Highlights
Team Birkie Announces Expanded 2025-26 World and Continental Teams
June 18, 2025Team Birkie's 2025-26 rosters boast expanded World and Continental Teams with several new athletes. The World Team retains Alayna Sonnesyn, Zak Ketterson, and Kevin Bolger, and welcomes back Paul Schommer and promotes rising star Luci Anderson, all eyeing the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics. Checkout the full roster, deep with Upper Midwest ties.
Midwest MTB Report
May 21, 2025Hot off the press Jay Richards has the second Midwest MTB Report of the season ready to go and it's packed with events—past, present, and upcoming. Read on for updates on series racing on either side of the Mississippi, as well as a host of events to put on your radar for this summer.
Biathlon: U.S. National Team Named for 2025 Season
May 6, 2025The US Biathlon Association unveiled the roster for Senior National Team and National Development Group for the 2025-2026 season on Tuesday, and among the 21 athletes nominated 8 were from the Midwest: Jake Brown, Deedra Irwin, Paul Schommer, Luci Anderson, Vaclac Cervenka, and Margie Freed on the National Team, and Cheresa Bouley and Luke Brown with the Development Group.
Snake River Canoe Race Results
May 4, 2025Just catching the start of this week's heat wave, over 120 individuals competed in the Snake River Canoe Race on Saturday with temperatures reaching nearly 60F just north of Mora, MN. In the Pro Boat division the teams of Benjamin Menk/Jeremiah Menk (male), Josie Nelson/Kajsa Nelson (female), and Jim Harwood/Maria Schilling (mixed) tallied the top times, while the teams of Fred Kueffer/Brett Arenz (male), Karen Casper/Kerry Bogenrief (female), and Katie Schaaf/Greg Zophy (mixed) were the first to finish in the Open Racing division. The full results, including additional division winners, are linked in below.
Midwest MTB Report
May 1, 2025With spring sprung the mountain bike season is on across the Midwest! Returning to report on all things mountain bike related, Jay Richards kicks off the 2025 season with a summary of the schedule ahead, plus a few related items to boot. Dive in the first Midwest MTB Report of the season and get those wheels moving!
Endurance Adventures: Shooting for the Stars
April 14, 2025Kim Rudd of Endurance Adventures shares Luci Anderson's rise through the Nordic skiing world, from her early days at Robbinsdale-Armstrong to competing this past season in both the biathlon and cross-country World Cup races!
Stiele Named Team Birkie Head Coach
April 7, 2025Jake Stiele replaces Julie Ensrud as head coach for Team Birkie. Stiele, a former Team Birkie athlete, previously served as the team's development and assistant head coach. Ensrud led the team to seven world championship berths and strong domestic results.
MTU Spring Loppet Race this Weekend
April 7, 2025Michigan Tech folks are celebrating the good conditions on the Tech trails with a fun, self-timed, freestyle race this Saturday, April 12th.
MNSA Award Banquet this Sunday
April 1, 2025The annual MNSA Award Banquet is this Sunday, April 6th, in Mora. Neil King and Ben Croft will receive the Minnesota Nordic Ski Association (MNSA) Lifetime Achievement Award as the event will also honor master skiers, biathlon achievers, and the North Star Ski Touring Club, plus a keynote speech by Claire Wilson. The banquet is free and open to the public.
Biathlon: Campbell Wright Wins Historic U23 Biathlon Globe
March 24, 2025New Zealand-born American biathlete Campbell Wright secured the U23 World Cup title, a first for a U.S. athlete. Wright's consistent top performances throughout the season, including two World Championship silver medals, earned him the globe. This historic achievement demonstrates the growing strength of the U.S. Biathlon program.
