196’s Andy Dodds who skied to a 38 second win over Lakeville North’s Lewis Kunik. ISD 196 skier, Chris Parr earned the third podium spot another seventeen seconds back.

Racing Outlook
December 14, 2009
With the good skiing conditions in Wisconsin and SE Minnesota you knew someone would jump on it: Race-notice race this Saturday, Dec 19th at St. Mary's University in Winona! Elver Park series start delayed to Dec 22nd.

NorAm: Sovereign Lake Sprints
December 13, 2009
It had to happen sooner or later -- Garrott Kuzzy did NOT win the Sovereign Lake Sprints, instead coming in second to Canada's Phil Widmer in the final. Thunder Bay's Sean Crooks was third. The US women stacked the deck, filling five of the six spots, in the womens final but it was Dasha Gaiazova, Canada, who would take the victory. Junior sensation Jessie Diggins had a spectacular series, finishing fourth in the B final along with Caitlin Compton sixth.
Related:
Results: Sprints

Biathlon World Team Trials Day 2 Recap
December 13, 2009
Cold temperatures delayed the start of the Mt Itasca Biathlon World Team Trials on Sunday morning, but race action eventually got underway. Zach Hall, Anchorage, AK, and Tracy Colliander, Durango, CO, had the top times on the day. Battle Lake native Wynn Roberts has posted the fastest ski times the last two days, but shooting penalties have held him back.

US Ski Team: Randall Just Misses Sprint Final
December 13, 2009
World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall got her sprint legs heated up Sunday, landing a seventh-place finish during a World Cup sprint in Davos, Switzerland. Andy Newell had the top US mens result landing him in 22nd.

Grandview XC Challenge Classic Results
December 13, 2009
The opening weekend of JOQ racing wrapped up Sunday with classical races on the Wolverine trail system. Adam Swank made it a weekend sweep in taking the victory with a narrow five second gap in front of Joe Dubay with Doug Doug third best. Annie Hart showed her superior classic form to lead out the womens field with Kelly Chaudoin and Eleanor Magnuson making up the same top three, only different order, from Saturday.

Preseason Physical Coverage
December 13, 2009
Volunteers shoveled and prodded the Wirth trails into an 8K loop for the Preseason Physical on Sunday. The course featured the new snowmaking loop and branched off to take in most of the trails in the woods behind the Par 3 side. A lead pack of Jonathan Miller, Derek Wallen, Logan Smestad and Zach Handler was pulled apart on the final lap with Wallan and Miller exchanging the pulls at the front before Miller made the decisive move on the final 250m of the snowmaking loop to take the victory. Mary Beth Tuttle led the womens field, following shortly by Hilary Patzer.

Iowa Racing
December 12, 2009
Iowans have their own Tuesday evening race series, featuring the Ashton CC trails on the Univ of Iowa campus. With the big snowfall last week, the series will kickoff this Tuesday, Dec 15th at 7 pm.

High School Recap
December 12, 2009
Results from races this past week have been posted including Twin Cities NSC, North Suburban, SEC, and Ely.

NorAm: Sovereign Lake Freestyle Races
December 12, 2009
Americans dominated the Canadian podium at Sovereign Lake in the NorAm freestyle races on Saturday. Familar names at the top of the results this season, Holly Brooks and Garrott Kuzzy padded their resumes with victories in the 10K and 15K skate races. Matt Liebsch had his best results of the season taking third (and fellow CXCer Brian Gregg was 5th) and Caitlin Compton continues to improve as she pulled down a fifth place finish.
Related:
Photoset from Bryan Fish: Silver Star Freestyle Podiums - 2 photos
Results: Freestyle

Biathlon World Team Trials Day 1 Recap
December 12, 2009
The US Biathlon World Team Trials opened on Saturday at Mt Itasca in Coleraine and Mark Johnson and Wynn Roberts provided some big rewards as the Minnesota duo took first and second in the Sprint format. Another Minnesota native, Jenny Wygant, climbed the top step of the womens podium in only her second year in biathlon.
Related:
Results: Sprint

Grandview XC Challenge/JOQ Freestyle Results
December 12, 2009
Wolverine Nordic in Ironwood, MI, once again hosts the opening JOQ racing series with a pair of races this weekend. On Saturday, skiers competed in 5K and 10K distance freestyle races. Adam Swank posted the top time of the day holding off returning star Joe Dubay by 18 seconds with Waylon Manske third. Kelly Chaudoin had the fastest time in the womens 5K field, with Anne Hart and Eleanor Magnuson close behind. Paulette Niemi had the lone womens 10K time.

US Ski Team: Freeman 7th in Davos World Cup
December 12, 2009
Two time Olympian Kris Freeman finished seventh for a career best in the 15K freestyle Saturday during the World Cup in Switzerland.
Related:
Biathlon: Burke skis to 10th in World Cup Pursuit
Nordic Combined: Lodwick Wins Snowy Cup

Hoigaards Relays Coverage
December 12, 2009
The Minnesota racing season got underway Saturday morning at Theodore Wirth with the annual Hoigaards Relays. Using a roughly 1K snowmaking loop, teams sped over the fast but hilly terrain skiing two laps for each leg of the relay. The duo of Travis Hinck and Bjorn Batdorf took the overall victory in the masters race. Edina boys had the top juniors time.

Price Hike for Minn Finn
December 11, 2009
The Minnesota Finland has their first price hike on December 15th -- act now to save on this key closing race for the Minnesota Skinnyski Series, and one of the legends of the marathon scene.

Nelsons Named Birkie Warriors for 2010
December 9, 2009
Grant Nelson, Dave and Josie Nelson and their son Karl, have been named to play the roles as the Birkie Warriors for the 2010 event.

Sleeping Giant Ready to Jump
December 8, 2009
Preparations are well underway for the Sleeping Giant Loppet, March 6th, in Thunder Bay. Thunder Bay Nordic Trails has received a major grant for purchasing new Pisten Bully groomer, skiers are on the trails at Kamview, and their head groomer, Peter Crooks, is headed to the Olympics.

Snow Guns Blowing for Biathlon World Team Trials at Mt. Itasca
December 8, 2009
Volunteers from the Mt. Itasca Nordic Ski Association have been working round the clock for the past week to prepare the venue for the start of the Biathlon World Team Trials, Dec 12-22.

First High School Results - Forest Lake Invite
December 8, 2009
The first high school results of the season have been posted -- Forest Lake Invite at Troll Hollow on Monday, Dec 7th. The Forest Lake boys came out flying, taking the top three spots with Steve Coozennoy leading the way. The girls team scored well too placing five Forest Lake skiers in the top nine. Liz Peterson cruised to more than a 40 second margin of victory.

Racing Outlook
December 7, 2009
Racing season begins! Elm Creek series starts this Wednesday, Hoigaards Relays this Saturday at Wirth, and Mt Itasca hosts US Biathlon Team Trials.

SuperTour: Bozeman Classic
December 6, 2009
Another day of crisp temperatures as the SuperTour racers competed in classical format races in Bozeman. James Southam won the mens 15K with the Cook brothers, Bryan and Chris, taking second and third. Holly Brooks continued her domination of the SuperTour series, collecting yet another victory today. Kristin Trystad-Sarrti was second, Rebecca Dussault third.
Related:
Photoset from Ben Dubay: Bozeman Classic
Results: Womens 10K, Mens 15K
Nordic Combined: Spillane Earns Fourth in Lillehammer
US Ski Team: Mens Duo Takes 6th in Team Sprint
Biathlon: Relay Scores 7th in Östersund World Cup
Swix Results on Bozeman SuperTour

SuperTour: Bozeman Sprints
December 5, 2009
Midwest skiers continue to shine on the SuperTour series and none is hotter than Garrott Kuzzy. Kuzzy collected another victory in this short season, posting the top qualifying time and taking victory in the mens sprint final in Bozeman, MT. Wisconsin native Chris Cook was third. Caitlin Compton came back with some strong racing today, assisted by CXC and Bryan Fish, as she posted the top qualifying time and finished second to Holly Brooks in the womens sprint final.
Related:
Photoset from Ben Dubay: Bozeman Sprints
Results: Qualifying Times (partial, unofficial)
Faster Skier Womens Recap
Faster Skier Mens Recap

Biathlon: Burke Takes Historic 3rd in Sprint Format
December 5, 2009
U.S. biathlete Tim Burke made history again, winning a bronze medal in the 10km sprint at Saturday's World Cup competition in Ostersund, Sweden. It is the first ever medal for an American in sprint competition, and first time a U.S. Biathlete has reached the podium twice in the same week. The men's 4 x 7.5km relay (4am CST) and women's 4 x 6km Relay (7am CST) will be shown tomorrow on www.biathlonworld.com. The US men had a best ever relay last year at the Rupholding WC with a 5th place and are looking to improve on that Sunday.

US Ski Team: Newell Seventh in Dusseldorf Sprint
December 5, 2009
Andy Newell marked another World Cup top-10 finish Saturday as he claimed seventh place during a freestyle sprint in Germany. Russia's Alexy Petukhov won.
Related:
Nordic Combined: Spillane Leads U.S. in Lillehammer

Nordic Spirit December Special
December 3, 2009
The Nordic Spirit race and tour, January 31, 2010, is now part of the Minnesota Skinnyski Series. Register in December and save.

Biathlon: 2nd Place for Burke in the World Cup Opener!
December 3, 2009
Piotr Bednarski reports: Tim Burke placed 2nd in the 20km Individual at the openinge Biathlon World Cup race, today, in Ostersund, Sweden. Burke, from Lake Placid, NY, was 35.5 seconds behind Emil Hegle Swendson NOR, and 15 seconds ahead of 3rd place finisher Christof Summan AUT. All had 1 penalty. Starting in his very first World Cup, Kevin Patzoldt of Grand Rapids (Mt Itasca Biathlon), shot a clean race (20 for 20) and finished 69th out of 129 starters. Tim Burke, Kevin Patzoldt, Lowell Bailey, Jeremy Teela and Jay Hakkinen will all start on Saturday in the 10km Sprint. It will be shown live on www.biathlonworld.com at 7:30am CST. The Women's 7.5km Sprint will be live at 4:30am CST.

Minnesota High School Sections Schedule
December 2, 2009
The tentative schedule for the Minnesota High School sectionals has been posted.

Kuusamo World Cup Experience
December 1, 2009
Ritva Taipale shares her experience as attache for the World Cup opener in Kuusamo, Finland, last weekend. And check out her collection of photos and video clips!

US Biathlon Athletes Kick Off World Cup Season in Sweden
December 1, 2009
World Cup racing begins Wednesday in Östersund, Sweden as the US Biathlon team looks to follow-up last year’s strong season with their sights set on the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Kevin Patzoldt of Grand Rapids will be starting in his first ever World Cup after qualifying for the World Cup team in October. Watch the action live online!

Racing Outlook
November 29, 2009
December marks the start of the racing season with some weeknight race series. Without snow, the races are on hold.

US Ski Team: Freeman Fourth in Career Best Finish
November 29, 2009
Kris Freeman launched himself to a career-best World Cup finish Sunday, working his way just shy of the podium to finish fourth in a 15K classic in Finland. Kikkan Randall led the U.S. women, finishing 18th for her best finish in a non-sprint race.

