Qaniq Challenge 2017 by the numbers: Two days, 35 kilometers, three feet of fresh snow. 33 racers. $10,000 purse. Why the country's second-richest cross-country ski race is in Valdez, Alaska, in mid-January.
A field of nearly 300 skiers navigated melting snow and ice-out on a river at the Sonot Kkaazoot, held last Saturday in Fairbanks, Alaska. At the end of the day, Fairbanks' Rebecca Konieczny and Anchorage's Seiji Takagi came away victorious in the flagship 50 k skate races.
A first-time racer and a former champion returning after a long absence skied to convincing victories in the Anchorage Tour 30 k freestyle on Sunday, the shortened version of the 50 k Tour of Anchorage which took place on a 3 k loop at Kincaid Park.