FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Boulder Lake Race Demise

I would like to let skiers and snowshoers know that the Boulder Lake Ski & Snowshoe race won't be happening this year. The last handful of years the race has struggled to cover costs as costs have increased and attendance has dropped. I would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors over the years that have made this event possible, including Salomon, Minnesota Power, SuperOne Foods, Ski Hut, St Luke's Hospital, Rollerskishop.com, Country Inn & Suites, Continental Ski & Bike, Fitger's Brewhouse, Duluth Running Company, Swix, and Visit Duluth. Most importantly, I want to thank the racers that came back year after year. As the race director for the past 13 years, I have really enjoyed putting on this race and it was my love for this event that made discontinuing it such a hard decision.

As an avid ski racer myself, I have noticed a steady decline in attendance at ski races over the past 5 years. In order for both large and small races to succeed, they need more than just the elite skiers to show up and participate. When it began, it was an event that drew the full spectrum of racers, from citizen skiers to elite racers. In general, there used to be several races to choose from each weekend within a several hour drive, but now most have folded up over the years for these same reasons. As a race director, I want to emphasize that skiers of all abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate in these ski races. With rising costs of insurance and chip timing, please know how much it means to races of all sizes when you sign-up.

Duluth has had great snow this year and the groomer always does such a great job on the trails, so I hope you all will continue to enjoy the Boulder Lake ski and snowshoe trails. I look forward to focusing on the growing sport of rollerskiing, but I hope to see everyone out at the ski races very soon.