FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Official Parent TT Results 01/22/22

Due to 2021 COVID-19 race restrictions, the annual “Dad TT” hosted informally by LNR at Mt. Itasca was cancelled. However, given the CXC Jr Cup racing schedule brought the Jr field back to Mt. Itasca in 2022, a “Parent TT” (to include interested Moms as well) was organized.

The temperatures were severe, but characteristic of mid-January winter racing in Coleraine, MN. And after coaching and cheering juniors all morning, 0 degree F didn’t make any of the racers blink…though their eyeballs were also partially frozen.

The field was a mixed bag of Parents (Geneva Finn debut) with one less Alex Kelling. In the end, Tory Kraftson took the win in a final time of 30:52; perfectly even splits in a two-lap race I might add. In a post-race interview, Tory shared that his max heart rate was 1100. “I felt great after the wall.” His LNR race suit plus vest and shorts combo was eye-catching to say the least. Ben Nemeth made an appearance, coming straight from his Jr Cup Jury duty sans official bib to take 2nd overall. He was approximately 35 seconds behind the victor as he lunged across the unmarked finish line. Tom Camp made a surprise appearance having scaled the 70m ski jump and entering the course mid race, completing the podium top 3. He might have only skied a 9.75km race, but he will not be faulted for any course violations because Jurer Ben Nemeth was already ahead.

But the spotlight goes to Piotr Bednarski — father of two and COVID comeback cowboy — who gracefully herringboned (classic style) up “the Wall” ahead of other father racers for the first lap. However, after a swift descent, having gained 30 seconds on the pack upon arrival into the stadium he describes the moment when his race high plummeted to a deep low. “Vlad was cheering me on, admonishing me that I shouldn’t let Tory get away, then I proceeded to shut down completely. I picked up the piano, strapped it to my back and persisted to complete a full 10km.” At this point, Geneva Finn skated sans poles past PB to win the Mom’s field of one.

Following the race, half of the participants congregated for celebratory wax event at the LNR trailer to join Chris Harvey and myself. This included glide cleaning and waxing up 40-some pair of Jr skis. The other half retreated smartly to the warmth of their Coleraine getaways, only to dream about the next annual Parent TT.

Unofficially official results:

• Tory Kraftson 30:52 (max HR 1100)
• Ben Nemeth ~31:27 (did not comment on racing HR)
• Tom Camp came sometime after (he probably wore a watch, I’m unsure of HR data)
• Geneva Finn did not share 5km time, but rocked it nonetheless
• Piotr Bednarski didn’t time himself, also no comment about HR while racing

Tune in next year (hopefully) for the 2023 Parent TT!