Before last Sunday, Liz Stephen isn’t sure if she had ever been to the top of Mount Mansfield’s Toll Road, which winds for 4.3 miles up 2,564 vertical feet in Stowe, Vt. Didn’t matter. The 6th Annual Race To The Top Of Vermont was another hill climb, and Stephen had a goal of winning, setting a course record and beating mountain bikers in the process.
Kieran Jones, head coach of the Nakkertok Ski Club in Ottawa, gives some advice for developing a strong baseline and widening the range between easy and max efforts. "Skiers like pain. Skiers like feeling exhausted," Jones says. "But sometimes, to get to the hurt, you need to lay out a strong baseline."
Last weekend, Team Hardwood held its annual Midget Camp; it's goal: to get as many young kids as possible to fall in love with cross country skiing. With a total of 8 midget-aged athletes, 4 volunteers from Team Hardwood’s senior racing team and our Head Coach Ron Howden, one volunteer says mission accomplished.
The MOD grew by three with the addition of both Brian and Caitlin Gregg and junior Maya Seckinger. "The new additions have brought challenges but great rewards, too," coach Scott Johnston says. "At times were are going 4 different directions but all with the same ending destination."
Images from the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit at the Ethan Allen Firing Range on Aug. 11, the last of the two-day North American Biathlon Rollerski Championships in Jericho, Vt. (Women's 10 k pursuit photos to come.)
Photos from Day 1 of the North American Biathlon Rollerski Championships at Ethan Allen Firing Range: women's 7.5 k and men's 10 k sprints.
Coming off breakout seasons, Hannah Dreissigacker, 26, and Rosanna Crawford, 25, each saw the top of the podium over the weekend at the North American Biathlon Rollerski Championships in Jericho, Vt. The sprint winner, Dreissigacker learned what it's like to be hunted, and Crawford chased her down for the pursuit win.
Lowell Bailey could go around telling people he won two national rollerski titles this weekend. But that’s not exactly the biggest deal for Bailey, a U.S. biathlon champion multiple times over who’s been competing at the sport’s highest level for more than a decade.
Biathletes and cross-country skiers alike from Europe and beyond descended on Sandnes, Norway, for the annual three-day Blink Ski Festival from Aug. 1-3. The rollerski mass starts, hill climbs and sprints saw some close finishes, new winners and record crowds.
Most people do zero maintenance on their roller skis. This is all right most of the time but there are a few things that should be checked for safety.
Far West juniors from Truckee, North Tahoe, Sugar Bowl Academy and Mammoth programs took part in a four-day camp in the Eastern Sierra July 18-21. Camping in June Lake, participants experienced lots of sunshine and warm temperatures while putting in some high quality training.
In this edition of the Wednesday Workout, we talk about tapering and present some conventional wisdom along with endurance-specific tips. Zach Caldwell explains what some of his professional skiers do to rest up for a big event, and explains why there's no sure-fire method of peaking.
This week, recent Mount Marathon winner Eric Strabel shares the secret to his success: sustained, hour-long Level 3 efforts.
Quick tips for working out when it's oh-so-hot and humid. It could help you feel better, get more out of your workout, and potentially save your life.
On July 4, Eric Strabel did the unthinkable, besting the field and beating a Mount Marathon course record that stood for 32 years. The APU university and elite-team coach has been working at conquering the 3,022-foot hill climb for the better part of the last year, and nipped a former U.S. Mountain Running Team member by seconds in doing so. Comments from other top-four finishers Brent Knight, Ann Spencer and Lauren Fritz.
Holly Brooks writes about the race she won last year, which is widely considered the Olympics of Alaska. Despite all of Mount Marathon's epic qualities, there are still some memories she's forced to reckon with, which is why the U.S. Ski Team member decided to sit out the hill climb before an Olympic year.
Mikey Sinnott takes stretching seriously, doing so at least 30 minutes six times a week. "For years, I pretended stretching was an overly silly, old man ritual," he says. Now, the Sun Valley skier has a special room for it to help ward off tightness and injuries.
Increased the training this summer and now feeling the pain? Sounds like you're dealing with some imbalances. Exercise physiologist and nordic coach Stuart Kremzner goes over some of the most common aches or injuries, and how they can be prevented.
Ski walking, hill bounding, and moose hoofing are a great way to incorporate ski-specific movements into a dryland workout. There are many ways to use these training tools, but I am going to recommend a favorite interval workout that touches on all three techniques: the 4’s and 1’s. This low-impact workout works great for skiers of all ages and abilities, from juniors to masters.
Over the years, Sadie Bjornsen's learned a thing or two about patience, especially when it comes to getting healthy. This season, the 23-year-old U.S. Ski Team member has a few key priorities and a strategic approach to achieve them.