World Cup Lahti: Classic Distance; Diggins Takes Home Third Overall Crystal Globe
March 23, 2025The sun set on the 2024-2025 World Cup season on Sunday after a grueling 50K classic competition in Lahti, Finland offered one last challenge for athletes. The women's field was on course first for the mass-start event and in typical fashion Norway's Therese Johaug was quick to tighten the screws, causing the field to fracture early on. Her teammate Astrid Oeyre Slind tried to equal her efforts, but only for so long as Johaug eventually got the separation she needed to take the win. Slind would go on to secure second, leaving third up to a sprint between Ebba Andersson of Sweden and Teresa Stadlober of Austria that went in favor of Andersson. With less leadership the men's race was a closer contest, albeit one that was ultimately decided by a group of four Norwegians. With the shutout sprinter Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo among their ranks there was little the other three athletes could do inside the final kilometer, leaving them to fight for the final two spots on the podium which went the way of Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Simen Hegstad Krueger. Two top-10 finishes by US skiers, Jessie Diggins in 9th and Gus Schumacher in 8th, sealed a stellar season for both the men's and women's squads, with Diggins taking home her third overall and distance crystal globes. Rounding out the rest of those results were Victoria Carl of Germany and Kerttu Niskanen of Finland who finished second and third in the women's overall standings, while Astrid Oeyre Slind and again Victoria Carl were second and third in the women's distance standings. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo picked up his fifth crystal globe in the men's overall standings with Edvin Anger of Sweden taking second and Erik Valnes of Norway third, while Simen Hegstad Krueger took home the crystal globe in the men's distance standings where Martin Loewstroem Nyenget finished second and Hugo Lapalus of France third.
World Cup Lahti: Team Sprints
March 22, 2025Saturday's sprints in Lahti, Finland were the final opportunity for World Cup athletes to compete as a team this season, and it was an exciting competition at that. Capitalizing on her success from yesterday's individual sprints, Germany's Coletta Rydzek carried her team to another win after out sprinting the rest of the field in the final stretch of the women's race. Hot on her heels were another five athletes, but with only two podium spots remaining it was a tight finish that ultimately saw the Sweden I and Switzerland I teams rise above the rest. Playing out similarly, the men's race finished with another breakaway sprint by Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo that put his team on top of the podium, leaving the rest of the field to fight for second and third. Those two spots would go to the Switzerland I and France I teams, with the US teams of Kevin Bolger with JC Schoonmaker and Ben Ogden with Gus Schumacher both putting in valiant efforts to finish just seconds back in 4th and 6th respectively. A marathon of an race, tomorrow's mass-start 50K classic competition marks the final event of the 2024-2025 World Cup season.
World Cup Lahti: Freestyle Sprints
March 21, 2025Freestyle sprints in Lahti, Finland started off the final weekend of World Cup racing on Friday, and despite both of the sprint crystal globes already being all but secured athletes were still eager to give it their all. Chief among them was Coletta Rydzek of Germany who had reach the podium individually on two separate occasions heading into the day, but had never won a World Cup race. That all changed when a late surge propelled her across the line ahead of two of the top sprinters in the world, Kristen Stavaas Skistad of Norway and Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland, awarding her her first World Cup win. Just shy of making the final but with enough points to spare regardless, Finland's Jasmi Joensuu would go on to win the women's sprint crystal globe, while Faehndrich and Maja Dahlqvist of Sweden would also share the spotlight as the second and third place finishers in those standings. Not needing the win but refusing to be denied it either, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway collected his 16th straight sprint win in the men's final, fighting off the Frenchman Jules Chappaz who secured second just ahead of a controversial crash between Valerio Grond of Switzerland and Federico Pellegrino of Italy that saw the latter take third. Klaebo would also claim his third straight sprint crystal globe, with his teammate Erik Valnes and their Swedish competitor Edvin Anger taking the remaining two spots on that podium. A host of US athletes would make the heats, but only one made the finals, JC Schoonmaker, who finished 6th on the day. Julia Kern was the best of the US women, finishing 13th. Team sprints shake things up on Saturday as athletes will have a chance to compete in pairs before the final day of racing on Sunday.
King, Croft Honored with MNSA Lifetime Achievement Award
March 21, 2025Neil King and Ben Croft will receive the Minnesota Nordic Ski Association (MNSA) Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday, April 6th at the Vasaloppet Nordic Center in Mora. Both have dedicated decades to advancing cross-country skiing in Minnesota, particularly in the Park Rapids and Duluth areas, respectively, through trail development, coaching, and more. The MNSA will also honor master skiers, biathlon achievers, and the North Star Ski Touring Club, with a keynote speech by Claire Wilson.
