For four laps around a grueling 5 k course at Soldier Hollow, six evenly-matched women battled it out for the 20 k classic national title. In the end, Sadie Bjornsen (APU/USST) was untouchable, finally claiming the gold medal she wanted so badly all week. Our photos from the race.
30 kilometers. Six laps. 18.6 miles. Ninety-plus minutes. Whichever way you cut it, the men's mass start classic race at U.S. Nationals was one long race. Our images from throughout the day.
When it comes to great race stories, it doesn’t get much better than distance mass starts. Here are some interesting tidbits that didn't make Sunday's 20 and 30 k classic race reports.
The 2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championship continued on the trails of Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah with the senior women's 20 k classic mass start. The lead pack was established early with just six women in contention for the national title throughout the majority of the race. On the course's final major climb, Hermode's Hill, it was Sadie Bjornsen (USST/APU) who attacked, opening up a sizable gap by the time she entered the stadium. Check out our footage of the action.
The action at the 2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championship heated up this morning when the senior men started off the day with the 30 k classic mass start. Six laps of the challenging 5 k loop at Soldier Hollow made for an exciting race as eighteen skiers were together in the lead pack for the majority of the race, but during the final kilometers only a handful of men were in contention for the national title. As they climbed Soldier Hollow's fabled Hermode's Hill for the final time it was Torin Koos (BSF) who made a decisive move to claim the national title with Erik Bjornsen (USST/APU) and David Norris (MSU) finishing second and third respectively. Check out our footage of the race.
Soldier Hollow gets busy as athletes arrive for the mass start classic race and coaches make last-minute adjustments to kick and glide. Some scenes from the stadium.
Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) will need to make room in her trophy case for yet another crystal Tour de Ski pyramid. For the fourth straight time, the Pole won the grueling stage race, besting Norwegians Therese Johaug and Kristin Stoermer Steira.
The men's 15 k freestyle at the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships at Soldier Hollow in featured fierce racing on a challenging course. The 15 second interval individual start format kept a steady stream of racers, and as the top seeds came to the finish line it was Erik Bjornsen (APU/USST) that posted the fastest time and earned the national title. Watch our footage of the action.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) skied to his second consecutive Tour stage win, besting the Canadian duo of Len Valjas and Alex harvey in a sprint to the line.Dario Cologna (SUI) moved into the overall Tour lead.
Friday's 10- and 15-kilometer freestyle races at Soldier Hollow were hardly walks in the park. Racers had to tackle a modified 5-kilometer course, which some thought was harder than the Olympic 5 k. Photos from some of the top women on the two-lap sufferfest.
It was a frigid morning on the trails of Soldier Hollow for the women's 10km freestyle race at the 2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships. After two grueling laps around a challenging course on slow snow it was the APU squad that gathered on all steps of the podium. Here is a look at some of the action.
Andy Newell will not complete the 2013 Tour de Ski, withdrawing following the 5k prologue as planned.
Lenny Valjas continues to show top form, racing to an 11th place finish in the 5k classic prologue in Toblach, Italy. Teammate Alex Harvey will withdraw from the Tour de Ski following Saturday's mass start, a plan that has been set for some time.
Kikkan Randall placed 7th in the 3.3k classic pursuit, maintaing her position in the overall Tour de Ski with just two stages remaining.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) skied to a convincing 8 second win in the men's 5km classic prologue in Toblach, Italy. Petter Northug (NOR) added to his overall Tour lead, besting rival Dario Cologna by .2 seconds to claim second.
Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) skied to a 16.5 second win in the classic prologue, winning the fifth stage of the Tour de Ski while increasing her overall lead to more than a minute. Krista Lahteenmaki (FIN) was second and Astrid Jacobsen (NOR) took third.
Round by round the senior men displayed both their impressive power and tactics as the nations best battled their way through to the A-Final. Watch how things unfolded.
The most exciting finish of the first day of racing at the 2013 U.S. Nationals was without-a-doubt the Senior Women's A-Final. Check out how the rounds played out for the women.
With many of the top junior women advancing from the qualification into senior women's heats the rest of the juniors battled to be crowned best of the rest. Check out how the A and B Finals played out.
As the shadows grew long and temperatures fell, the junior heats intensified yesterday afternoon. In the men's race it was Sun Valley's Kevin Bolger that gapped the rest of the A-Final to earn top honors. Here is a look at the action in the finals.