Midwest Racing Season Preview

It wasn’t more than a few weeks ago that we were beginning to wonder whether winter was ever going to arrive, dealing with summer-like temperatures and almost nonexistent precipitation, yet here we are at the start of November with back-to-back-to-back days of chilly, rainy conditions. We know now that winter will soon be upon us, and so it’s time to get out our gear, put our skis to the grindstone, and get prepared for another season of snow in the Midwest.

To expedite the process, we’ve been busy compiling all the important dates, event changes, and races that were added or lost in the off-season, so read on and get excited for another great season!

Major Events

After a relative subdued season last year for major events (aside from the scintillating World Cup races in Minneapolis last February), this season’s line-up will be noticeable sparser with no major events coming to the Midwest outside of two SuperTour stops: one at the Birkie Trailhead in Cable, WI in December as part of the Gitchi Gami Games, and also the start of the series, and another returning to the same location for the American Birkebeiner in February.

The East Coast will feature a majority of the season’s headliners, with the U16 Junior Championships, NCAA Skiing Championships, and SuperTour finals all taking place at venues in the New England area.

US Nationals and Junior Nationals will be the exception to the rule which are happening in Anchorage, AK and Midway, UT respectively. And, of course, Canadian Nationals will continue to be held north of the border, which are scheduled to take place at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Alberta in March.

Racing Changes

With a relatively low snow year the past season, not many event’s underwent major changes in the offseason, but the few that did include:

The Pre-Loppet will now be called the Low-pet Law-pet Challenge and will be reducing its distance from 18K to 10K.

A holdover from the past season due to the race being canceled, the Great Bear Chase is debuting a 20K distance for their pursuit division, and will also be featuring an adaptive 5K event as well.

And to wrap it up, the North American Vasa will be dropping its 27K classic distance, although there will still be a 15K classic offering.

Date Shifts

To add to the changes above, one race will have a schedule change heading into the season:

The SISU Ski Fest will again be held on the second Saturday of January, the 11th, which is just over a week out from MLK Day and the traditional benchmark for the race date.

Arrivals

Despite a seemingly endless list of cancellations last season due to the lack of snow or other extenuating circumstances, we’re happy to announce that there will be at least one new offering for racing enthusiasts heading into this season:

Perhaps inspired by the breakout season Battle Creek Regional Park had with its snowmaking debut, the Battle Creek Fifty K seeks to answer the question “is January 5th too early to race a 50K?” The race directors would argue no, but you’ll have to decide that for yourself by tackling this event co-hosted by Finn Sisu.

Of course, as the season progresses there is always a chance that short-notice events will get added to the calendar, so be sure to keep a lookout for any updates there.

Departures

Unfortunately, all too often new races accompany the departure of other races, and this season we will be saying goodbye to two long standing events:

Citing several consecutive seasons of low snow resulting in only being able to hold the race three times in the last decade, the Skinny Santa Solstice Ski is no more. Instead, the race directors will now be focusing their efforts on the Woodland Loppet which is held at the same venue in mid-January.

In a similar vein, the HinderBinder will also be bidding farewell with the race director citing dwindling support for the event which lead to the decision to sunset the event last March.

While those are only race departures we know of at this time, there are still some events that are still awaiting confirmation, so check the calendar from time to time to see if any of those eventually materialize.

Tuneups

With many events just on the horizon, it only makes sense to point out the plethora of weekly race series that take place throughout the Midwest. From the Twin Cities to Madison, Duluth to Houghton, these typically mid-week events offer an excellent opportunity to dial in the racing strategy, general fitness, and, seeing as most series races are shorter affairs, exercise those fast twitch muscles.

Full Calendar

Check out the full race calendar and start penciling in your own racing schedule. And remember to check our Racing Outlook for updates on upcoming events, as well as the Race Calendar for changes, cancellations, as short-notice additions.

Get those skis out of storage and start waxing, people!

Calendar

• December
• January
• February
• March
• April
• Race Series

Note: Remember to change the category in the Race Calendar header if you’d like to view high school or collegiate race schedules.