Three quarters of the way through Saturday’s U.S. national championship in the 50 k classic, when the men’s pack began the process of whittling itself down, an unfamiliar figure emerged from the mix into the lead group. Tucked into a sea of U.S. Ski Team and club uniforms, it was easy to miss the tiny form of Yuma Yoshida, who can’t stand much taller than five-and-a-half feet. But by the time the race wound down,...
No, he probably didn’t have what it takes to beat Petter Northug—nor even Marcus Hellner, for that matter. But on Saturday in Sun Valley, Kris Freeman (USST) wasn’t racing those guys. Instead, he was pitted against the North American domestic field in the U.S. National Championship in the 50 k, with a race plan that could perhaps be best described as “don’t mess it up.” He didn’t, despite tricky waxing conditions, and one gambit that...