NorthStar Development Launches ProtoStars Youth Cycling Program
March 21, 2025NorthStar Development, based in the Twin Cities, has launched ProtoStars, a new program focused on non-competitive cycling skills development for kids aged 7-10. The program aims to foster a love of cycling through fun, skill-based sessions. Headed by certified coach Corey Coogan Cisek, Protostars emphasizes accessibility and welcomes diverse skill levels.
World Cup Racing: Lahti Schedule
March 20, 2025The World Cup circuit comes full circle this weekend as it returns to the country where it all began almost four months ago. First up in Lahti, Finland is a round of freestyle sprints on Friday which are slated for 9:00 AM CDT and 11:30 AM CDT for the qualifiers and heats respectively. Then team sprints are scheduled for Saturday with a qualifying round for that event taking place at 4:40 AM CDT, and the finals taking place a couple hours later at 6:40 AM CDT. Bringing it home, a mass start classic marathon closes out the season on Sunday with the men's and women's fields covering 50K each starting at 2:30 AM CDT for the women, and 6:45 AM CDT for the men.
Tour de Finn: 2024-2025 Season Rundown
March 19, 2025Another season has come and gone, marking the second full winter for the Tour de Finn. While the snow was lacking at times the competition was not with more skiers participating in multiple events than in the previous season, calling for the first use of the "best six races" rule in scoring. Offering a rundown of the results, Allie Rykken has the all the numbers of note, including the top-10 standings for the individual, team, and age group categories. An end of season celebration is scheduled for 6:30 PM this Thursday at Finn Sisu, so take a peak at the results before heading over to see if you also won one of their handcrafted awards!
World Cup Tallinn: Freestyle Sprints; Kern Third in Return to Podium
March 19, 2025A one off event in Estonia, the World Cup circuit made a stop in Tallinn on Wednesday for a round of freestyle sprints under the stars. Not unusual in sprinting, there was drama abound with the first major upset going to the US athlete Julia Kern who first knocked out Norway's star sprinter Kristen Stavaas Skistad in the semifinals, and then fought hard for a third place finish in the final, her second career World Cup podium and first since 2020. Winning the women's final was Switzerland's Nadine Faehndrich who looked unbeatable throughout, while the veteran Maja Dahlqvist skied smart to take second ahead of Kern. Drama ensued in the men's final as well, but not when deciding the winner which was, unsurprisingly, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway. The real spectacle was in the sprint for second between France's Jules Chappaz and Norway's Harald Oestberg Amundsen which, after much deliberation, was called as a virtual tie. Missing out on all the action, Ben Ogden, the best of the US men, would fall just short of making the final, finishing 7th in the semis. Now, with three events to go, the circuit moves on to Lahti, Finland for the final weekend of the World Cup season!
World Cup Racing: Tallinn Schedule
March 17, 2025One more weekend of World Cup racing remains, but before the circuit lands in Lahti for the last leg it will be making a stop in Tallinn, Estonia for a night of sprinting in the streets. With qualifiers taking place at 9:30 AM CDT on Wednesday, the main event will begin at 12:00 PM CDT that same day for the elimination round of the freestyle competition. The stars will be out, literally and figuratively, so make sure not to miss this one!
World Cup Oslo: Freestyle Distance
March 16, 2025A second day of interval-start competitions concluded the World Cup's short stayover in Oslo, Norway as athletes raced 10K in the freestyle technique on Sunday. A surprise showing by Sweden's Moa Ilar in the women's race saw her claim her second career individual victory, besting a hard charging Heidi Weng of Norway by just 1.6 seconds, with Victoria Carl of Germany not that far behind either in third. The men's race offered some shakeups as well with Harald Oestberg Amundsen getting a win after just missing the podium yesterday, while a new face on the Norwegian team, Einar Hedegart, also got his first career podium, finish second a little over 5 seconds back. No stranger to the podium himself, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo claimed the third and final spot to complete the Norwegian sweep. While a strong 6th place finish by Jessie Diggins didn't earn the top US athlete a trip to the podium in today's race, it won her something far more valuable: with three scoring events to go, Jessie Diggins is officially the 2024/2025 overall World Cup champion! Before the celebration can truly begin however, there are two more stops for the World Cup circuit to make, the first being in Tallinn, Estonia on Wednesday.