SuperTour: West Yellowstone Classic
November 28, 2009
The SuperTour races at West Yellowstone wrapped up on Saturday with classical format races. The Midwest boys scored well as Garrott Kuzzy took his second victory of the early season, over 2.5 seconds in front of Wisconsin native Chris Cook with Thunder Bay's Sean Cooks finishing third. Madeleine Williams won the womens event over Holly Brooks and Dasha Gaiazova. Other top Midwest results: Bryan Cook 9th, Matt Liebsch 12th, Brian Gregg 16th; Jessie Diggins 12th, Lindsey Dehlin 17th, Katie Bono 20th, Caitlin Compton 21st.
Related:
Photoset from Swix Sport: Classical - 8 photos
Results: Classic (preliminary)

US Ski Team: Newell 7th in World Cup Sprint
November 28, 2009
Andy Newell started the 2010 World Cup sprint season in top form Saturday, finishing seventh in a classic event in Finland. Kikkan Randall was the top US woman, finishing 36th.

Kuusamo World Cup Update: Friday
November 27, 2009
Ahvo and Ritva Taipale continue their Kuusamo World Cup coverage with a brief report and photos from the preparations on Friday.
Related:
US Ski Team: Ready For World Cup Sprint

SuperTour: West Yellowstone Freestyle
November 27, 2009
The action resumed Friday in West Yellowstone with the freestyle format races on the Rendezvous ski trails. The mens 15K race fielded nearly ten skiers within a minute margin lead by Leif Zimmermann, Garrott Kuzzy and Noah Hoffman. In the womens 10K, Holly Brooks (second by a toe at the Birkie) was the top finisher followed by Dasha Gaiazova and Madeleine Williams. Other top results: Matt Liebsch 4th, Brian Gregg 5th, Chris Cook 14th, Andre Watt 15th, Sean Crooks 18th, Bryan Cook 23rd; Jessie Diggins 12th, Maria Stuber 17th, Caitlin Compton 18th, Johanna Winters 21st.
Related:
Results: Freestyle
Swix Press Release West Yellowstone Freestyle

Price Hikes!
November 26, 2009
A whole slew of price hikes arriving with December 1st, act quickly to save some cash:
· Twin Cities Championships
· Pepsi Challenge
· City of Lakes Loppet
· American Birkebeiner

Kuusamo World Cup Preview
November 26, 2009
Ahvo Taipale of Finn Sisu is back in the home country, visiting daugther Ritva and taking in the Kuusamo World Cup in Finland this weekend. They report on Thursday: Pictures from today's pre-competition activities from Aki Karvonen and the Vauhti Wax crew as well as a few pictures of the Ruka tunturi (and all the snow!). Conditions here are great (though a bit windy for ski jumping -- Thursday's qualification round has been rescheduled).
Related:
Photoset from Ahvo Taipale: Ruka tunturi prep - 5 photos

SuperTour: West Yellowstone Sprints
November 25, 2009
The SuperTour series kicked off the 2009-2010 Olympic season with an opening 1.6K classic sprint qualifier (only) on Wednesday. Twin Cities native Garrott Kuzzy picked up from last year's performance with the top result. Simi Hamilton, Sun Valley, and Sean Crooks, Thunder Bay, wrapped up the top three. Canadian Dasha Gaiazova posted the fastest women's time with APU's Laura Valaas second and Shayla Swanson, Calgary, third. The races resume on Friday with freestyle events followed by classical on Saturday.
Related:
Results: Classic Sprint Qualifier
Canadians Share Podium with Americans at Opening Day of US Super Tour in Montana

US Ski Team: Freeman Leads US in Relay
November 22, 2009
Day two of the opening weekend of World Cup cross country racing wrapped up in Norway on Sunday with the Kris Freeman leading the U.S. team strong out of the gate with a sixth in his heat of a relay race. The U.S. men finished 19th overall.

US Ski Team: Randall, Freeman Lead U.S. in World Cup Opener
November 21, 2009
The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team kicked off the 2010 Olympic season in Norway Saturday with Kikkan Randall and Kris Freeman leading the way for the U.S., finishing 21st and 22nd, respectively.

Santa Run to Benefit Legal Aid
November 20, 2009
The annual Santa Run to Benefit Legal Aid is just a few weeks away, on Saturday, December 5th. Join hundreds of other fully dressed Santas (and a few dreidels) as they jog down Nicollet Mall, all to benefit Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance.

USSA: Masters SuperTour Announced
November 20, 2009
The USSA announces the launch of the USSA Masters SuperTour to occur in conjunction with existing USSA SuperTour races around the nation this season.
Related:
USSA Level 100 Technique Clinic at West Yellowstone

US Ski Team: Randall Just Shy of Podium in Norway
November 15, 2009
The U.S. Cross Country Team wrapped up three days of pre World Cup racing Sunday with even more unexpected success as World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall took fourth and Kris Freeman fifth in the women's 5K and men's 10K classic FIS races in Norway.

US Ski Team: Freeman Shines in Norway
November 14, 2009
The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is a leg up on the competition scene after competing in two days of FIS races in Norway where Kikkan Randall, Kris Freeman, Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola have all had great early season results. Freeman finished fifth in the 15K freestyle race Saturday.

Minnesota State CX Championships Coverage
November 14, 2009
The Minnesota cyclocross scene celebrates the end of another wildly popular season with the State championships this weekend at Bassett Creek in Robbinsdale. The mens 1/2/3 race was once again an exciting and hard fought battle. Doug Swanson, Dewey Dickey, Pat Lemieux (last year's champ), Brian Eppens (from Iowa), and Jack Hinkens (Hopkins senior) ran away with the race early and rode as a tight group for much of the race. Near the end, Lemeiux was shed. Then on the final sidewalk stretch, Swanson put the hammer down dropping Dickey and setting up the final trio. With Swanson leading over the last barrier and Eppen on his heels, youngster Jack Hinkens tried his signature bunnyhop in a gamble to take victory -- the move failed, with Hinkens crashing. Swanson solo'd home but Hinkens recovered enough to catch Eppen at the sand pits and outsprinted him for second place. Jenna Rinehart had a close battle with Kim Eppen (Iowa) throughout the womens 1/2/3 race but managed to ride the final sandpit to take the womens victory.
Related:
Photoset: Mens 3 - 181 photos, Womens 1/2/3 - 89 photos, Mens 1/2/3 - 277 photos
Photoset from Jay Richards: CX4/W4 - 99 photos, Juniors - 88 photos, Mens 45+/55+ - 118 photos
Results: State CX Championships

South High School Wins National Sportsmanship Award
November 13, 2009
Minneapolis South High School will be the recipient of a National Sportsmanship Award on November 21st at a ceremony in St. Louis, MO. South was selected for their role in scheduling a last minute race to help Minneapolis Southwest's Libby Ellis qualify for sectionals back in February 2009. South coach Tony Aspholm will be present to accept the award. The event is to be televised in December.
Related:
2009 AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards

Twin Cities Championships Revived
November 12, 2009
The Sisu Nordic Ski Foundation (SNSF), a Twin-Cities-based organization dedicated to the development, support and promotion of Nordic Skiing in Minnesota, today announced that it will host the Twin Cities Championships Nordic ski race.

MSHSNCA Fall Meeting Minutes
November 9, 2009
Susan Waananen has compiled and published the full minutes of the 2009 Minnesota State High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association Meeting held in October at the Mora Vasaloppet Nordic Center.

Special High School Deals
November 8, 2009
A number of stores offer special high school packages:
- Ski Hut
- Finn Sisu
- Pioneer Midwest
- Hoigaards
- Gear West
Check with your local store for other deals.   We also maintain a big list of the Fall Ski Swaps, another great resource for the thrifty. And of course, there is the online classifieds.

2009-10 Racing Season Preview
November 8, 2009
With the first race of the season just weeks away, we roll out the 2009-2010 cross-country ski racing calendar with our annual Season Preview. There are a number of new events and exciting changes on the schedule, along with a few twists and perhaps a casualty. Read the highlights and access the full calendar.

Limestone Loppet Recap
November 7, 2009
Roughly 30 rollerskiers turned out on a warm fall day for the Limestone Loppet rollerski and CAT ski races. Jan Myrda edged Cat ski founder Dale Niggemann by six-tenths of a second on Saturday in the 8K freestyle time trial. Kielo Sauvala won the womens division. Niggemann took victory in the CAT ski race.
Related:
Photoset from Joe Gollinger: 15 photos
Results: 8K Freestyle, 4K CAT Ski

Minnesota State High School CC Meet Coverage
November 7, 2009
Under beautiful blue sunny skies and temperatures ranging from the mid 50s to the low 60s, 2009 Minnesota State Meet at St. Olaf was a spectators dream. The AA boys event created one of the more exciting state meets in years, with a bunched group of about 15 runners holding tight formation half-way through the race with no clear leader. Finally, Eden Prairie's Aaron Bartnik and Woodbury's Marty Joyce edged away to drive the field to the finish. Bartnik claimed the final meters over Joyce with a winning time of 15:55. Joyce crossed in second place at 15:58, with Kemal Jarso of St. Paul Central rounding out the top 3 at 16:02. The girls AA race was more decisive, with Shakopee's Maria Hauger leading for most of the race. Hauger crossed the line in 1st position in 14:40, with 2nd and 3rd positions going to Emma Bates of Elk River (14:41) and Jamie Piepenburg of Alexandria (14:45). Team titles went to the Eden Prairie boys and the Elk River girls (with the top three teams separated by less than 10 points). In the afternoon, the class A races hit the field. Musa Mubarik of Worthington put in a strong 500 meters to take the boys title over Kaullick Paul, Blake. Perham senior McClellan Maddie collected the girls title over a pack of young stars (seven of the top ten were ninth grade or younger) Perennial star Perham had a tough team day: Plainview-Elgin-Millville boys edged out Perham by just two points for the boys title, while the Waseca girls topped the Perham crew by 11.
Related:
Photoset: Boys AA - 137 photos, Girls AA - 167 photos, Boys A - 154 photos, Girls A - 138 photos
Results: Minnesota State CC Meet
MSHSL Boys Recap
MSHSL Girls Recap

US Ski Team: How to Make the Olympic Team
November 6, 2009
Selection criteria for the US Cross-Country Ski Team has been posted. Top criteria include top 50 in World Cup overall or top 30 in distance or sprint or else Head coach's discretion.
Related:
USSA Cross-Country Selection Criteria Details
Oct 10, 2009 FIS Points List

MiSSeries Skier of the Year Handicaps Posted
November 5, 2009
The Minnesota Skinnyski Series has compiled and posted the skier handicaps for the Skier of the Year competition. The Skier of the Year title seeks to reward the skiers with the biggest improvements over their previous seasons.

NBC Rolls Out Olympic Coverage
November 3, 2009
NBC has ramped up their Olympic website, adding a lot of new material:
Cross-Country Skiing - Interviews with Kikkan Randall and Andy Newell plus a preview of the 2010 competition.
Nordic Combined - Profiles of Billy Demong and Todd Lodwick along with a Tour de France Nordic Combined trip.
Related:
Canadian Teams Named

Minnesota Skinnyski Series 2010 Edition Unveiled
November 3, 2009
The 2010 Minnesota Skinnyski Series (MiSSeries) has been announced. Two new additions to the series: the revived Twin Cities Championships Jan 2-3, and the Nordic Spirit in Duluth Jan 31. The series wraps up with the big banquet on April 11th in Mora.

