With about 10 kilometers left in the 30k classic at U.S. Nationals, Kris Freeman was skiing even with James Southam. Then he stopped to check his blood sugar, thinking he would be able to close the 20-second gap that opened. He couldn’t. Though Freeman almost managed to claw his way back to Southam, the Alaskan’s smooth and steady skiing ultimately proved too much to handle. By the finish, the gap between the two was a...
For four days, the big story here in Anchorage has been Kikkan Randall, who won both races held here on Saturday and Monday. But beneath Randall on the result sheet is where the drama has been unfolding, as a handful of women are fighting tooth and nail for coveted spots on the 2010 Olympic team. The narrative was no different today. In the 20k mass start classic race, Randall again skied her way to victory....
More photos from FasterSkier’s Rob Whitney below.
The wax today was LF Moly followed by HF Blue/Red mix followed by JetStream Blue/Red mix. Mixing the two JetStreams is uncomplicated. Either rub one block on and then the other block and rotocork them in together or sprinkle one powder on and sprinkle the other powder on and iron them in together quickly followed by rotocorking them. JetStream Moly was also really good. Notice that the winners of both races were in third place...
FasterSkier photographer Rob Whitney shot a number of photos from the distance freestyle races today at U.S. Nationals in Anchorage; below is a selection from the men’s event. Check back tomorrow for a full gallery.
Kikkan Randall (USST/APU), Liz Stephen (USST/BMA) and Morgan Arritoal (USST/SVSEF) putting the hammer down during the women’s 10km freestyle race today at the US National Championships in Anchorage, Alaska.
FasterSkier was able to capture a short video of Kris Freeman (USST) and James Southam (APU) going for it today during the men’s 15 km freestyle race at the US National Championship.
In last year’s lone distance race at U.S. Nationals, a 5k freestyle, Caitlin Compton edged Kikkan Randall by the thin margin of 3.5 seconds. Today, Compton again beat Randall over the same technique and distance. But unfortunately for Compton, today’s event was double that distance. And by the end of it, Randall was able to make up the lost ground, taking her second event in a row here in Anchorage by ten seconds. “When I...
It wasn’t the same kind of power that Kris Freeman used to propel himself to top-ten World Cup results this winter, but it was enough. With an effort that “would have just barely scored World Cup Points,” Freeman skied his way this morning to the national championship in the 15k skate in Anchorage. After contracting the flu over Christmas, Freeman said that he’s “been trying to build his way back up ever since.” Today’s effort...
Video preview of the 10/15k distance course for tomorrow’s races with SuperTour Distance Champion James Southam. ANCHORAGE – Three tough climbs, two or three times. That’s what’s in store for the racers here who will tackle the U.S. National Championship 10/15k distance freestyle race tomorrow. With temperatures warming and a difficult but straightforward course, there should be nothing to hinder the strongest athletes from rising to the top. Currently the course is groomed very firm, but...
Who the heck is Tyler Kornfield? That’s what a sizable portion of the U.S. skiing community was left asking yesterday, as the 18-year-old skied his way to a fourth place finish in the freestyle sprint national championship. Though the name may be unfamiliar to many around the country, Kornfield is known around Alaska as the 2009 state champion in the 7.5k classic race. When he signed to ski at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF),...
FasterSkier photographers Rob Whitney and Nat Herz were out on the trails yesterday shooting photos of the races at U.S. Nationals in Anchorage. Check out these pictures of the qualifiers and the heats!
While the $1,200 check for the winner of each race isn’t anything to complain about, the real prize awaiting competitors at the end of the 2010 U.S. Nationals isn’t the money. Instead, it’s a spot on the U.S. team for the Olympic Games in Whistler, which kick off a little more than a month from now. Currently, the U.S.’s quota for the Games stands at eight, and just who gets the last few positions (most...
In the women’s freestyle sprint at the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, it was never a question of who, but rather how much. After a dominating eight-second win in the qualifying round, Kikkan Randall skied her way to an easy victory here this afternoon over Rebecca Dussault and Laura Valaas. Though Randall’s margin of victory dwindled slightly as the day went on, she was never seriously challenged by any of the competitors...
After four years in college, Simi Hamilton isn’t supposed to know how to sprint. Try telling that to Mike Hinckley. With 500 meters to go in the freestyle sprint at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Hinckley made a huge move on the field, passing Hamilton on the outside of the last significant hill on the course. After finishing second last year, it looked like Hinckley had this one in the bag. But on the ensuing downhill,...
If Kikkan Randall had noticed that the laces on her ski boots had come loose in the middle of her sprint qualifying round, she probably would have had time to stop and re-tie them without losing a single spot on the result sheet. On a cold morning at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Randall demonstrated the blazing speed that earned her second place at the World Ski Championships last year in the Czech Republic, winning the...
FasterSkier will be providing live coverage of the 2010 US National Championships. We will be posting race updates, video, and photos throughout the day. Many updates will appear in our new Continental Cup blog. We also be posting regularly on twitter. FasterSkier Twitter
With clear skies and decent snow conditions, organizers and skiers in Anchorage are primed to kick off the first day of racing tomorrow at the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships. Just one thing threatens to hold them back: the temperature. With Friday’s readings struggling to break double digits, Saturday’s National Weather Service forecast calls for highs of ten above, with overnight lows of zero to ten. That’s close the FIS legal limit of -4,...
ANCHORAGE – With two days two go before the opening of the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska, FasterSkier brings you a preview of the 1.4/1.5km freestyle sprint course where the racing will unfold on Saturday, the first day of competition. Mike Hinckley gives the tour of the course. An Anchorage native, Hinckley spent his last four years skiing for Denver University, earning second-team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships last year...
First, let’s go over some statistics from yesterday’s hour and a half ski: Number of Moose seen: 5 Number of FedEx planes on approach: 7 Average temperature at venue: -4 degrees Celsius Number of Alaska Winter Stars, and other volunteers preparing the course with shovels: 153 If that temperature statistic threw you off, I’m not surprised. The location is Anchorage, and I have been here since the 26th getting ready for the upcoming US National...