World Cup Oslo: Classic Distance
March 15, 2025After a thrilling World Championships, World Cup racing returned to the fore on Saturday for an interval-start classic race in Oslo, Norway. Breaking from the usual marathon events hosted at the Holmenkollen ski venue, athletes only had to cover 20K in the day's race which saw the women's field competing first. Redemption was a major theme for the competition with Therese Johaug of Norway finally getting a win on home soil after she was shut out in Trondheim. Her teammate Astrid Oeyre Slind also found her footing, returning to the podium after being individually absent from it throughout the Championships, which was similarly the case for Victoria Carl of Germany who took third. Rebounding from two ill-timed crashes a week ago, the men's race saw a monstrous effort by Norway's Martin Loewstroem Nyenget earn him a win by a wide margin, while William Poromaa of Sweden snuck in for second ahead of Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway who was relegated to third. A pair of top-10 finishes by Gus Schumacher, 7th, and Jessie Diggins, 10th, marked the high point for US men's and women's teams on the day. The individual-start action continues on Sunday with another race in the same format, but at half the distance and in the freestyle technique.
Brewskibeiner Coverage
March 14, 2025The final(?) race of the season, the Brewskibeiner, was held Friday evening on the snowmaking trails at Hyland Lake. And perhaps not a day too late as temperatures were around 70F at the 6:30 pm start time and with some sections of the trail almost down to ice. Nearly 20 skiers participated, with Sam Holt taking the 20K event and Levi Little and Mary Kallemeyn the 9K winners. Full results and a photoset posted.
World Cup Racing: Oslo Schedule
March 13, 2025And just like that the final leg of the World Cup circuit is upon us. Period IV starts up this Saturday in Oslo, Norway for back to back days of interval-start racing, with Saturday devoted to a 20K classic race, while a 10K freestyle race will be the subject of Sunday. Saturday's event will see the women's field racing first at 5:30 AM CDT and the men's field following in their wake at 8:00 AM CDT. Then the order stays the same for Sunday, with the women's field once again leading out the event at 5:15 AM CDT, while the men's field will get their turn afterwards at 7:30 AM CDT. In regards to Midwest skiers to keep an eye out for, the roster remains relatively unchanged with the Luci Anderson, Erin Bianco, Jessie Diggins, Alayna Sonnesyn, Kevin Bolger, and Zak Ketterson all getting nods for the next few weeks.
Team Birkie: World Championships
March 12, 2025Five members of Team Birkie competed in the Nordic World Championships, February 26th to March 9th, in Trondheim, Norway. Alayna Sonnesyn, Kevin Bolger, and Zak Ketterson, all competed multiple times for the United States, and will now continue on the World Cup circuit through the end of the season.
A Love Letter to the Ski North Ultra
March 10, 2025Despite another season of uncertainty and the unbelievably warm weather the past few days, the Ski North Ultra made its triumphant debut over the weekend on the trails tracing the North Shore. Penning an open letter to the community that supported the event in it's inaugural season, race director Allie Rykken reflects back on what, for her, took the race from a wild idea to a shared experience.
World Championships: Women's Freestyle Mass Start
March 9, 2025After the wonderful weather yesterday the conditions on Sunday in Trondheim, Norway were some of the toughest yet for the final competition of the 2025 World Championships. Racing 50K in the freestyle technique through a thoroughly moisturized snowpack, the women's field was already in shambles shortly after the start of the event with eight athletes skiing away from the rest of the group only 5K in. That number would be cut in half another 5K in, and it would stay that way until the final uphill before the decent into the stadium when, in a tragic moment for the Swedish skier, Ebba Andersson would catch the ski of her teammate, Frida Karlsson, and crash out early, leaving the podium all but decided, save for the order. Karlsson would go on to take the gold, winning out over the two remaining Norwegians, Heidi Weng and Therese Johaug, granting Sweden the sweep of the gold medals across all of the women's competitions. Toughing it out together, all four of the US women would cross the line as a group, finishing 19th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Now just a week later athletes will do it all again as they face yet another batch of 50K races in Oslo, Norway next weekend.