Limestone Loppet Update
November 3, 2009
The Limestone Loppet, an 8K rollerski race on limestone trails just west of Chicago is this weekend, November 7th. There will also be a CAT ski race.

Minnesota High School Coaches Fall Meetings
November 3, 2009
The annual Minnesota Fall High School Nordic Ski Coaches meetings are this Wednesday, November 4th. The meeting is required for all high school Nordic coaches that did not attend the fall meeting at the Vasaloppet Center. Minnesota high school ski season kicks off next Monday, November 9th!

Snowy Section 8A Championships
November 1, 2009
Jason Sannes-Venhuizen reports: The Section 8A Boys and Girls Cross Country Meet was held Friday, October 30th at Twin Pines Golf Course in Bagley, MN. Runners were challenged with blizzard like conditions with about 4" of accumulation, temps in the low 30's and gusting NW winds up to 28 mph bringing real feel temps to the low teens. Perham teams continued their dominance winning both the boys and girls races with Park Rapids girls and Staples-Motley boys coming in second. Individually, senior Maddie McClellan of Perham took first for the girls winning by 19 seconds over second place Lydia Lutz of Park Rapids. For the boys, sophomore Bryon Schuldt of Nevis took first with senior Sam Stoll of Perham 6 seconds behind. MN State Championship is Saturday, November 7th at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.
Related:
Photoset from Jason Sannes-Venhuizen: 18 photos
Results: Section 8A

Halloween Hustle Coverage
November 1, 2009
Jason Kask reports: Windy but dry conditions greeted the participants of the Halloween Hustle Saturday. Nearly 100 dedicated souls braved the cold to complete the 5km course, many dressed in costume that added to the festive spirit of the day. The overall winner, Eric Hartmark, dressed as a ghost clown, set the stage with a time of 16 minutes and 15 seconds. On the women's side Jennifer Houck bested the field with a time of 18 minutes and 15 seconds while dressed as a ballerina. The most coveted trophy of the day, best costume, went to Loren Janson for his Spiderman outfit.
Related:
Photoset from Jason Kask: Halloween Hustle
Results: Halloween Hustle

Fridley Fall Back CX Coverage
November 1, 2009
Crossniacs hosted a new cyclocross race at Fridley Middle School Sunday. The event featured a track start, twists and pinwheeling across the fields, and a crushing up and down circuit on the one big hill. Doug Swanson broke away early after a barrier crash by Adam Bergman and giving the slip to Pat Lemieux.
Related:
Photoset: Mens 1/2, Masters 35+ - 156 photos
Results: Fall Back CX

Red Barn CX Coverage
October 31, 2009
On Halloween, the trick played on the Red Barn CX racers was some crisp October temperatures coupled cloudy skies and a strong breeze that kept most riders bundled up Saturday morning. Costumes ranged from Pippi Longstocking to witches to soccer and tennis players, with a few fairies thrown in.
Related:
Photoset: Mens 4 - 53 photos, Womens 1/2/3, Masters 45+, Singlespeed - 120 photos
Results: Red Barn CX

Arctic Commando Trail Run Coverage
October 31, 2009
John Kendrick reports: Sixty-seven runners toed the line for the annual Arctic Commando Trail Run hosted by the St. Paul Central Nordic Ski team. Soren Larson set a new course record of 20:04 in the 5K, followed by Sam Oftedahl and Drew Carlson. Kathleen Dewahl broke her own course record to win the womens 5K in 24:45, with Nora Gilbertson and Gretchen Mueller taking second and third. Youth ruled in the 2-mile race with Maleta Moulsoff (11) winning in 17:21 followed by Rachel Clark (12) in second and Joey Waite (10) in third.  Pictures coming later.
Related:
Photoset from Tom Hysell: Arctic Commando Trail Run
Results: 2M, 5K

Santa Run to Benefit Legal Aid
October 30, 2009
The annual Santa Run to Benefit Legal Aid is coming up on December 5th. Join hundreds of other fully dressed Santas (and a few dreidels) as they jog down Nicollet Mall, all to benefit Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance. Start collecting donations now.

2010 Pepsi Challenge
October 30, 2009
The 2010 edition of the Pepsi Challenge will be held on January 23rd at Giants Ridge. Along with your race registration, you'll receive a free pass for skiing Friday and Sunday of race weekend.

Wooden Ski Rendezvous Set for March 13th
October 27, 2009
Remember the days of pine tar, 3-pin bindings, knickers, knee socks, wool sweaters, and bamboo ski poles? Then dig out the old equipment and clothing and come out March 13th at Snowflake for the annual Wooden Ski Rendezvous.

Jackson Meadows CX Coverage
October 26, 2009
Over 150 cyclists turned out Saturday for the Jackson Meadows cyclocross races along the bluffs above the St. Croix, not far from William O'Brien State Park. Doug Swanson and Bianca Bergman took top honors on the day.
Related:
Photoset from Wiltse Crompton: Jackson Meadows CX
Results: Jackson Meadows CX

Cloquet Pumpkin Run Coverage
October 25, 2009
A field of over 250 runners and walkers participated in the fourth annual Pumpkin Run and Walk Five-Kilometer Race held at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet on Saturday, October 24. Eric Hartmark of Duluth led all runners to the finish in a course record time of 15:13, Marlo McGaver of Duluth was the top woman with a time of 19:36.
Related:
Photoset from Tom Urbanski: 93 photos

Minnesota Nordic Ski Association Coaches Fall Conference Recap
October 25, 2009
President Mike Hecker provides a brief recap on Saturdays big Minnesota Nordic Coaches Association Fall Meeting held at the Vasaloppet Center in Mora. Some of the major issues decided: Multi-event proposal did not pass, team/individual scoring state meet: score all team skiers, state meet format: skate first, classic pursuit.
Related:
Photoset from Mike Hecker: 19 photos

Green Acres CX Coverage
October 25, 2009
After enduring freezing temps, snow and strong winds last year, this year's Green Acres CX almost seemed like a beautiful fall day as with muddy fields and temps in the mid 40s. Organizers used a new course layout that featured more climbing, bumps and twists in a spectator friendly layout.
Related:
Photoset: Race 1 - 195 photos, Race 2 - 128 photos, Race 3 - 83 photos
Results: Green Acres CX

Interview: Lindsay Williams
October 25, 2009
Lindsay Williams has been back in the Twin Cities this month, working hard on her training for the upcoming season. We talked with Williams about her problems last winter, surgery, and training this summer. Williams will host 'Taste of Training' fundraiser this Thursday, Oct 29th in Hastings.
Related:
Hastings Star-Gazette: Enjoy a 'Taste of Training'

USSA Coaching Position Applications for Overseas Championships
October 24, 2009
USSA has announced five coaching positions for this season:
J1 Scandinavian Championships - Two positions
2010 World Juniors and U23 World Championships - Three positions
Application deadline is Nov 1st.

Pumpkin Run Coverage
October 24, 2009
Jay Richards reports: A beautiful Fall morning greeted runners in the annual Lucky's Loype Pumpkin Run at Maplelag. The course featured a mix of ski trails and mountain bike singletrack including a jaunt up Suicide Hill. Taking honors in the 8km race were Jack Ellefson and Monica Fedora with Ken Hammer and Lauren Konkel in the 4km event. After the race, runners enjoyed a bowl of wild rice soup and fresh home-made bread.
Related:
Photoset from Jay Richards: 90 photos
Results: Pumpkin Run 4K, 8K

Inaugural SISU Ski Fest Weekend Jan 8-9
October 23, 2009
Ironwood celebrates a brand new point-to-point ski race this winter with the inaugural SISU Ski Festival January 8-9th. The 21K and 42K races start at ABR and finish in historic downtown Ironwood. There's also a Taste N Tour event and a ski expo.

Biathlon: Minnesota Native Kevin Patzold Makes World Cup Team
October 22, 2009
Kevin Patzold of Grand Rapids, MN, has been selected as the fifth member of the US Biathlon World Cup Team. Excellent results this summer/fall, including a first place in a 20K event at Soldier Hollow helped launch Patzold onto the team.
Related:
Oct 24-24 Rollerski Biathlon Fall Festival at Elk River

Holiday Relays Entry Forms Available
October 20, 2009
The 29th annual Holiday Relays are scheduled for December 19th at Troll Hollow in Dresser, WI. The official flyer and spreadsheet entry form at now available.

Nordic Ski Coaches Meeting Update #2
October 20, 2009
Mike Hecker, President Minnesota HS Nordic Ski Coaches Association, has provided a final update before the big Fall Coaches Meeting at the Vasaloppet Nordic Center in Mora this Saturday, Oct 24th. Clarification has been posted over the key topics of State Meet formats and travel restrictions, and sample ballots and proxy forms are online. A big turnout is expected, especially with the new vendor fair associated with the event.

East Metro Cross-Country Ski Cooperative Meeting Oct 27th
October 20, 2009
The 2009-2010 East Metro Cross-Country Ski Cooperative Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, October 27 at the Ramsey County Parks and Recreation Department in Maplewood. The annual meeting for east metro high school coaches provides updates on trails, fees, and meet scheduling.

Mountain King Coverage
October 19, 2009
Scott Mueller and Renee Schaefer were crowned the Mountain Kings in the inaugural event at Lapham Peak last Saturday. Results and a few photos posted. Donations for Maria Stuber can still be made.

Update on Upcoming Nordic Coaches Meeting October 24th
October 18, 2009
MSHSNSCA President Mike Hecker provides an update on the agenda for the upcoming (Saturday, October 24th) Minnesota High School Nordic Coaches Meeting in Mora. Some key issues include proposals on new state meet formats (multiple), section qualifying deadlines, and travel restrictions.

BayCross CX Day 2 Coverage
October 18, 2009
The weekend doubleheader in Ashland wrapped up Sunday with cyclcocross action at Bayview Park along Chequamegon Bay.
Related:
Photoset from Scott Nesvold: Kids Race - 18 photos, C Race - 47 photos, B Race - 85 photos, A Race - 98 photos
Results: BayCross CX

Baker Orchard CX Coverage
October 17, 2009
Finally, a beautiful fall day as riders checked out the new venue, Baker Orchards, Saturday. The course featured a unique barn pass-through and a lot of twisting woodland trails. Dave Hackworthy and Adam Bergman broke away from the field with Hackworthy pulling away for the victory in the Mens 1/2 race. Earlier in the afternoon, Corey Coogan topped the womens field.
Related:
Photoset: A Race - 144 photos
Photoset from Jay Richards: Mens B Race - 95 photos, Kids Race - 10 photos
Video: Nate Phelps
Results: Baker Orchard CX

BayCross CX Coverage
October 17, 2009
Two days of cyclocross racing kicked off Saturday with events at Prentice Park in Ashland. The course featured a mix of woods, stairs, sandpits, and of course, a Le Mans start.
Related:
Photoset from Scott Nesvold: Kids Race - 9 photos, C Race - 54 photos, B Race - 42 photos
Results: BayCross CX

US Ski Team: 2010 Championship Sites
October 15, 2009
The US Nordic championships will be split into two separate events again this season...
· Jan 2-8 US Nordic Championships - Anchorage, AK
· Mar 26-28 US Nordic Long Distance Championship / SuperTour Finals - Fort Kent, ME

Birkie Adds New January Tour Event
October 13, 2009
The Birkie Foundation has announce a new event, BirkieTour, an untimed, non-competitive ski tour on the Birkie trail scheduled for January 23rd. Skiers can select a variety of distances, from 22K up to 51K, to complete in either freestyle or classical style.

