Theodore Wirth Park – FasterSkier

Juniors News Racing Results US Nationals

2022 Junior Nationals Recap: After Long Wait, Minneapolis Hosts Top US Juniors for Full Slate of Racing

Ben TheyerlMarch 16, 2022

To trace the thread of the past, present, and future of American cross-country skiing, all you have to do is look at a golf course in Minneapolis that touches 3 of those 10,000 lakes in Minnesota; Theodore Wirth Park. Over the past week, America’s most-skied loop played host to the US Ski and Snowboard Junior Championships (formerly Junior Nationals, or “JNs”), bringing the top under-20 year old skiers from across the nation together for the...

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Winter’s Early Arrival — A Season of Firsts at Wirth Park

FasterSkierNovember 14, 2018

(Press Release) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Alora Jones Phone: 612-900-6890 Email: jones@loppet.org Website: loppet.org Winter’s Early Arrival — A Season of Firsts at Wirth Park First snow trail of the season opens, new community-based programming, and a first-of-its-kind 759-acre ‘gym’ Minneapolis, MN — Staff and volunteers at the Loppet Foundation have been hard at work this season transforming Theodore Wirth Regional Park into a winter wonderland amidst uncertain weather conditions. Thanks to the completion...

Continental Cup General Interviews News Regional / Local

Soon-To-Be Parents, Caitlin and Brian Gregg on the Winter Ahead

Alex KochonOctober 9, 2018

The questions started rolling in this spring. How’s training going? Are you going for 2019 World Championships? What’s the plan for next winter? When you’re Caitlin and Brian Gregg, Olympians and local superstars in the Midwest, it’s hard to keep your athletic profile on the DL. Since buying a house on Theodore Wirth Park seven years ago, the couple has immersed themselves in the greater Minneapolis community — both in and out of skiing. They’ve...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Minnesota’s World Cup: One Day of Skate Sprints, $1.6-1.7 Million

Gabby NaranjaOctober 1, 2018

Following the 2017 World Cup Finals in Canada, John Munger, executive director of the Loppet Foundation, received a phone call from a fellow Minnesotan. Jessie Diggins had just completed her 2016/2017 season, and she had a question for Munger. If Quebec could host a World Cup, why couldn’t Minnesota? “She was really jealous of her colleagues in Canada,” Munger recalled in a phone interview on Sunday. The North American home crowd in Quebec City had...

General News Racing Regional / Local US Ski Team World Cup

Minneapolis to Host 2020 FIS Cross Country World Cup

FasterSkierSeptember 28, 2018

(Press release) The International Ski Federation (FIS) today officially confirmed that Minnesota will host a World Cup cross-country ski event in Minneapolis in March 2020. U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Loppet Foundation will serve as hosts of the World Cup event, taking place at the new ‘The Trailhead’ facility in Theodore Wirth Park. “A Minnesotan who brought home a gold medal has now helped us bring home the World Cup,” said host committee co-chair RT...

General Masters News Racing

Masters World Cup: Day 6 Balmy Finale

FasterSkierJanuary 26, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Freestyle marathon skiers took to the hills of Theodore Wirth Park for the final day of the 2018 Masters World Cup, in a warm way to wind down the championship week. With sun and temperatures upwards of 40 degrees Fahrenheit by noon, skiers had quite the slog over the 10 k, mostly manmade loop. As Minneapolis native Kitty Earl-Torniainen, 50, described her experience in the 30-kilometer freestyle, “[The course] was nice and...

General Masters News Racing

Masters World Cup: Day 5 Train Roadblock

FasterSkierJanuary 25, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Masters World Cup organizers had to make a fast change on Thursday partway through its classic distance races when a train parked itself on the course. “We had a lot of plans going into this race,” 2018 Masters World Cup Chief of Competition Nels Dyste explained. “We had plans for road crossings, we had plans for snow, we had plans for low year snow, plans for high snow. Unfortunately, the railroad did not...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada General Masters News Racing US Biathlon

Wednesday Rundown: Masters World Cup; Open European Champs

FasterSkierJanuary 24, 2018

2018 Masters World Cup (Minneapolis, Minnesota): 4 x 5 k relays Matt Liebsch, 34, anchored the winning relay of the youngest men’s age group (AG 1) at 2018 Masters World Cup on Wednesday, crossing the line in 45:57.2 minutes (the fastest relay time of the day) and teaming up with fellow Americans Christopher Harvey, Mark Johnson and Zach Varty. Two teams competed in that age group’s 4 x 5 k relay, with Italy finishing second,...

General Masters News Racing

Masters World Cup: Day 3 Snowy Doubles

FasterSkierJanuary 23, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — After a dearth of snow and two days of unseasonably warm weather, winter decidedly returned to South Central Minnesota for Day 3 of the Masters World Cup. Snow started falling at Theodore Wirth Park at about 10 a.m., and continued throughout the day, with accumulations around six inches. With a close eye on the forecast, the competition jury decided Monday morning before races — which included morning classic races followed by afternoon...

General Masters News Racing

Masters World Cup: Day 2 Freestyle Distance Races

FasterSkierJanuary 21, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — The weather for Day 2 of the Masters World Cup on Sunday was almost a carbon copy of back-to-back races held about five hours apart), before heading back East. When asked what her ambitions were for the weekend, she said “at this point, it’s hard to beat winning.” As for Monday, Jospe said, “Whatever happens … I’m pretty happy with it. … [I’m] starting to feel a little tired at this point,...

General Masters News Racing

Masters World Cup: Day 1 Classic Distance Races

FasterSkierJanuary 20, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — With temperatures staying in the mid-20s overnight on Friday, it was a warm, slightly sticky start to the 2018 Masters World Cup on Saturday in Minneapolis. However, despite temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s, the 7.5-kilometer loop course at Theodore Wirth Park held up well — an important thing, as Saturday was all classic races. According to Tom Ajax, a Minneapolis-based skier who raced in the men’s 30 k classic...

General News Regional / Local

Wirth’s Big Facelift: Loppet Foundation Breaks Ground on Trailhead

Peter MindeAugust 2, 2017

After six years, the end is in sight: construction is underway for The Loppet Foundation’s Masters World Cup Jan. 19-26 at Wirth Park. Winning the World Masters bid added urgency to the project, and it’s given The Loppet Foundation an eye for future major nordic competitions. “We would like to bring in events like Junior Nationals, senior nationals and maybe even a World Cup,” Munger said. Brian Gregg, a 2014 Olympian and one of the highest-profile athletes associated...

Job Postings Resources

Loppet Foundation (Minneapolis) is Hiring

BrainspiralAugust 4, 2016

The Loppet Foundation in Minneapolis is looking to fill the positions of Adventure Center Director, Marketing & Communications Manager and Sponsorship Sales Manager.