World Championships: Men's Freestyle Mass Start
March 8, 2025Records were rewritten on Saturday as the first of two mass-start 50K freestyle races took place in Trondheim, Norway. For the final event of the 2025 World Championships it was the men's field racing first, and from the start the group was off to a fast pace. By 15K the tempo had taken a toll on the field, and by 25K less than 20 skiers were still in striking distance of the leaders. The rest of the way the remaining athletes would be whittled down to four with 5K to go, and then just three after a crash knocked another out of contention. Approaching the final climb Sweden's William Poromaa tried to make a break to take the gold, but hot on his heels was Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo who has proven time and time again to be unbeatable when a race is left late. Easily out sprinting Poromaa, Klaebo took the win, becoming the only athlete to ever win all six events at a World Championship, and perhaps cementing his status as the greatest of all time. Perfectly happy to be sharing the podium with an all time great, Klaebo's teammate Simen Hegstad Krueger crossed the the line in third seconds later to take the bronze. An outstanding showing by a skier often recognized as a sprinter, Kevin Bolger was the first to finish for the US men, placing 22nd. One race remains at the 2025 World Championships with the women's field doing the same dance tomorrow for their version of 50K event.
River View Loppet Results
March 8, 2025The husband and wife duo of Nick Ross and Marit Ross-Sonnesyn finished first and second in the 24K freestyle race at the River View Loppet Saturday in Brule. Doug Scheider won the 24K classic event. 12K freestyle champs were Sullivan Sportel and Trisha Evans, with Timothy Pera and Cecelia Toshner winning the 12K classic.
Great Bear Chase Results
March 8, 2025Over 700 skiers turned out Saturday for the Great Bear Chase races on Saturday in Calumet, MI. The 50km Skiathlon winners were Julia Junkkala and Sam Holt. Elspeth Ronnander and Caden Albrecht took the 50km Classic titles. The 50km Freestyle victories went to Hanna Derby and Ryan Thieme. The 25km Classic was won by Abby Scheller and Parker Courte Rathwell with the 25km Freestyle going to Lena Mitkey and Luke Kubasta. And in the the 20km Skiathlon, Gretta Scholz and Jacob Stiele were champions.
World Championships: Women's Team Relay
March 7, 2025Perhaps the most dramatic event of the 2025 World Championships so far, the women's 4x7.5K relay on Friday was one for the ages with multiple shocking storylines playing out in Trondheim. After getting off to an early lead on, Norway appeared to be a lock for the gold medal as they maintained a minimum of a 30 second gap over the rest of the field through the first three legs. Sweden, the undeniable favorites to win the event, looked as though they would finally be bested after sweeping the titles thus far, but that all changed when Jonna Sundling started making up ground on her anchor leg. Within 2.5K Sundling had caught Norway's anchor, Kristin Austgulen Fosnaes, and would ski with her through the final uphill where the World Champion sprinter would make a move to break to deadlock and complete the comeback. The surprising upset would be shortlived however as Germany and Finland, who had been neck and neck through the final leg, came crashing in, with Germany dealing another devastating blow to Finland to bump them off the podium. After struggling to stick with the tempo early on, the US women's team of Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern, Sophia Laukli, and Jessie Diggins dug deep to deliver a respectable 6th place finish. A Marathon event will make up the final two days of racing at the 2025 World Championships, with the first day going to the men's field who will be racing 50K in the freestyle technique tomorrow.