Bergkönig Run
October 12, 2009
Lapham Peak State Park in Delafield, Wisconsin will be the site for Bergkönig ("Mountain King") this Saturday, October 17th. The race will run from the Evergreen Shelter to the top of the Lapham Peak tower and back down. Proceeds will help support Maria Stuber, Waukesha native and a 2009 U.S. National Championships Silver medalist, in her training and racing this season.

Girls CX Clinic Oct 18th
October 11, 2009
Ridley Factory Team and The Bikery are hosting a girls CX clinic on October 18th at Dakota Park in St. Louis Park. Girls ages 8-19 of all abilities and with any type of bike are welcome! Note the new date of Sunday, Oct 18th.

Wirth Classic CX Coverage
October 11, 2009
Another strong turnout Sunday for the second annual Wirth Classic CX on the ski trails and singletrack of Theodore Wirth. Organizer put down almost a completely new course which include a vicious steep hill/stairs climb off Twin Lakes.
Related:
Photoset: C Race - 161 photos, B Race - 153 photos

Nordic Combined: Lodwick Wins 20th Title in Placid
October 10, 2009
World Champion Todd Lodwick made it an even 20 titles as he won the U.S. Nordic Combined Championships Saturday during Lake Placid's annual Flaming Leaves Festival.

CXC Named Community Olympic Development Program
October 8, 2009
The U.S. Olympic Committee today announced the Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC) as a new Community Olympic Development Program (CODP). Yuriy Gusev, Executive and Athletic Director of the CXC said "This designation also shows our commitment to the long term sport specific development of young athletes and their athletic excellence as well as our commitment to outreach and increasing participation in cross country skiing around the region."
Related:
Nordic Combined: Lodwick Looks for 20th Title in Placid

Rossignol Welcomes Steinbock Racing
October 7, 2009
Steinbock Racing, a new professional cross-country race team, is a small team with big ambitions. Athletes Chris Cook, Zack Simons, and Andrew Johnson have a combined 12 years of US Ski Team experience with victories in virtually every major ski race in America.

Orono CX Coverage
October 6, 2009
The Twin Cities had double header CX action last weekend with events in both Hudson and Orono. Rich Spielberg provides the photos from the Orono races.
Related:
Photoset from Rich Spielberg: 115 photos

Nordic Ski Coaches Fall Meeting Preview
October 5, 2009
The annual Minnesota Coaches Association Fall Meet at the Vasaloppet Center will be on Saturday, October 24th. Some interesting topics in the meeting preview include team meet and travel restrictions and multi-event format State Meet.
Related:
Poll on new multi-event State Meet format

Twin Cities Marathon Coverage
October 4, 2009
Cool but dry conditions for the 28th annual Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday. Jason Hartmann outsprinted an elite pack to take the mens title in 2:12:09. Ilsa Paulson reeled in Colleen De Reuck after nearly 24 miles and went on to win the womens crown in 2:31:49. TC 10 champions were Abi Abdirahman, 46:35, and Rachel Booth, 57:33.
Related:
Photoset: TC 10 - 127 photos, Marathon Leaders - 177 photos
Results: Marathon, TC 10

Hailey Thompson National Whitewater Canoe Champion
October 4, 2009
Susan Wurzer reports: Hailey Thompson, the 15 year old member of our Iola Nordic High School Ski Team became the National Woman Whitewater Canoe Champion Saturday, October 3rd, in Charlotte, N.C. Hailey also competed in the World Canoe Championships in La Seu d’Urgell, Spain, last month finishing 14th for the USA.
Related:
Photo from Life Magazine

Hudson CX Coverage
October 3, 2009
Damp, cold and muddy conditions made for the prototypical cyclocross event at Hudson on Saturday. Competitors had to navigate sand traps, tight woodland turns and hills, and even one water hazard.
Related:
Photoset: C Race - 237 photos, B Race - 184 photos
Results: Hudson CX

American Birkebeiner Announces Warrrior and Inga Competition
October 1, 2009
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) is searching for two tough cross country skiers to dress as Birkebeiner warriors and ski the 54 kilometer race in February. The Foundation is also looking for a woman to represent Inga, the mother of baby Prince Haakon.

Salmela Hired by NBC for Vancouver
October 1, 2009
St. Scholastica Head Nordic Ski Coach Chad Salmela will once again work for NBC at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver starting in February.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
September 29, 2009
Jay Richards recaps the Single Track Escape and Stride/Ride the Divide races from last week and looks ahead to the final events of the season.

Frazee Extreme High School Cross Country Coverage
September 28, 2009
Jason Sannes-Venhuizen reports: A challenging course consisting of rolling hills, mowed fields along Fischer Lake, hardwood forest trails, creek crossing, pine forest trails and hay bale obstacles made for a great race day at the scenic Fischer Century Farm in Frazee, MN last Thursday, Sept 24th. Bright sunshine and temps in the 70's added to the fun. Kelsey Dahlgren of Breckenridge and Anthony Mendieta of Frazee were top individuals both leading their teams to take the championship as well.
Related:
Photoset from Sarah Furey: 163 photos
Results: Frazee Extreme CC Meet

Coaching Positions Open
September 28, 2009
There are a number of head and assistant Nordic ski coaching positions open this fall. The Minnesota high school season gets underway in early November.

Stride/Ride the Divide Coverage
September 27, 2009
Runners and bikers hit the trails of the Buena Vista ski area on Sunday for the Stride/Ride the Divide event. The day opened with a 5K/10K trail run and then was followed in the afternoon with 10K/20K mountain bike race. The Ellefson family generated the most excitement on the day. Anne Ellefson took a commanding lead on the 5K run and rode hard enough to offset daughter Summer's margin in the bike race to take the womens overall. Jack Ellefson came in second to Leif Ronnander by less than two minutes after 30K of racing in the mens race.
Related:
Photoset from Bill Grundy: 12 photos
Results: Stride/Ride the Divide

Pork Chop Challenge Coverage
September 27, 2009
The Minnesota cyclocross season got underway this weekend with races in the Red River Valley and St. Cloud. The Pork Chop Challenge was at the usual venue, Riverside Park, but organizers put on a new course layout including some longer hill climbs while retaining some of the old favorites, like the barriers along the riverside wall. Jenna Rinehart won the womens race while Dewey Dickey ran along with the mens top event.
Related:
Photoset: C Race - 177 photos, B Race - 187 photos, A Race - 111 photos
Results: Pork Chop Challenge
USGP of Cyclocross Planet Bike Cup - Day 1 Brief Results
USGP of Cyclocross Planet Bike Cup - Day 2 Brief Results

Birkie Trail Run Coverage
September 27, 2009
Early fall colors and great weather welcomed over 500 runners and walkers to the Birkie Trail Run, Relay and Trek held on Saturday. Jakob Wartman captured the first place honors in the Birkie Trail Run half marathon. The women’s division was won by Maria Grossi. Rats had their run of the relays: Team Pressed Rats-6 posted the top time in the six person relay, Team Pressed Rats-3 the fastest 3-person relay.
Related:
Photoset from Woodland Chicks: 29 photos
Photoset from Darlene Prois: Birkie Trail Run
Results: Birkie Trail Run
Birkie Trail Run Recap

Roy Griak Invite Coverage
September 26, 2009
Recent rains made for a soft course as temps soared into 70s for the afternoon high school races for the Roy Griak Invitational at the U of M Golf Course on Saturday. Wayzata boys improved on last year's third place finish, moving to the top of the field in winning the High School Boys Gold race. Downling Catholic took the Gold girls title, just six points ahead of Lee's Summit West. Individual champions were Jake Erschen and Katie Flood (third in a row!). Team titles in the Maroon division went to Anoka and Shorewood, Josh Mulloy and Cassidy Soli were the individual winners.
Related:
Photoset: Gold Boys - 192 photos, Gold Girls - 170 photos
Results: Roy Griak Invite

Duluth Trail Fest Coverage
September 25, 2009
Duluth Trail Fest kicked off Friday with a hilly 5K at Chester Bowl. Jonathon Rulseh shares photos from the evening race. Racing continues Saturday and Sunday.
Related:
Photoset from Jonathon Rulseh: Chester Bowl - 24 photos

Salomon Cup Standings
September 24, 2009
Audrey Weber reports: There was a great turnout to the second installment of the Salomon Autumn Trail Series Wednesday evening at Hyland. Ideal fall weather made for excellent racing conditions on the 5k course. The women's race was won by Lorena Byerly of St. Paul and the men's race was won by David Hansen of Bloomington. 2 pairs of Salomon XT wings shoes were awarded as the grand prizes in the raffle. The next event in the series will be on Wednesday October 21 at 6PM.
Related:
Photoset from Audrey Weber: Salomon Trail Series

Medicinal Mile Coverage
September 23, 2009
Runners hit a scenic looped course by Medicine Lake Tuesday evening for the Medicinal Mile. The race was a fundraiser for Matt Liebsch's 2010 Olympic bid. Dennis Dane, 4:39, and Josie Nelson, 6:23, posted the top mens and womens times.
Related:
Photoset from Kuan Teoh: 41 photos
Results: Medicinal Mile

Midwest MTB Racing Recap: Chequamegon
September 22, 2009
Jay Richards recaps the big Chequamegon weekend with stories from the Short and Fat and 40, as well as Sunday Funday. Plus a look ahead to the weekend races.
Related:
Mid MN Cycling Weekend: Singletrack Escape/Porkchop Challenge

Cable CritCross Coverage
September 20, 2009
Sunday is "fun day" at Chequamegon with a number of crazy events available for riders including a hill climb, log pull, jumping, bike toss and even a race to be the slowest. In addition, there were group rides (Poker Ride), bike orienteering (Rough Stuff Renzdevous) and a hybrid cyclocross/crit (Cable CritCross). After a round of qualifying times in the CritCross, the top riders completed in a six lap race using an equalizer format that sent the slowest riders out first. Kyia Anderson dualed Rebecca Stauber before pulling away for the women's title. Bjorn Selandar overtook the men's field for the victory, with Jack Hinkens surging on the final lap to take second.
Related:
Photoset: Qualifiers - 50 photos, Womens Final - 41 photos, Mens Final - 75 photos, Kids Crit - 12 photos
Results: Cable CritCross, Rough Stuff Rendezvous
Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival Sunday Recap

Trail Loppet Coverage
September 19, 2009
Saturday weather was a warm and muggy for the City of Lakes Trail Loppet race. The event utilized the ski and bike trails, along with the hilly terrain, to map out 5K and half marathon distances. Perhaps not surprisingly, skiers did quite well in the event. Matt Liebsch pulled away from John Swain in the final kilometers to take the half marathon title. Nichole Porath posted the top women's time, followed by Elaine Nelson and Johanna Winters. Jake Graham (of Ohio!) and Alison Stauber posted top 5K times.
Related:
Photoset from Steve Kotvis: Trail Loppet
Results: Trail Loppet

Chequamegon Coverage
September 19, 2009
Dry conditions and some trail improvements made for a smooth Chequamegon course and help generate a new course record for the mens winner, Brian Matter. Matter escaped from a tough pack of roughly a dozen riders to take the win over Cole House and veteran Steve Tilford. Jenna Rinehart powered away to take the womens victory, just missing the course record by seconds. Kyia Anderson and Catherine Walberg rounded out the top three. Jake Richards pulled out the repeat in the Short and Fat, winning by six seconds over local Tom Meyer. Cindy Bijold collected the womens title.
Related:
Photoset: Kids Parade - 38 photos, Start - 39 photos, Mile 20 - 81 photos, Fire Tower Hill - 160 photos, Fire Tower Descent - 34 photos, Birkie Trail - 30 photos, Finish - 93 photos
Photoset from Jay Richards: Short and Fat - 81 photos, Cheq 40 Finish - 39 photos
Photoset from Julie Joy Wenner: Short and Fat: Start - 19 photos, Short and Fat: Finish - 149 photos
Results: Chequamegon 40, Short and Fat
Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival Recap

Vendors Invite to State Coaches Meeting
September 18, 2009
Vendors are invited to come up for the October Nordic Coaches meeting at Mora to display and demo goods. RSVP due by October 19th.

