Liz Stephen and Ivan Babikov won the pursuit races at Birch Hill on Friday.  Full results can be found HERE.  The CXC Elite team had an excellent day with Caitlin Compton placing 9th, Kristina Owen 10th, Maria Stuber in 13th, Johanna Winters in 17th, Heather Zimmerman in 29th, Garrott Kuzzy in 5th, Bryan Cook in 7th, Brian Gregg in 12th, Andre Watt in 18th, and Guz Kaeding in 44th.  We have had awesome skis in all the races so far.  Everyone is very grateful for our support crew of Bryan Fish, Bill Pierce, and Wayne Fish.

About 2 inches of fresh snow fell on the morning of the race, and the tracks were very soft making for a difficult race.  Articles on the pursuit races can be found HERE (men) and HERE (women).  I have lots of photos from the men’s race, but I will not be able to post them until I get home.  There are some photos from the pursuit race included in the article HERE.

Tomorrow is the 30/50K classic.  This is the last race of the season.  I will not be racing, but look for more great results from the CXC Elite team tomorrow.

Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for a couple of good articles on yesterday’s team sprint competition at the U.S. National Championship.  Also, there are some photos HERE and full Results HERE.

The 5K (women) and 10K (men) Classic races were held on Tuesday and the CXC Elite team had some impressive finishes.  Bryan Cook was the top CXC male skier in 7th place, while Caitlin Compton was the top female CXC skier in 5th.  Full results from the 5/10K Classic can be found HERE.  Tomorrow in the 15/30K Skiathlon race, while Sunday is the 30/50K Classic.

There was a lot going on this past week.  The NCAA Championships were held in Rumford, ME, the Junior Olympics took place in Truckee, CA, and the Canadian National Championships happened in Duntroon, ON.  Unfortunately, I did not participate in any of these events, but I have been having a good time and getting some things done in Marquette.  I finished the first draft of my thesis proposal, and I completed my one credit directed study.  I have also started an internship at Advantedge Training, and I have been working with a WI junior skier on technique and training ideas for next season.  Bryan and I drove to Rhinelander, WI last weekend to attend the Judy Swank Memorial Ski, which was beautiful!  We also got a chance to catch up with some good friends that we had not seen for a long time.  We miss you Ted Foley.

The freestyle sprint races were today at the World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic.  Kikkan Randall qualified 7th place and skied her way to 2nd after the heats.  This marks the first EVER women’s medal at the World Championships.  Congratulations Kikkan, your country is very proud of you!

Andy Newell also qualified 2nd for the men and finished 12th after the heats.

Other US results today:

37 Chris Cook
43 Torin Koos
44 Garrott Kuzzy

40 Liz Stehpen
42 Laura Valaas
53 Morgan Smyth

Previously this week, Kris Freeman placed 4th in the 15K classic race, missing to podium by 1.4 seconds.  Great Job to all of the US athletes so far and good luck in the two relays and the 30K/50K.

Click HERE for a link to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s article on the Birkebeiner.