Cross Country Ski Race, FreeStyle (Skate)
Race #2; Arizona State Nordic Championship Finals and Final Event of the Flagstaff Winter Triathlon - 15k Freestyle Ski Race
February 7, 2010
National caliber Nordic ski racing has been officially reborn in Northern Arizona! Under magnificently mercurial skies pregnant with blinding sunshine one moment before offering bushels of snow the next, over twenty Freestyle Nordic racers toed this morning's Start Line for the final race of the season at Flagstaff Nordic Center (FNC).
It took less than an hour of elite level suffering to see 2-year reigning State Champion, Steve Ilg fall prey to the fierce strength and poetic technique of Karl Granroth of the National Guard Biathlon Team.
The Women's State Championship was won in classic fashion (pun intended) by Flagstaff stalwart Nordic princess Louella Holter who actually chose to classic ski the Freestyle Race! "I had tremendous kick on the uphills," quipped a smiling Louella at the finish before accepting her coveted Arizona Cup trophy from Race Director Tim Allen.
At the 9:00 am intended Start Time, some of the 15-kilometer Race Course - the same as last weekend's Classic race - still lay buried under a fresh 5" of snow moment's before the Start. Race officials delayed the start by 15 minutes so the grooming could be finished, by FNC owner, Wendell Johnson himself!
Once the race got under way, Granroth, Ilg, and former winner Ryan Schmidt set the pace going into "Abineau" the first of two menacing 2.2 kilometer hills. Soft was the snow, yet high was the tempo set by Granroth as the pack began to splinter as the hurt deepened. By the top of Abineau, the wicked pace set by Granroth was realistically only kept in check by Schmidt. The blood-letting had begun...by the top of "Reese" - the second of the two spectacular 400' climbs - it was purely a two-man show; Granroth followed by a badger-like Schmidt who will be racing in a national event in Yellowstone next month.
Two minutes in back and the 'old men' - Ilg and FNC Professional Nordic Ski Instructor and southwest Nordic icon Ken Walters - were going mano-y-mano, attempting to break the spirit of the other. Both, however, were behind surprise of the season, 30 year-old Bradley Johnson.
Ilg eventually outlasted Walters but would give up nearly 9 minutes to Granroth as the State Title went on this day to a superior caliber of ski racer. Granroth, in fact, could not attend the awards ceremony; he was due to race in Germany and was late! Such international pedigree upon FNC's race course is a treat!
The women's race saw newcomer Daniela Penickova, who also has international racing experience, decimate the lungs and limbs from her competition, gapping second place finisher and rookie to Nordic racing, Carol 'Fritz' Fritzinger, by nearly five minutes. We hope to see Daniela in the Classic Race next year; she has State Champion written all over her!
No one however, threatened Steve Ilg's 4-peat of the Flagstaff Winter Triathlon crown which includes both Nordic races and a 10k snowshoe race. Ilg, who is moving back to his hometown of Durango, intends to defend this "Most Versatile Winter Endurance Athlete" competition next year.
With over 11 racers now vying for the "Arizona Cup," we can hardly wait until 2011! Keep training, and special thanks to the superb groomers and staff at FNC; Arizona's Nordic Gem within the incomparable San Francisco Peaks!
Race Results |
||||
Women’s 15K |
||||
| Name | Age | Time | AZ Cup Time | AZ Cup Place |
| Daniela Penickova | 38 | 1:13:16 | ||
| Carol ‘Fritz’ Fritzinger | 53 | 1:18:38 | ||
| Michele Metcalf | 41 | 1:21:58 | ||
| Louella Holter | 58 | 1:37:21 | 3:09:39 | Arizona Cup Champion |
| Sara Sullivan | 27 | 1:56:54 | ||
Men’s 15k |
||||
| Name | Age | Time | AZ Cup Time | AZ Cup Place |
| Karl Granroth | 36 | 52:10 | 1:46:31 | Arizona Cup Champion |
| Ryan Schmidt | 32 | 53:42 | ||
| Bradley Johnson | 30 | 58:12 | 1:57:58 | 3rd Place AZ Cup |
| Steve Ilg | 47 | 59:23 | 1:55:03 | 2nd Place AZ Cup |
| Ken Walters | 61 | 59:48 | 2:03:41 | 4th Place AZ Cup |
| Robert Barry | 41 | 1:00:15 | 2:14:36 | 7th Place AZ Cup |
| Paul Kuefler | 61 | 1:00:58 | 2:10:21 | 6th Place AZ Cup |
| Paul Grams | 42 | 1:01:26 | 2:05:02 | 5th Place AZ Cup |
| Curtis Franklin | 24 | 1:01:42 | ||
| Michael Franklin | 26 | 1:06:37 | ||
| Sean Ryan | 28 | 1:07:12 | 2:29:44 | 8th Place AZ Cup |
| Michael O’Donnell | 45 | 1:12:15 | ||
| Carlton Johnson | 27 | 1:15:34 | ||
| John Eastwood | 54 | 1:18:12 | 2:33:18 | 9th Place AZ Cup |
| Mark Spinti | 48 | 1:27:06 | 2:47:08 | 10th Place AZ Cup |
| Steven Franklin | 1:27:30 | |||