Medicinal Mile
September 17, 2009
There will be a fun 1 mile race, the Medicinal Mile, at Medicine Lake on Tuesday, Sept 22nd. Proceeds will go towards Matt Liebsch's 2010 Olympic bid.

Trail-Loppet Preview
September 16, 2009
The annual Trail-Loppet with half marathon and 5K trail runs at Theodore Wirth is coming up this Saturday. More than 70% of the course uses the dirt/grass trails around Wirth. New this year, local band Bellebottom will entertain at the finish area.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap - Chequamegon Preview
September 15, 2009
Jay Richards recaps the WORS and MNSCS then doles out his big Chequamegon preview, complete with his contender picks.

Grand Traverse on Oct 3rd
September 15, 2009
The Grand Traverse, a hiking/running event along the Duluth hillside from Jay Cooke State Park to the Lakewalk, is coming up on Saturday, October 3rd.
Related:
Oct 31 Arctic Commando Trail Run

La Classique Canoe Race Coverage
September 14, 2009
Joe Manns reports: The oldest and most prestigious marathon canoe race in the US and Canada, ‘La Classique’ was held Labor Day weekend in and around Shawinigan, Quebec. Paddlers from around US, Canada, and Australia competed for a cash purse of $40,000 CDN in the 3 day stage event. Fabulous weather during all three days helped bring out record crowds to watch the race – tens of thousands lined the portages and bridges along the course. Overall winners were Andy Triebold from Spring Arbor, MI and Steve Lajoie from Mirabel, Quebec. Minnesotans Kate Ellis and Emily Peterson won the women’s division. Wausau, WI paddlers Al Limberg and Barb Bradley won the mixed division. Maplewood, MN paddler Joe Manns and Saskatoon, SK native Trevor Robinson finished 13th overall.
Related:
Photoset: Réal Landry
Results: La Classique Canoe Race

Autumn Trail Running Series Starts Wednesday
September 14, 2009
The Autumn Trail Running Series at Hyland Park in Bloomington, starts this Wednesday, September 16th. The 5K race will feature the rolling hiking and ski trails and offers drawings from Salomon and Hoigaards.

Minnesota State Canoe Championships Coverage
September 12, 2009
The Minnesota Canoe Championships were held today under ideal weather conditions, mid 70's, partly cloudy and no wind. Al Rudquist continued his streak of dominance in the Pro Race, this year pairing with Kate Ellis. Dave Dahl and Rick Lorenzon won a very competitive stock boat race this year. In total, 20 boats hit the water this year with teams representing all parts of Minnesota as well as paddlers from Winnipeg, Manitoba and Atikokan, Ontario.
Related:
Photoset from John Arenz: 46 photos
Results: Minnesota State Canoe Championships

Trout Trot Run Coverage
September 12, 2009
Racing through River Falls and along the Kinnickinnic River, the Trout Trot run was held on Saturday morning. The race featured three events: 10K, 25K and 20 mile distances.
Related:
Photoset: 110 photos

Mt Itasca to Host the US Biathlon World Team Trials
September 11, 2009
Mt Itasca will be the host for 2010 US Biathlon World Team Trials, December 12-22. These races will be used to select a team of 3 men and 3 women to compete at the IBU Cup in Altenberg, Germany in early January, the final qualifying race for selection of the US Biathlon Olympic Team.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
September 8, 2009
Jay Richards recaps the big Laddies Loppet held on-site at Maplelag Resort, plus looks ahead to the WORS and MNSCS events this weekend.

Wisconsin Wife Carrying Championships
September 8, 2009
Minocqua's annual Wife Carrying Championships are scheduled for Saturday, September 19th. Cash, product and beer prizes!

Laddies Loppet XC Coverage
September 6, 2009
Maplelag hosted yet another perfect Laddies Loppet as the two day stage race wrapped up Sunday with the cross-country events. Outside of dusty conditions, the weather was great with temps starting in the low 60s and finishing in the upper 70s with breezy south winds. TJ Woodruff powered away from a tough mens expert field to claim the stage victory and the overall title. Jenna Reinhart wrapped up the weekend sweep with a strong showing in the womens race.
Related:
Photoset: Kids Comp - 81 photos, Citizen - 107 photos, Sport - 200 photos, Expert/Comp - 222 photos
Results: Laddies Loppet

Nordic Combined: Lodwick Wins SuperSprint in Norway
September 6, 2009
U.S. Nordic Combined Team athlete Todd Lodwick started the 2010 Olympic season a rollerski victory in the Lillehammer SuperSprints in downtown Lillehammer on Saturday. (Photo: USSA)

Chequamegon Sunday Events Updated
September 5, 2009
The Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival has major changes for the Sunday events this year. The biggest is a new cyclocross race called the Cable Critcross, now the first of the season, replacing the short track criterium style race that had been featured in the past. The Rough Stuff Rendezvous gets a minor update as they add untimed and guided events for the Poker Ride.
Related:
Cable Critcross Flyer
Rough Stuff Rendezvous Flyer

Laddies Loppet Short Track Coverage
September 5, 2009
Doug Swanson put a burst on the final lap to separate himself for the victory in the Expert mens short track racing in the Laddies Loppet at Maplelag Saturday. Jenna Reinhart was the womens champion, taking victory overall in the comp race as well. The short track races capped a busy first day of racing in the Laddies stage race with cross-country races filling the day on Sunday.
Related:
Photoset: Citizen - 71 photos, Sport - 94 photos, Comp/Expert Women - 85 photos, Expert Men - 122 photos, Awards - 16 photos
Results: Time Trial, Short Track, Stage Results Day 1

2009-2010 Birkie Young Skier Grants
September 4, 2009
This year the Birkie Board will award $14,000 in grants to Young Skier programs throughout the nation. The deadline for applications is October 2, 2009 and awards will be made in early November.

2009-10 Junior Olympic Qualifying Information
September 3, 2009
Details on the 2009-10 Junior Olympics season, including the tentative racing schedule, have been posted.

Chequamegon Courses Marked
September 3, 2009
In advance of Labor Day weekend, both the Chequamegon 40 and Short and Fat race courses have been marked.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
September 1, 2009
Jay Richards recaps last weekend's busy action with the Pre-Fat, Salsa 2-4 and Reforestation Rambler races and gets prepared for the big Labor Day weekend stage race at Maplelag.

Minnesota State Road Race Coverage
August 31, 2009
Rich Spielberg shares photos from the Minnesota State Road Race championships on the roads of Sibley County last weekend.
Related:
Photoset from Rich Spielberg: Morning Races - 57 photos
Results: Minnesota State Road Race

Birkie Trail Run Price Hike
August 31, 2009
The Birkie Trail Run, Relay & Trek will be held on September 26th. The event features everything from a full trail marathon to a relay to a fun 5K event. Price hike is approaching on Friday, September 4th.

Big Ring Flyers Time Trial Challenge Coverage
August 29, 2009
Breezy conditions made a tough time trial even harder as riders raced through the rolling terrain south of Somerset in the Big Ring Flyers Time Trial Challenge Saturday morning.
Related:
Photoset: 81 photos
Results: Big Ring Flyers Time Trial Challenge

Autumn Trail Running Series
August 28, 2009
Audrey Weber, one of the new members of the CXC elite team, will be hosting an Autumn Trail Running Series at Hyland Park in Bloomington, starting on September 16th. The 5K race will feature the rolling hiking and ski trails and offers drawings from Salomon and Hoigaards.

2009 American Birkebeiner Video Recap
August 26, 2009
View highlights from the 2009 American Birkebeiner produced by Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC).

Price Hike Alert
August 26, 2009
Mora Vasaloppet - The mighty Vasaloppet has their first price hike on September 1st, so register today to get in on the ground floor!

Stride Ride the Divide
August 26, 2009
Bemidji's annual Stride / Ride the Divide will be held on Sunday, September 27th. The event features trail running and mountain biking along the continental divide at the Buena Vista ski area, home of the Minnesota Finlandia.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
August 25, 2009
With light action last weekend, Jay Richards highlights some nice mountain bike pieces from around the web and looks ahead to some of the Chequamegon tune up events this weekend.

Skiers vs Cyclists Time Trial Coverage
August 25, 2009
Over 120 riders hit the quiet roads near Winthrop for the Skiers vs Cyclists time trial on Tuesday evening. The weather was nearly perfect with temperatures in the 70s, low dewpoints and light winds. Proceeds from the event will benefit elite skier Caitlin Compton.
Related:
Photoset: 130 photos
Results: Skiers vs Cyclists Time Trial

Medicine Lake Canoe Race Recap
August 23, 2009
Carl Schaffer reports on the inaugural canoe race on Medicine Lake Saturday. Over 20 paddlers turned out for some excellent racing conditions.

Spunk Lake Road Race Coverage
August 22, 2009
Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s made for a near perfect August morning for the Spunk Lake Road Race on Saturday. The race featured quiet country roads and passed through the towns of Avon and Albany.
Related:
Photoset: 203 photos

St. Scholastica Announces New Assistant Coach
August 19, 2009
St. Scholastica Head Nordic Ski Coach Chad Salmela announced that assistant coach Brad Nelson has decided to resign from his position and that Josh Tesch will take over for him this upcoming season.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
August 18, 2009
Jay Richards provides a full report on the Border Battle (WORS vs MNSCS) and Leadville 100 (Lance Armstrong races) and a look ahead to upcoming races.

Skiers vs Cyclists Time Trial Fundraiser
August 18, 2009
Ride and Glide will be hosting a showdown between skiers and cyclists on Tuesday, August 25th. The TT will be a fundraiser for local skiing star Caitlin Compton with a number of raffle and silent auction items, including some HED Stinger wheels.

