Midwest Racing Season Preview

It has been a fluctuating fall up until this point with the weather evidently caught between the push of summer and the pull of winter as temperatures oscillate between daytime highs of 60's and 70's, and overnight lows of 30's and 40's. Despite all that, the forecast has been trending downward as of late and the first hints of an El Niño winter have already started to appear with flakes flying in the northern locales of the Midwest, and especially so in Michigan's upper peninsula.

Taking those signs to heart, we're thinking snow and starting to look ahead to the season that's schedule to kick off in just a few short weeks. Join us as we go over all the important dates, changes to events, and races lost or gained since last season, and above all else get geared up to get out when the snow flies!

Major Events

It was another quiet winter last season with little in the way of major events, but this season promises to improve upon the previous one with one key event landing in the Midwest: Junior Nationals. A decade has passed since the last time the event was held on the Birkie Trail in northern Wisconsin, and to say much has changes since then would be an understatement (the Telemark Lodge was still standing in 2016!). With a boon of new infrastructure and the addition of snowmaking capabilities, it will be interesting to see what the experience of this year's attendees will be compared to those who competed last time around.

Additionally, two SuperTour stops in the Midwest will again be featured in February: one at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis as part of the Mayor's XC Ski Challenge, and another in Cable in conjunction with the American Birkebeiner.

The remainder of the major events for this season, save for one, will take place along the East Coast, including US Nationals which will take place at Mt. Van Hoevenberg (Lake Placid, NY) in January, the U16 Junior Championships which will take place at the Oak Hill Outdoor Center (Hanover, NH) in March, and SuperTour finals which will take place at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (Crasftbury Common, VT), also in March.

NCAA Skiing Championships will be the only exception to the rule, making its way west to the Crosscut Mountain Sports Center (Bozeman, MT) in March. And, to no surprise, Canadian Nationals will once again be hosted by our northern neighbors at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec around the same time.

Racing Changes

When it comes to big shakeups, not a whole lot has changed between the coming season and the last. Most of the events we know and love will be sticking to their scripts, but there are a few that have been making some edits:

The Ski de She is dropping its 5K and 10K classic distances in favor of a single 20K race to go alongside its 5K, 10K, and 30K freestyle offerings.

After resolving a dispute with the City of Washburn, Book Across the Bay will once again be a point-to-point event, starting in Washburn and finishing in Ashland.

For their 50th anniversary, the North American Vasa will be offering 50K freestyle and 50K classic races to mark the occasion.

And the Sleeping Giant Loppet will also be adding a race, a 20K classic distance to mirror their 20K freestyle offering.

Arrivals

Despite it being another winter that featured plenty of coverage-related cancellations, there was a silver lining to last season which was a debut that gave the Bold North a whole new meaning:

While not necessarily new as of this season, the Ski North Ultramarthon was a bold, last minute machination from the mind of Allie Rykken that sounded like madness when it was first announced in December of last year. 100K along the North Shore is no small undertaking for any skier, and yet 70+ individuals signed up for the inaugural event, a strong showing at the end of any season. With it's first full run up this season, we're excited to see where this event goes.

Of course, as the season progresses there is always a chance that short-notice events will get added to the calendar, so be sure to keep a lookout for any updates there.

Departures

At this point in time, we are happy to report that no races, to the best of our knowledge, will be retired this season. However, while we can only hope that that remains true as the season unfolds, we are still awaiting confirmation from a handful of events so keep an eye out for any announcements regarding races that may currently be missing from the calendar.

Tuneups

With many events just on the horizon, it only makes sense to point out the plethora of weekly race series that take place throughout the Midwest. From the Twin Cities to Madison, Duluth to Houghton, these typically mid-week events offer an excellent opportunity to dial in the racing strategy, general fitness, and, seeing as most series races are shorter affairs, exercise those fast twitch muscles.

Full Calendar

Check out the full race calendar and start penciling in your own racing schedule. And remember to check our Racing Outlook for updates on upcoming events, as well as the Race Calendar for changes, cancellations, as short-notice additions.

Get those skis out of storage and start waxing, people!

Calendar

• December
• January
• February
• March
• April
• Race Series

Note: Remember to change the category in the Race Calendar header if you’d like to view high school or collegiate race schedules.