Rangeley, ME (March 1): Team Rossignol’s Torgeir Lien (Burlington, VT) and Natasha Tereschenko (Johnson, VT) won the 50km freestyle event, in Saturday’s seventh annual Banknorth Rangeley Lakes Loppet. Â Lien’s time of 2:01:50 put him a comfortable 1:30 ahead of second place Peter Leonard, from Williams College, and Maine Winter Sport Center’s Tim Woodbury grabbed third with a time of 2:04:39. Â Tereshchenko’s time of 2:13:38 put her ahead of Dartmouth’s Emily Chenel and Team Atomic’s Ann Rasmussen, from Plymouth, NH. Â
In the 25km race category it was two Mainers taking the win – Alpina/Madhus’ Pat Cote from Oakland, and Atomic/Salomon’s Dorcas Wonsavage from Farmington. Cote’s time of 1:00:28 was just 25 seconds ahead of Tom Thurston of the Alpina Race Team,with Bowdoin College’s Colin MacDonald coming in at 1:04:30. Â Carole Clermont was the second place finisher in the women’s 25km, just ahead of Maine Nordic Ski Club’s Annette Brickley.Â
Over 350 skiers toed the line to either tour or race one or two loops of the Rangeley Lakes XC Ski Club’s 25km course known as “The Outer Limitsâ€. The en masse, mass start caused some bottlenecks, tricky turns, and often full stops for the racers, as they sorted themselves out in the first five kilometers. But the course conditions were idyllic: a couple of skiers were able to classic ski the entire course despite the onslaught of the skate skiers before them, and the gentle rolling course allowed many skiers to tour as a family, or put themselves to their first 50km test.Â
After crossing the finish line, ski racers and ski tourers alike headed for the hearty soups, chilis, hot dogs and desserts baked by the 250-strong Rangeley Lakes XC Ski Club’s volunteer force. Under blue skies and extra blue skiing weather the racers were treated to almost an hour of raffle drawing, for prizes from local businesses and sponsors. People’s Heritage representative, representing Banknorth and their New England Marathon Series, former Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson had also participated in the touring division, and later was on hand to congratulated the racers and skiers and help hand out the prizes.Â
 The second of the Banknorth New England Marathon Series, the next event will be Sunday, March 9th, the  Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, a 50km classic race and tour from the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center, around the northern edge of Mount Washington on White Mountain National Forest Lands, to Bretton Woods Nordic Center. Skiers who have complete all three Banknorth Marathon races — the Banknorth Craftsbury Marathon, the Banknorth Rangeley Lakes Loppet, and the Banknorth Adventure Race – will receive a commemorative medallion. For more information on the Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, go to www.ggtobw.com.Â
Complete results by age group available on <www.nensa.net
Information from Nensa press release.