USSA SuperTour 2010 Preview
August 17, 2009
USSA has released the draft schedule for the 2010 SuperTour which includes new stops in Minneapolis and Methow Valley and some new race formats.

Border Battle Coverage
August 16, 2009
WORS and MNSCS series converged in River Falls for a showdown labeled Border Battle. The experts race featured a tight pack of roughly six riders that held together until late in the race when the group fractured and ran into lap traffic. Mark Lalonde took the victory over TJ Woodruff. Jenna Rinehart was the top woman.
Related:
Photoset: Expert/Comp - 314 photos
Photoset from Jay Richards: Expert/Comp - 68 photos
Results: Border Battle

Sisu Mountain Run Coverage
August 15, 2009
The Sisu Skiers group hosted a mountain trail run at Afton State Park on Saturday morning. The event rolled over some of the smaller hills before finishing up the long entrance road to Afton Alps. John Swain posted the top time with Emma Lee first in the womens field.
Related:
Photoset: 70 photos
Results: Sisu Mountain Run

USCA Nationals Day 2 Report
August 15, 2009
Marsh Jones reports: In a repeat of yesterday, Lilly Manns (Roseville HS) and Devin Benson (IN) took the Girls' C2 Canoe title. Ellen Roy and Leandra Londo finished a close third. The Boys title went to Aaron Vidusek (IL) and Tom Sayger (AR). Ethan Evenson and Nick McGrory gave up a sure second to rescue a men's solo paddler who had flipped and was struggling to reach shore. The boys still pulled out third for the day. Tomorrow will wrap up the championships with mixed junior, adult/youth and junior kayak events.
Day 3 Summary: RCBC continued the string of junior wins with Lilly Manns and Ethan Evenson winning their division over Leandra Londo and Nick McGrory. In K1, Ellen Roy took 3rd behind strong performances by Kalamazoo's Natalie Hanson and Anna Thompkins.
Related:
Results: USCA Nationals

USCA Nationals Day 1 Report
August 14, 2009
Marsh Jones writes: Record high water levels on the Allegheny River made for a very fast and exciting junior solo canoe race Friday morning. Lilly Manns from Roseville HS led wire to wire, and took her first National Championship, Ellen Roy (Irondale 09) was 3rd. On the boys side, Ethan Evenson(Irondale 09) was 3rd overall behind two very strong paddlers from Arkansas and Illinois. Nick McGrory (Roseville) was 4th.
Related:
Results: USCA Nationals

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
August 13, 2009
Jay Richards weekly recap hits on the Ore to Shore, Birch Bump and Mt Snow races and looks ahead to the Border Battle, Leadville 100, and Gear Grinder.

Quetico Canoe Race Results
August 12, 2009
Dave Harrington reports: Kjell Peterson and Joe Manns won the Cross Quetico Canoe Race held August 8 and 9. The map and compass course offered several different options for the racers with rough distances totaling 120 miles of paddling and 9 miles across approximately 35 extremely uneven portages. 19 teams started the race. 2 teams were cut for failing to meet minimum times along the course on Saturday while the other 17 teams completed the course. Peterson and Manns had the fastest time each day but barely held off park ranger James Burns of Atikokan and his partner Dusty Olsen of Duluth.

Rice Creek Boat Club Sending 8 To National Championships
August 10, 2009
The Rice Creek Boat Club is sending a team of eight Twin Cities youth athletes to the United States Canoe Association National Championships in Warren, Pennsylvania August 14-16.

Mt Snow MTB Festival Highlights
August 10, 2009
Jay Richards reports: National mountain bike racing took place on the legendary course at Mt Snow, VT this past weekend with the running of the Pro XCT race which was also part of the Kenda Cup East series. The past two years the venue has hosted the US Nationals, which has kept foreign riders racing in their homeland. The Canadians took opportunity on one of the fav course among riders by sweeping the Pro XC races with Geoff Kabush and Catherine Pendrel taking the wins respectively. Midwest connections at Mt Snow include Rochester Velo rider Ben Moore posting a solid result in 35th place and Jake Richards catching three riders on the last lap to finish 6th among all Juniors.
Related:
Photoset from Jay Richards: Cat 1 XC - 46 photos, Pro Women XC - 28 photos, Pro Men XC - 112 photos

Birch Bump Coverage
August 9, 2009
The MNSCS series hit Buck Hill in Burnsville on Sunday for the Birch Bump. The course was a mix of singletrack and dirt road over a 2.7 mile lap that ran around and cross the downhill area. Recent rains helped to keep the dust down and make for a tacky, fast singletrack.
Related:
Photoset: Citizen - 173 photos, Sport - 264 photos
Results: Birch Bump

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
August 4, 2009
Jay Richards covers a wide range of events in his weekly report including the 24 hour and ultramarathon races, WORS series, and upcoming events including the Ore to Shore and Birch Hill Bump.

Gear West Running Events
August 4, 2009
Gear West is featuring two running events this week...
Aug 5 Pig Out Trail Run - Fun morning trail run and scavenger hunt in the woods.
Aug 9 Corn Days 4 Mile - A challenging 4 mile course through Long Lake. Pancake breakfast and parade follow the race.

Urban Wildland Half Marathon Coverage
August 2, 2009
Tim Franz reports: The Urban Wildland Half Marathon was held in Richfield, MN under near ideal conditions with a cool start and partly cloudy skies. The top male and overall winner was Brian Kuhnau with a time of 1:12:24. The women's winner was Christine Eid with a time of 1:25:11. Notable winner goes out to Evan Haugh, the under 14 winner with a time of 1:25:39 and 26th place overall out of 1,142 finishers.
Related:
Photoset from Tim Franz: 192 photos
Results: Urban Wildland Half Marathon

Ringer Roll Results
August 1, 2009
The annual Ringer Roll rollerski race was held out at Baker Park on Friday morning. Posting top times were Carolyn Bramante (Marwe 610) and Anders Bowman (Elpex Race) and Nigel Kinney (Marwe 610).

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
July 29, 2009
Jay Richards provides a recap on the Singletrack Attack at Hillside Park in Elk River, plus notes on Nationals and upcoming events.

Price Hike Alerts
July 26, 2009
Two major marathons have price hikes at the end of the month.  Register now to get in at the lowest price level!
- American Birkebeiner
- City of Lakes Loppet

Lumberday Days Coverage
July 25, 2009
Lumberjack Days host festivities adjacent to the St. Croix River in historic downtown Stillwater. Saturday morning features 5K and 10 mile point-to-point running races, finishing to big crowds right along the riverfront. Tyler King outkicked Joshua Hoff and Scott Degner to take the 5K mens title, Mercy Ray was the top woman. 10 mile champions were Jeremy Polson and Jennifer Houck. Over 2,200 participated in the events.
Related:
Photoset: 5K - 76 photos
Results: Lumberjack Days

Nordic Combined: Lodwick Involved in Car-Bike Crash
July 22, 2009
World Champion skier Todd Lodwick learned Wednesday that watching the Tour de France can be as dangerous as competing. The U.S. Ski Team athlete was involved in a car-bike collision while riding back from spectating at a Tour stage.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
July 22, 2009
Jay Richards returns from Colorado to provide a full recap on the US National Championships at Sol Vista.

Ringer Roll Set for July 31st
July 21, 2009
The annual Ringer Roll rollerski race at Baker Park is set for Friday morning, July 31st. Proceeds go to the Ringsven JO Grant Fund.

Junior Olympics Timing Bid Request
July 21, 2009
The 2011 Junior Olympics Championships will be held in the Twin Cities, at Theodore Wirth. Timing bids are being solicited.

Nationals MTB: Day 3 Coverage
July 19, 2009
Jay Richards reports from Colorado: The final day of the US Mountain Bike National Championships featured the Super D, Short Track and Downhill. The Super D course was built two summers ago and had been fine tweaked over the summer to provide a exciting course for all participants and spectators. The short track was a chop licker for the climbers as the course climbed almost 1/4th of the ski hill before traversing back down a ski slope not before launching down a wooden ramp. Day 3 highlights include a 2nd day finish by Jake Richards in the Jr 18 and under Super D, 5th place by Kyia Anderson in the Pro womens Super D and 2nd place finish in the short track by Dallas Fowler in Cat 1 19-29 Short Track. Former Park Rapids resident Lars Ellefeson claimed the National title in the 19-29 Cat 1 Super D and fourth place in the Cat 1 19-29 Short Track. Note: Trent Warner recorded a 7th place finish in the cross country in Cat 2 17-18 among one of the largest fields on the day. This weeks mtb recap will do its best to cover outside the podium placings by Midwest riders.
Related:
Photoset: Super D/Downhill - 58 photos, Cat 1 Short Track - 37 photos, Pro Short Track - 36 photos
Results: US MTB Nationals Results

Nationals MTB: Day 2 Coverage
July 18, 2009
Jay Richards reports from Colorado: A full plate of Cross Country racing on Saturday with remaining Cat 1 Category races along with the singlespeed and Pro Men and Women events. Highlighting Day 2 was the 2nd place finish by TJ Woodruff in the Pro Singlespeed event and 3rd place finish by Dallas Fowler in Cat 1 19-24 after Fowler had completed in the U23 race yesterday. Racing concludes on Sunday with the Super D, Short Track and the downhill which includes a 90 ft gap jump that only 2 Pros have "cleaned", according to the word on the slopes.
Related:
Photoset: Pro Men/Women - 45 photos, Singlespeed, More Cat 1 - 32 photos, Cat 1 15-16 - 27 photos
Results: US MTB Nationals Results

Lincoln Park MTB Challenge Coverage
July 18, 2009
The Lincoln Park MTB Challenge had their inaugural event Saturday in Duluth. The race featured Duluth trademarks including an incredible climb through the backstreets from Lincoln Park to the top of the hill and then twisty singletrack over a mix of forest and rocky outcroppings.
Related:
Photoset: Advanced Race - 167 photos
Video from Eve Stein: Lincoln Short

Nationals MTB: Day 1 Coverage
July 17, 2009
Jay Richards is out in Colorado participating and filing some reports on US Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals. Day 1 report from Jay: The Midwest was represented nicely for day 1 of the US Mountain Bike National Championships at Sol Vista ski resort in Colorado. Highlighting the results among the Cat 1-3 and U23 races was the fourth place finish by Minnesota rider Jack Hinkens in the Cat 1 17-18 group, earning a trip to the podium. Four different courses for the various classes under dry and dusty conditions. Cross country resumes on Saturday with mens Cat 1 15-16 and men and women Pro races.
Related:
Photoset from Jay Richards: Day 1 - 68 photos
Results: US MTB Nationals Results
USA Cycling MTB National Championships at Sol Vista

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
July 14, 2009
Jay Richards highlights the MNSCS racing in Red Wing and competes in the North Dakota State Games in his weekly recap. Richards will be out at US Nationals in Granby, Colorado this week.