World Championships: Men's Team Relay
March 6, 2025For the past 12 World Championships running Norway has taken home the title in the men's team relay, and that streak continued on Thursday as they picked up their 13th straight victory. From the start of the 4x7.5K event it could have been considered a race for second as the team representing the host nation broke away early, and by the mid point of the race had accrued a 30 second lead that would see their anchor, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, comfortably cross the line in first, extending his gold medal streak to five straight wins. Conversely, the race for second and third was a close contest as five teams sought those final two spots on the podium. A five way sprint in the final kilometer would see those two spots go to Switzerland and Sweden with only two tenths of a second separating the two. The first in following the group of five, the US men's team of JC Schoonmaker, Zak Ketterson, Kevin Bolger, and Ben Ogden put in a strong shift to finish 7th on the day. Tomorrow the women will be representing their nations as a team for the second straight day of relays, albeit at an earlier time, 6:15 AM CST, as forecasted high winds hamper events in Trondheim.
World Championships: Team Sprints; Diggins and Kern Win Silver for the States
March 5, 2025A breakthrough for the US Ski Team, Wednesday's women's silver in the team sprint event marked the first medal for the Americans at the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway. Led out by the veteran Jessie Diggins, and anchored by her protege, Julia Kern, the two battled it out with the likes of Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland at a blistering pace across six legs to ultimately secure a silver medal. On top in every event so far, the Swedish women simply couldn't be beat yet again as Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist took home the gold, while Finland would find themselves the odd team out with the Swiss team overtaking them in the closing stretch to earn bronze. Redemption for the Finns would come in the form of their men's team who won out in a tight sprint finish to take sliver just ahead of the Swedish team who took bronze. The men's team sprint title went to none other than the Norwegian team led by the now four time gold medalist from these Championships, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who paired up with Erik Valnes on his way to victory. Within 10 seconds of a podium finish, the US men's team of Gus Schumacher and JC Schoonmaker gave it their all on their way to 6th place finish. More team tactics will be at play tomorrow as a full four man relay takes center stage for the men's field.
World Cup Racing: World Championships Schedule, Part 2
March 4, 2025We're already half through the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, but fear not, there's still plenty of racing action to come. After Tuesday's competitions the focus will be on a team event the following day, Wednesday, with classic team sprints taking place at 4:00 AM CST for the qualifiers, and 7:30 AM CST for the finals. Then it's on to another team event the next two days, a 4x7.5K relay, which will see the men's teams skiing first at 5:30 AM CST on Thursday, and the women's teams doing likewise a day later at 7:00 AM CST on Friday. Last but certainly not least, a mass-start marathon covering 50K in the freestyle technique will close out the competition on Saturday and Sunday, with the men's field taking the first shift at 4:30 AM CST on Saturday, and the women's field taking the second shift at 5:30 AM CDT on Sunday.
World Championships: Classic Individual Start
March 4, 2025A complete 180 from Sunday's weather, a snowstorm set the stage for Tuesday's interval-start 10K classic races at the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway. First up was the men's field, and to some surprise the top time on the day would be set by the hometown hero, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who picked up his third straight victory, winning out over two of his teammates, Erik Valnes and Harald Oestberg Amundsen. The women's race also featured a repeat winner, Sweden's Ebba Andersson, who narrow edged out Norway's Therese Johaug for the second race in a row to claim today's title, with another Swede, Frida Karlsson, rounding out the women's podium in third. Gus Schumacher once again led the way for the US in a distance event posting the highest finish of the American men in 13th, while Rosie Brennan led the American women, finishing 22nd. Tomorrow our attention turns to the first team event of these Championships: a team sprint in the classic technique.
World Championships: Women's Skiathlon
March 2, 2025Rain was in the forecast for Sunday but it didn't dampen the spirits of the women competing for World Championship medals in the weekend's second skiathlon. A vicious pace from the start had the field fractured only 5K into the 20K competition, and that pace would never really slow down as the race went on. By the midpoint a fumbled exchange reduced the lead pack from six to five, and it would largely stay that way until the penultimate pass through the stadium when a crash took two more skiers out of contention, with a third falling off the back. On their own out front, Sweden's Ebba Andersson and Norway's Therese Johaug battled it out all the way to the finish line where the title would be decided by a foot throw, with Anderson taking the win over Johaug. The best of the rest, Jonna Sundling of Sweden, the instigator of the earlier crash, took third in a separate sprint finish. The tough tempo and challenging conditions appeared to take a toll on US skiers as Jessie Diggins posted top finish in 13th. Another rest day tomorrow means the World Championships will continue on Tuesday with an interval-start 10K classic race for all athletes.
