Elm Creek Series Results

Conditions: Temperature: 10F, very light wind, firm base, glare in most sections of skating lanes of the Valley trail, then with the temperature quickly dropped from 20F to 10F, snow in the skating lanes were turned to cold, grinding snow; the classic tracks were very well set and felt much faster. Classic skiers had a great smile on their faces!!! The race course was set on the full 5K loop including Valley, Thicket and Northern Light trails.

Race distance: 5K, both classic and freestyle, mass start.

Freestyle(F)/Classic(C)     
    
Chip Tabor                               13:05 (F)  – men's freestyle winner
Laselo Alberti                           13:09 (F) 
Brett LaPlante                           13:20 (F)/15:48 (C) – men’s classic winner
David Gjertson                           13:27 (F)/15:55 (C)
John Hopkins                             13:30 (F)
Tom Nowak                                16:10 (F)
Rich Hoban                               16:30 (F)
Tim Hieb                                 17:00 (F)
Andrea Potyondy-Smith                    17:08 (F)/21:25 (C) – women’s freestyle and classic winner
Mark Winholtz                            19:42 (F)/23:51 (C)

It was a night of lung burning event when there were two packs of skiers kept pushing each other from the start to finish. John Hopkins took the lead at the first “wall” with the other four in the first group stayed right behind him. The chase went on until the Thicket downhill section where the ones who tucked in the classic tracks pulled away from the pack. Chip charged his way to the finish line, while Tom stayed ahead and kept the lead in the second pack. The Classic race was fun and the skiers’ had a dream skiing condition. Great work tonight – it was a great tune-up for the upcoming big weekend races!!!

Brett LaPlante is tonight's winner for the drawing ($25 gift certificate) -- please come and claim it next week.

--Amy Xu (Timer) reporting for Race Director, Melinda Silbernick