Pinkham Notch, NH – The weather was the dominant story at the Great Glen Nordic 300 as skiers raced through unseasonably warm temperatures, falling snow and gusty winds. As if racing for 5 hours wasn’t challenge enough, Mother Nature decided to make it that much more difficult.
The Great Glen Nordic 300 is a 300-minute cross country ski race for solo racers, teams of two or teams of four. The goal is to ski as many laps of the 5-kilometer course as possible within the 5-hour time limit. Teams can be of mixed age and gender, and teams can use either skate or classic technique.
The top performances of the day were both turned in by solo skaters. On the men’s side Phil Lawson of Bethlehem, NH repeated as champion completing 15 laps in 4:45:56. For the women, Olympian Sue Wemyss of Randolph, NH took top honors with 13 laps in 4:49:55.
The top team was made up of Tim LaBua and Sarah Getchell of Cambridge, MA and Andrew Jaspersohn and Lindsay Antolino of Portland, ME. Dubbed the “Latercomers,” they skied 14 laps in 4:57:13.
The Great Glen Nordic 300 is open to all ages, and the top Junior Team was made up of skiers from the Androscoggin Valley Bill Koch League, ages 9-12. Zoe McKinney and Lizzy Duffy of North Conway, NH and Nina Badger and Malcolm Badger of Jackson, NH skied 10 laps in 4:46:59.
Complete results and video are available at www.Nordic300.com.
Photos available at: www.greatglentrails.com/Winter-PhotoLibrary-45.html
On March 8, 2009, Great Glen Trails will host another unique ski challenge: Ski to the Clouds, North America’s Toughest 10k. Presented by Maxiglide, Ski to the Clouds climbs 2200 vertical feet up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. For more information, visit www.SkiToTheClouds.com.
Great Glen Trails is open daily for cross country skiing and snowshoeing with 40km. SnowCoach tours up the Mt. Washington Auto Road are also running daily. Complete details and snow conditions available at www.GreatGlenTrails.com.
