The last races of the season are already past. In that last month of ski racing, World Cup finals happened for Para Nordic at Soldier Hollow, the Holmenkollen 50k made history for offering the first women’s 50km race and Spring Series capped off the elite domestic racing here in the states. But those high-profile events were not the only ones being staged: this year, my friend Phil sent out a notice for a race on...
Illness can deal a fatal blow to an athlete’s season at any level. The new points system in the 2023 World Cup showed how missing a race can impact the points standings and seems to promote participation, the pros and cons of which are debated elsewhere. Points and other pressures create immense pressure on athletes to race: for some, their career is on the line, for others prestige, years of hard work, or real or...