Masters National Championships – 10k Report and Photos

On Thursday, January 28^th, the first race of U.S. Masters National Championships was held at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. The 10 kilometer skate race will be followed by Saturday’s 50K classic Craftsbury Marathon.

35 women and 129 men contested the overall win. As predicted, the men’s race came down to a battle between M1 racers Eli Enman (Huntington, VT) and Jesse Downs (Jericho, VT). Enman prevailed for the overall win in 27:56, with Downs about thirty seconds back in 28:29. The women’s race was a blowout, with Nina Gavrylyuk  (Gilford, NH) skiing to 16^th place overall in 31:38.

Racers were started in waves based on age and gender, meaning that the race for each age-group gold medal was head-to-head within a wave. While there were only two women’s waves, one for under-55 and one for older, some of the larger men’s age groups, like ages 45-49, had their own wave. Since the youngest waves started first, it was an added challenge to catch racers from the preceding wave.

Despite heavy rains early in the week, the one-lap course held up well, thanks in large part to many hours of shoveling in the days preceding the event. Partway through the race, heavy snow squalls moved in, adding an added challenge for later starters both in terms of visibility and ski speed. While this made things difficult for racers still on the course, it was a blessing in disguise as it means better conditions for this weekend’s marathon.

Congratulations to all finishers, including the following age-group winners:

Women’s M1: Maggie Ryan, Northampton, MA

Women’s M2: Heidi Henkl, Putney, VT

Women’s M3: Elise Lawson, Bethlehem, NH

Women’s M4: Nina Gavrylyuk, Gilford, NH

Women’s M5: Joann Hanowski, Underhill, VT

Women’s M6: Carolyn Tiernan, Bishop, CA

Women’s M7: Trina Hosmer, Stowe, VT

Women’s M8: Sally Howe, Stowe, VT

Women’s M10: Jones Mills, PA

Men’s M0: Tucker Murphy, Stowe, VT

Men’s M1: Eli Enman, Huntington, VT

Men’s M2: Reid Greenberg, Warren, VT

Men’s M3: Tim Donahue, Manhattan, NY

Men’s M4: Barry Makarewicz, Salt Lake City, UT

Men’s M5: Rob Bradlee, Reading, MA

Men’s M6: Chris Nice, Hanover, NH

Men’s M7: Murray Banks, Underhill, VT

Men’s M8: Jon Chaffee, West Lebanon, NH

Men’s M9: Bob Gray, Newbury, VT

Men’s M10: Jon Pope, Berkeley, CA

Full results can be found at http://www.barttiming.com/XCski/mast2010-1.htm