Freemans Go 1-2 in Craftsbury Marathon

“You could not ask for a better day. This is what cross country skiing is all about,” said Olympian Kris Freeman following his victory in the 50km classic event.

The 2009 Marathon will be remembered for all the superlatives: great snow, solid tracks, easy waxing, nice temperature, lots of fun, and even abundant sunshine. Over 600 skiers enjoyed the best of what the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont has to offer Nordic skiers.

The marathon debuted a new course this year, moving from the point-to-point version to a 2x25km loop, starting and finishing on the picturesque Craftsbury Common. The loop, a clover-leaf format, was extremely spectator friendly. The course repeatedly made its way back to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and the race “hub,” featuring gourmet feed stations for the touring class, live radio announcing, music, and general festivities.

The race dropped down out of the start, crossing Little Hosmer Lake, before climbing up to the Center. Kris Freeman took the lead as the pack left the lake and began the first climb. Justin Freeman (Saab Salomon Factory Team) followed on his heels, with Eli Enman (Rossignol), Brayton Osgood (Fischer/Craft) and 25km racer David Sinclair (GMVS) in pursuit. A second pack formed, led by biathlete Duncan Douglas.

The lead pack stayed together through 10km, when Kris made a move, quickly dropping Enman and Sinclair off the back. Justin and Brayton pushed hard to maintain contact. Kris slowed, allowing Justin to hop on for a ride, and the Freemans quickly left Osgood behind.

Kris Freeman leads brother Justin in the 2009 Craftsbury Marathon (Photo: Kris Dobie)

At 38.5km, Kris skied away from Justin and cruised to a 3 minute victory. Osgood ran out of gas in the last 10km, and Enman overtook him to claim the final podium position, seven minutes behind Justin. Douglas skied in alone in 5th position.

Read Kris Freeman’s comments on the race at http://blogs.fasterskier.com/krisfreeman

Read Justin Freeman’s play by play account of the race at http://blogs.fasterskier.com/justinfreeman

Read Brayton Osgood’s account at http://braytonosgood.com/craftsbury-marathon

The skiing was perfect, with a solid track, sunny skies, and easy waxing. The course wound through farm fields and woodlots, across lakes, and featured stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

On the women’s side, Jessica Snyder (Alpina) took the win in 3:20:45 over a pair of Hanover, NH skiers: Courtney Robinson in second, three minutes behind, and young Alice Bradley, a couple of minutes after that.

For the 25k racers, Sinclair skied to a convincing five minute win in 1:18:29. Tom Thurston of Waterbury, VT crossed the line second with a minute and a half in hand over third-placed Sacha Desfosses of Ste. Adele, QC.

The 25k women competitors were led across the line by JoAnn Hanowski from Underhill Center in 1:35:07. JoAnn won the closest race of the day by only 26 seconds over Dorcas Wonsavage of Alpina from Hanover, NH. Saxton’s River’s J2 competitor Heather Mooney grabbed the last podium spot in 1:40:09.

Full results for all races and classes can be found on the Craftsbury Website – http://www.craftsbury.com.

Not everyone chose to contest the event as a race. About 200 skiers participated as tourers, enjoying the weather, relaxed pace and more gracious food offerings of the 25k tour option. Four local inns and restaurants served tourers a variety of soups and savory pastry options.