I have wanted do the Seeley Hills Classic ever since
I heard about the event and I finally got a change to join
in the fun. Per and I left town Thursday afternoon to head
up to the races so we could get in a couple extra days of
skiing before the race. On Friday we skied from Mosquito
brook and found that the trail not groomed yet. We had to
break in our own tracks and the hills seemed huge. I began
to wonder how I was going to make it the entire 42K. Saturday
morning we found a much different situation, not only was
the trail double tracked in both directions but the tracks
were GREAT!
The weather could not have been any better with the
temperature somewhere around 25 with the sun peaking out
at different times during the race. Forgetting that in order
to get a place near the start line you need to line up your
skis days in advance, I found myself at the start with only
10 minutes to race time and it was packed!! But with that
many kilometers to ski the start position really does not
matter that much. After spending the last hour worrying
about my kick wax once the gun went off I knew that it was
going to work after all.
Classic skiing, to me, is the best kind of skiing. For
some reason it always feels easier than skating, especially
when you have great kick and the big Birkie hills to utilize
it on!! One of the most fun parts was getting to cheer on
other racers after getting to the turn around point. Josie
and Grant were out in the lead from start to finish and
it was great to get to cheer them and others on during the
race.
The post race party at the Sawmill Salon was great fun
and a chance to meet up with friends and enjoy some warm
soup! This was an awesome event and I hope to be back next
year for more fun. A special thanks to all of the groomers
who did a fabulous job making great ski tracks!!
The Seeley Hills Classic has always been my favorite race.
It starts in beautiful Seeley, WI, the halfway point of the
Birkebeiner trail. The area around Telemark and Seeley is
unique for nordic skiers because the impressive terrain and
wild areas make for some world class cross country ski trails.
Josie Nelson at Seeley Hills |
It was with much anticipation that I awoke Saturday
morning in Duluth, ready to head down with some friends
for the race. Last year, I was crushed, when at the last
moment the race was cancelled due to poor snow conditions.
With plenty of snow the week before, the only concern
I had was how hard the track would be. When we arrived at
00, I was impressed to see four gorgeous tracks freshly
groomed and relatively hard. I knew it would be a good day.
The temperature at race start was a balmy 26F, a little
warmer than the Fast Wax Tan I had on my skis, but they
seemed to be running pretty good. I didn't even need to
do any panic waxing, because the first wax I used, Toko
dark red, had great kick. As the gun went off, I jackrabbited
out with a nice clean start. I usually start pretty hard
because I hate to get tangled up with other skiers. I've
had a number of disappointing pole breaking experiences
in the past. After a week of being sick, my brother Dave,
had promised me his, if I broke a pole, but I certainly
didn't want to have to consider that option.
The first half of the long race heads north to the high
point and then back to 00. Then we ski south 11km and then
back to the start. It's always fun to cheer others on and
watch your competition each time you switch directions.
Maybe I've been watching too much football, but I think
the "play of the game" came at about 9.5km, just
before the high point. I was actually leading with Dale
right on my heels and a number of other good skiers close
behind. As I looked up ahead, I saw the depressing sight
of a new clear cut area, wiping out hundreds of gorgeous
trees which protected the trail. It was just enough for
me to lose my concentration and stumble.
As I regained my balance, I felt the sinking feeling
knowing that my water bottle had just fallen out of its
holder. (Maybe that was what that neoprene and velcro strap
I recently removed was for) At that point, I was faced with
an important and potentially race changing decision. As
I stopped and contemplated my decision(Yes, I did stop),
Dale kept hammering up the hill.
I guess I didn't really expect him to stop or slow down,
like the guys in the Tour de France do if someone crashes.
I stutter-stepped a couple of times and then went back for
the bottle.
I managed to catch back up to Dale on the downhills
after the high point.
As we headed back to 00 and then started the south section,
we got caught by Egil and Bjorn. Even though their names
sound like they're both elite athletes from Norway, only
Egil is from Norway. Bjorn is actually a friend that goes
to the U of MN. As Bjorn caught us, he started pushing the
pace and managed to drop Dale from the group. As we switched
off the lead and turned around for the final 11 km, I started
plotting my strategy. I finished drinking the energy drink
from my rescued water bottle and felt rejuvenated. Sensing
some fatigue by both Egil and Bjorn and knowing that neither
had a water bottle, I assumed that they were looking forward
to the last food stop. Taking a page from my brother's book
of tricks, I got to the final food stop and blasted right
through. I didn't want to wait for a final sprint off. As
I stumbled up the final hill, just about totally out of
energy, I knew that I had it won. It was a great race!