Pepsi Challenge Coverage
March 1, 2025Skiers enjoyed near perfect conditions Saturday at Giants Ridge as more than 250 turned out for the Pepsi Challenge events. In the premiere 50K freestyle, Anders Sonnesyn edged out Isaac Wieber at the finish for the victory with Gabrielle Vandendries topping the womens field. The sparse 50K classic field saw Leevi Tarjanne and Emily Erickson posting the top times. Samuel Olson and Della Bettendorf won the 25K freestyle events, Ryan Rogers and Lisa Garretson the 25K classic titles. Full results linked in, photos by Shannon Brault posted.
Sleeping Giant Loppet Results
March 1, 2025A field of over 550 participated in the Sleeping Giant races on Saturday in Thunderbay. Two Minnesotans came away with top honors as Matt Liebsch and Caitlin Gregg won the 50K skate titles. The 50K classic titles went to Kendyn Mashinter and Kerrie Berg. Felix Doucet and Mya Marshall had the top 35K freestyle times. Reid Thompson and Delaney Summers won the 20K skate races and William Vanden Berg and Lauren Pineau were crowned 20K classic champions.
World Championships: Men's Skiathlon
March 1, 2025Racing resumed on Saturday at the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway for the first of two days of skiathlon competitions. The men were up first, skiing 10K classic followed by 10K freestyle, and from the start the race was off to a fast pace. By the exchange the field was already stretched thin and would only grow thinner until only a dozen remained heading into the final kilometer. Unfortunately for the other 11 athletes, one of those athletes was Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, Thursday's sprint champion, who slipped away relatively uncontested to claim his second World Championships gold medal in as many competitions. Crashing in behind him was a quartet of competitors fighting for silver and bronze which narrowly went to two of Klaebo's compatriots in a photo finish, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Harald Oestberg Amundsen. Making the break but just missing out on the medals was the top American finisher, Gus Schumacher, who finished an impressive 9th, only two seconds off the podium. Sunday will see a second day of skiathlon racing as the women's field gets their turn to compete in the 20K event.
World Championships: Freestyle Sprints
February 27, 2025The 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway got underway on Thursday with a series of freestyle sprints as the opening event. Soft conditions lead to some surprises, but the day's champions were not one of them as the sprint titles went to the victors from seasons past: Jonna Sundling of Sweden, her third straight title, and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, his fourth. Sundling would ski away with her win, leaving Norway's Kristen Stavaas Skistad to second and Switzerland's Nadine Faehndrich to third, while Klaebo would have to work all the way to the line to hold off the Italian veteran Federico Pellegrino, as well as third place's Lauri Vuorinen of Finland. A stellar start to the American's campaign, eight athletes qualified for the heats including Ben Ogden and Julia Kern who made the semifinals and finals respectively, with Ogden ending the day in 12th, and Kern in 5th. After a rest day tomorrow, the action continues on Saturday with a 20K skiathlon for the men's field.
World Cup Racing: World Championships Schedule, Part 1
February 25, 2025The big event the World Cup circuit has been building toward all season long, World Championships officially begin this Thursday in Trondheim, Norway. Up first will be freestyle sprints for which athletes will aim to qualify at 3:00 AM CST, and then potentially participate in at 5:30 AM CST. Then, after a break on Friday, a 20K skiathlon takes up the next two days with the men's field competing on Saturday at 7:00 AM CST, and the women's field competing on Sunday, also at 7:00 AM CST. Finally, closing out the first half of competitions is an interval-start 10K classic race on Monday where the men's field will take to the trails at 6:00 AM CST, with the women's field following suit shortly afterward at 8:30 AM CST. Four athletes—Jessie Diggins, Alayna Sonnesyn, Kevin Bolger, and Zak Ketterson—will be proudly representing the Midwest through the nearly two-week event, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them as the competition commences.