Seeley Art Fest Run and Walk Results
July 13, 2009
Ned Zuelsdorff reports: The Seeley Art Fest Run & Walk drew 95 runners and Nordic walkers to the Seeley ski and mountain bike trails on a beautiful summer Saturday in Seeley near the Birkie Trail. Top runners and walkers included Josh Yoder and Emily Wilkie in the 5K, John Lindberg and Brett Schulze in the 10K, and Cindy Ferraro and Sam Chapin in the 5K Nordic Walk.
Related:
Results: Seeley Art Fest Run

Hopkins Raspberry Festival Criterium Coverage
July 12, 2009
The annual Hopkins Raspberry Festival Criterium raced through the streets of downtown Hopkins on Sunday. Rich Spielberg contributes photos.
Related:
Photoset from Rich Spielberg: Mens 50+ - 19 photos, Juniors 15+ - 16 photos, Mens 35+ - 43 photos, Mens 3/4 - 23 photos, Womens Open - 9 photos

Prairie Rose Coverage
July 12, 2009
Jay Richards reports: Beautiful summer conditions greeted riders competing in the mountain bike event for the Prairie Rose State game of North Dakota at the scenic Turtle River Park. The four mile loop featured a mix of wooded doubletrack, open field trails, twisty wooded singletrack along the rivers edge and short sections of open field singletrack.
Related:
Photoset from Ben Wenzel: 78 photos
Results: Prairie Rose State Games

Memorial Classic Coverage
July 12, 2009
Another big turnout for the MNSCS series as riders took to the fast and winding singletrack at Memorial Park in Red Wing on Sunday. The mens elite race quickly broke into a lead trio of Sam Oftedahl, Brendan Moore and youngster Jack Hinkens, battling for the podium steps. In the end, Moore broke free for the victory, followed by Oftedahl and Hinkens. Jenna Rinehart once again dominated the womens elite field.
Related:
Photoset: Comp/Elite - 357 photos
Results: Memorial Classic

Sisu Skiers Rollerski Time Trial Coverage
July 9, 2009
The Sisu Nordic Ski Foundation held a short-notice rollerski time trial on the streets south of Battle Creek Thursday evening. With chip timing, skiers were able to go out in interval starts on the 2.25K loop. Bjorn Batdorf posted the top mens time, edging out Nate Porath by three seconds. Caitlin Compton had the womens fastest time.
Related:
Photoset: 125 photos
Results: Rollerski TT, Splits

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
July 7, 2009
Multiple viewpoints from last weekend Chippewa Valley Firecracker and a look ahead to the weekend events highlight Jay Richards Midwest mountain biking recap.

Sisu Skiers Time Trial
July 6, 2009
Sisu Nordic Ski Foundation is hosting a short-notice rollerski time trial race this Thursday evening, July 9th, on the roads near Battle Creek. The event is open to all skiers.
Related:
Updated Time Trial Info

Chippewa Valley Firecracker Coverage
July 5, 2009
A typical warm and muggy race for the annual Chippewa Valley Firecracker WORS stop in Eau Claire on Sunday. The course features a wide range of trails -- everything from twisty singletrack to stream crossings to rock descents. Abigail Strigel appeared to have a lock on first for the elite women while Jesse Lalonde, Jason Sager, and Mark Lalonde were running away with the men's podium spots.
Related:
Photoset: Comp/Elite - 209 photos
Results: Chippewa Valley Firecracker

Northfield Criterium Coverage
July 4, 2009
Scattered showers made the streets a bit slick earlier in the day but things dried out for the Womens open and Mens 1/2 race at the Northfield Criterium on Saturday. Team Grandstay put together the winning combo as Daniel Casper stretched the field in the final laps then had teammate Dan Swanson seal the deal taking the field sprint. It was all Flanders with Linda Sone and Teresa Moriarty breaking away midway through the womens race before sprinting it out between them with Moriarty taking the victory.
Related:
Photoset: Womens Open - 71 photos, Mens 1/2 - 104 photos

Tofte Trek Coverage
July 4, 2009
Greg Fangel reports: A beautiful North Shore day greeted runners and walkers at the 30th Annual Tofte Trek. A record-breaking field of nearly 400 runners and walkers participated in this event, which benefits Tofte area non-profit organizations. Greg Hexum from Duluth, MN took first place in the men's race for the ninth year in a row with a time of 35:06. Michelle Volz from Lakeville, MN took the lead in the women's race with a time of 44:32. A large contingent of runners from Duluth provided stiff competition for the rest of the field. Runners and walkers were represented from many areas, including Minnesota, Texas, Arizona, Washington, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Dakota, California, Illinois, Ohio, Czech Republic, and Ontario, Canada.
Related:
Photoset from Greg Fangel: Tofte Trek
Results: Tofte Trek

Interview: Ben Popp
July 1, 2009
Ben Popp completed his 3000 mile journey in the Race Across America on Sunday. He was back in Minnesota the next day and soon fielding questions in our post-race interview.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
June 30, 2009
Jay Richards recaps the big weekend at Mt Kato with the Bluff Riders Charge and looks forward to the WORS Firecracker race this weekend.

The Kid's Derby
June 29, 2009
This Thursday, July 2nd, is the annual kids event at the Hoigaards Canoe Derby. Kids are paired up with adults for an exciting evening of racing and post-race Paddler's Potluck.

Birkie T-Shirt Design Contest
June 29, 2009
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) is announcing a contest to design the official t-shirt for the 2010 American Birkebeiner ski race. The winning designer will receive a host of prizes, including VIP parking, race entry, new skis and more.
Related:
Birkie T-Shirt Contest Rules

Bluff Riders Charge Coverage
June 28, 2009
Jay Reports reports: Ideal summer racing conditions greeted riders at Mt Kato for race #4 in the MNSCS. Visiting relatives in the area, Pro rider and Utah native Jason Saeger ended Brendan Moore's winning streak by taking the lead on the first climb and continued adding to it to the finish. Hometown hero Jenna Zander continued her dominance in the Midwest, once again working her way up in the mens expert field to take another convincing win. Close to 400 riders competed as the series continues record growth. Photosets coming in later from Jay.
Related:
Photoset from Jay Richards: Sport - 168 photos, Comp/Expert - 174 photos
Results: Bluff Riders Charge

Danhaus, Popp Complete their RAAM Rides
June 28, 2009
Wausau's Paul Danhaus and St. Paul's Ben Popp completed the Race Across America on Sunday. Both were rookie solo riders and finished the 3000 mile journey in 11 days.
Related:
RAAM Blog: Paul Danhaus Post Race Plans

Tri-Loppet Coverage
June 27, 2009
Showers overnight night (and even a few sprinkles during) made for a damp and sloppy City of Lakes Tri-Loppet race on Saturday. Kim Rudd and Zach Handler posted the top times, racing in the womens double and mens solo respectively. Danielle Pellicano was top female solo, Karl Schultz the top doubles male.
Related:
Photoset: Paddle - 132 photos, Trail Run - 53 photos, Mountain Bike - 183 photos
Results: Tri-Loppet

RAAM Closing to Exciting Finish
June 25, 2009
The Race Across America is turning out to be one of the closest races in years with the top riders just minutes apart after thousands of miles. Midwest riders Ben Popp and Paul Danhaus have survived the blazing heat of Kansas/Missouri and are still riding strong. The winning solo riders should finish sometime Friday.
Related:
Paul Danhaus RAAM Blog
Ben Popp RAAM Blog
RAAM Google Rider Location Map
RAAM Leaderboard

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
June 23, 2009
Jay Richards headed east last weekend to catch the action in the WORS Cup Stage race, providing a full recap, along with reports from Chain Drive and Woolly races, along with the usual look ahead.

Midnight Sun Midnight Run 5K
June 23, 2009
The annual Midnight Sun Midnight Run 5K is coming up this Friday evening starting and finishing at Canal Park in Duluth.

Grandmas Marathon Recap
June 22, 2009
Rich Hoeg offers a slideshow from the blazing Grandmas Marathon last weekend in Duluth.
Related:
Pioneer Press: Grandma's Marathon: Minnesota native Chris Raabe joins Mary Akor in winner's circle
Duluth News Tribune: Officials considered calling off race because of weather

Midwest RAAM Riders Updates
June 19, 2009
Midwest solo Race Across America (RAAM) riders are cruising well.  As of 11 pm Friday, Ben Popp, St. Paul, was in seventh place and had the top American time.  Paul Danhaus, Wausau, was feeling good as he passed though Chama, New Mexico.
Related:
Paul Danhaus RAAM Blog
Ben Popp RAAM Blog

Tri-Loppet Training: Hoigaards Canoe Derby
June 17, 2009
Two final chances to get in some quality paddling time for the Tri-Loppet with the Hoigaards Canoe Derby races June 18th and 25th.

RAAM Rider Paul Danhaus
June 17, 2009
There is another Midwest rider doing the solo RAAM: Paul Danhaus of Wausau, Wisconsin, is racing in the 60+ solo division, riding one day ahead of the young solo men. The Wausau Wheelers provided him with a GPS tracker so you can follow his progress online.

Interview: Ben Popp
June 16, 2009
Ben Popp is hitting the road today, Wednesday, as he begins his 3000 mile bike race across the United States. We caught up with Ben on Monday evening to get some details on his pre-race preparations.
Related:
Local Media Coverage on Ben Popp's RAAM

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
June 16, 2009
Jay Richards recaps the Dirt Spanker race in Duluth and looks forward to the big WORS Subaru Cup this weekend.

US Ski Team: Randall Empowers Through Sport
June 15, 2009
Though World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) is best known for carving out the history of her sport for U.S. Women, Randall has an equally large passion in building up the future of the sport through the organization Fast and Female.

Rock for Broc June 30th
June 14, 2009
Turn out Tuesday evening, June 30th, for the Rock for Broc 1 mile fundraiser run. Proceeds will help Cindy Brochman in her fight with cancer.
Related:
Cindy Brochman Update

Red Bridge Run Results
June 14, 2009
Joe Manns reports: Third Annual Red Bridge Run Marathon Canoe Race was held in Park Rapids on June 14, 2009. The race is hosted by the Red Bridge Inn, who provides a wonderful post-race meal and massage for all racers. The race is a favorite for those racing the Chippewa Triathlon the day before, just a short drive from Cass Lake.

NVGP: Stillwater Criterium Coverage
June 14, 2009
The Nature Valley Grand Prix wrapped up an exciting five days of pro racing with the popular Stillwater Criterium. Huge crowds once again turned out, especially on the incredibly steep Chilkoot Hill. Kristin Armstrong showed exceptional strength in dropped her breakaway trio on the final lap to take the womens victory and overall title. The mens race provided some real fireworks as Floyd Landis helped open a lead group that threatened the overall lead of Tom Zirbel.
Related:
Photoset: Womens race - 119 photos, Mens race - 126 photos
Results: Womens, Mens
NVGP: Mankato Road Race

Chippewa Triathlon Coverage
June 13, 2009
A bit of rough weather for the Chippewa Triathlon on Saturday as showers rolled through off and on. The canoe-mountain bike-trail run triathlon is a favorite among the Nordic skiing community. Dave Nelson won the solo division, Bill Dossett and Kathryn Ladig won the doubles division titles, Jan Guenther collected the doubles mixed title.
Related:
Photoset from Bill Grundy: 53 photos
Results: Chippewa Triathlon

NVGP: Uptown Criterium
June 13, 2009
Big crowds turn out Friday evening to line the course of the new Uptown Criterium in Minneapolis. The circuit course carved through the heart of Uptown, including a run up Hennepin Ave past Calhoun Square. Once again, the races came down to pack sprint finishes. Sebastian Haedo and Brooke Miller collected the victories. The NVGP series wraps up this weekend with races in Mankato and Stillwater.

MSHS Announces High School Nordic Ski Team
June 12, 2009
Marquette Senior High School will add a self-funded Nordic Ski program beginning with the 2009-2010 winter sports season. An informational meeting and reception for the new team will be held at Marquette Senior High School on Monday June 15th.

NVGP: Cannon Falls Road Race
June 12, 2009
Thursday's stage 3 in Cannon Falls featured rolling SE roads and one crash that shook up some of the standings in the womens race. Field sprints marked the finish of both the mens and womens races with Alejandro Alberto Borrajo and Erica Allar taking the victories.

NVGP: St. Paul Criterium
June 11, 2009
Nature Valley Grand Prix finished the opening day double-header with criterium racing on the streets of downtown St. Paul Wednesday evening. No major shake ups in the overall standings as both the mens and womens races featured big pack sprint finishes. Sebastian Haedo and Kirsty Broun took the victories.

NVGP: Time Trial Coverage
June 10, 2009
The Nature Valley Grand Prix started on Wednesday morning with a time trial along Lilydale Rd just across the river from downtown St. Paul. Off-and-on drizzle put a dreary look on the course but had little impact on the riders performance. Time trial star Kristin Armstrong dominated the womens field, averaging 26 mph. Tom Zirbel posted the top mens time. The series continues with an evening criterium in St. Paul tonight then hits the roads near Cannon Falls for stage 3 on Thursday.
Related:
Photoset: Womens TT - 129 photos, Mens TT - 159 photos
Results: Womens TT, Mens TT
NVGP Time Trial Course Details, Start List
Cycling News Stage 1 Recap

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
June 9, 2009
WORS Big Ring Classic recap, Jolly Rogers downhill race summary, and a look at some alternate singletrack opportunities highlight Jay Richards' weekly MTB report.

Grand Old Day Coverage
June 7, 2009
Despite cool and drizzling weather, there was another big turnout for the Grand Old Day inline and running races on Grand Avenue in St. Paul Sunday morning. Kassaye Gemeda and Amy Lyons sailed to clear victories in the 8K run; skiers Johanna Winters and Laura Dewitt finished 3rd and 5th respectively. The inline race came down to photo finishes between David Savmiento and Mike Anderson for the men and Susan Welch and Sarah Oftedahl for the women.
Related:
Photoset: 8K Inline Race - 66 photos, 8K Running Race - 92 photos
Results: 8K inline, run
Jun 13 Baxter Inline Marathon

Summer Junior Programs Start Next Week
June 5, 2009
The big summer training programs for juniors kickoff on Monday, June 15th. There are still some openings available if you act quickly.
Related:
Swain, Winters Join Sisu Juniors' Coaching Staff
Matt Liebsch to help coach Baker Rollerski Program

Friday Night Frenzy Coverage
June 5, 2009
The Rice Creek Boat Club kicked off their three day race weekend with sprints on Long Lake Friday evening. Strong NW winds made for some tricky early conditions but the winds slowed down as the evening progressed. Saturday paddlers will return for the Long Lake Lap and then head over to the Mississippi River for the final event on Sunday, the Jensen Handicap.
Related:
Rice Creek Boat Club Race Weekend
Photoset: Friday Night Frenzy - 57 photos

NMU XC Racing Club Team Announcement
June 4, 2009
Sten Fjeldheim announces the formation of the XC Racing Club Team at NMU to help athletes continue pursuing the skiing goals.

Hoigaards Canoe Derby Coverage
June 4, 2009
A beautiful opening night for the Hoigaards Canoe Derby with temperatures soaring into the upper 70s and a mild SW breeze. We joined in the action, playing catch up most of the way as we learned on the fly how to get our timing down in the racing canoes. The series continues Thursday nights into early August. A limited number of rental canoes are available for those wanting to test the waters (or prep for the Tri-Loppet).
Related:
Hoigaards Canoe Derby
Photoset: 21 photos

Gustavus Ski Camp
June 3, 2009
Gustavus will be hosting their annual high school Nordic Ski Camp June 14-18 on the campus in St. Peter, MN. Multiple workout sessions each daily plus evening guest speakers.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
June 2, 2009
Jay Richards covers a full plate this week: WORS and MNSCS recaps, plus National and even Canadian racing updates.

Rice Creek Boat Club Race Weekend
June 1, 2009
The Rice Creek Boat Club is hosting a weekend long race series in the Twin Cities, June 5-7. Sprints on Friday, Long Lake Lap Saturday, and Jensen Handicap (on the Mississippi) Sunday.

Afton Avalanche Coverage
May 31, 2009
Moderate temperatures with gusty winds and dry weather generated some dusty conditions for the annual Afton Alps stop on the MNSCS series. The series popularity continues to soar this year with another big turnout on Sunday.
Related:
Photoset: Sport Race - 90 photos, Kids Races - 26 photos, Expert/Comp Race - 170 photos
Results: Afton Avalanche

St. Scholastica Scores Top Minnesota Prep Skiers
May 29, 2009
St. Scholastica has a big incoming freshman crop of Nordic skiers from Minnesota, including top ranked Kasey Bacso from Wayzata and Ryan Wright from Forest Lake.
Related:
2009 Collegiate Tally Board

US Ski Team: 2009 Team Named
May 27, 2009
World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall, along with World Cup sprint medalist Andy Newell, Kris Freeman and three-time U.S. champion Liz Stephen are among the athletes headlining the newly named 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. Midwest skiers Garrott Kuzzy and Lindsey Williams were named to the B team.

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
May 27, 2009
With a slow weekend for the Memorial holiday, Jay weighs in with some observations on the variety of mountain bike setups, especially the growing trend of 29" wheel sets.

Ski to Sea 2009
May 26, 2009
Brian Gregg of the CXC team recaps the 2009 Ski to Sea race. The race is a relay event with cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, running, road biking, canoeing, mountain biking and sea kayaking segments. Dave Christopherson, a regular participant, was the other Midwest competitor.
Related:
Results: Ski to Sea

From 80th to 1st: Annie Hart's Story
May 23, 2009
Minneapolis Ski Club highlights Annie Hart's journey from 80th in 2007 to 1st in 2009 at the Minnesota State Meet.

US Ski Team: XC Trains On Snow in Oregon
May 21, 2009
Following a season of incredible success, including Kikkan Randall's World Championship silver medal, the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team reunited this week in Oregon to begin its training season in the lead up to the 2010 Olympics.

Minnesota Half Marathon Rollerski Race Cancelled
May 20, 2009
Update from race organizers: Due to the majority of the race surface being concrete and several roller skiers letting us know that it is an impossible surface to rollerski on, for safety reasons we will produce the MN Half Marathon for inline skaters and runners only.
Related:
Minnesota Half Marathon

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
May 19, 2009
A busy weekend on the off-road calendar with the Cable Area Off-road Classic, the MNSCS Spring Cup and WORS Iola Bump and Jump races providing a lot of racing action. Jay Richards recaps all the events plus a look ahead.

Spring Cup Coverage
May 17, 2009
The MNSCS series opened on Saturday with one of their biggest fields ever, as perfect weather attracted over 500 riders out to Harmon Park for the Spring Cup races. Temperatures eased into the lower 60s with light winds and bright sunshine for the events. The lack of rain this spring made for some loose conditions (and some creative cornering) and the organizers added another twist by running the race course the opposite direction this year. Brendan Moore and Jenna Zander solo'd away from the expert fields to easily capture their respective titles.
Related:
Photoset: Sport - 199 photos, Expert/Comp - 387 photos
Results: Spring Cup

Cable Area Offroad Classic Coverage
May 16, 2009
Jay Richards reports: Riders were greeted with snow showers and temps in the lower 30's at the Cable Area Off Road Classic. Yesterday's rain showers provided a near perfect conditions (albeit a bit chilly) compacting the sand and tacking the singletrack. Sections of singletrack were removed from previous race courses making for a fast course. Back from Arizona, TJ Woodruff pulled away from the main field after 30 minutes into solo in for the win followed by Matt Kurke and Charly Tri who posted some personal bests. New mom, Sara Kylander-Johnson, took womens' honors.
Related:
Photoset from Darlene Prois/Patrick Pfister: 13 photos
Results: Cable Area Offroad Classic

Synergy Time Trial Coverage
May 16, 2009
Strong northwest winds and cool temperatures made for a tough morning out on the Synergy time trial course on Saturday morning. Winds were in the mid 20s gusting at times to the 30s as temperatures scratched their way up into the 40s.
Related:
Photoset: 20K - 36 photos, 40K - 144 photos
Results: 20K, 40K

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
May 12, 2009
Jay Richards recaps the short-notice Spring Fling race in Elk River last weekend and highlights a busy upcoming weekend as both WORS and MNSCS series fire up.

TNT Time Trial Coverage
May 12, 2009
The Tuesday Night Time Trial (TNT) series greeted riders with strong and gusty cross winds and some off-and-on rain for the opening event of the series. This season the course starts at near Baker Park and rolls east first before turning around shortly after Holy Name Lake and heads straight back west.
Related:
Photoset: 86 photos
Results: TNT #1
Tuesday Night Time Trial Series (TNT)

USSA Honors
May 12, 2009
USSA highlighted top coaches, athletes and clubs recently:
- Coaches
- Athletes
- Clubs

Giro on Universal
May 11, 2009
Universal Sports, which offered on-demand free video coverage from the World Cup Nordic season, is now showing live daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia.

Spring Fling Coverage
May 9, 2009
Hillside Park in Elk River kicked off the Minnesota MTB season with a short-notice race, the Spring Fling, on Saturday morning. The Hillside Park course has undergone a number of upgrades in recent years providing some new challenges.
Related:
Photoset: 185 photos
Results: Hillside

Kim Rudd's Fossavatn Ski Marathon Report
May 7, 2009
Kim Rudd recently traveled to Iceland to ski in the Fossavatn Ski Marathon. Rudd was awarded the opportunity after series champion Mary Beth Tuttle was unable to attend due to a family emergency. Rudd provided a pre and post-race recap while traveling in Iceland.

Race Recap: Ham Run Half Marathon
May 6, 2009
Jonathan Rova highlights the recent Ham Run Half Marathon and their green initiatives.
Related:
Gunflint Nordic Ski Trails Carbon Off-Set to Gunflint Green Up

Midwest MTB Racing Recap
May 5, 2009
Jay Richards weekly report touches some new races, including a short-notice one this weekend at Hillside in Elk River, and even goes "on-road" to highlight rising Minnesota native Rolf Eisinger.
Related:
Bike Dr: CXC Ski Clinic, Bike Routes, Women's Sale, Youtube

Minnesota Half Marathon Rollerski Race
May 4, 2009
Organizers of the Minnesota Half Marathon inline race have announced a rollerski race. The course will use much of the same route as the St. Paul Inline Marathon running along the St. Paul riverfront. The race goes down on August 15th. Note: The rollerski event has been cancelled due to unsafe road conditions for rollerskiing.