The 2025 Craftsbury Marathon felt like a true “classic” event, with frigid early morning temperatures leading into to bright sunshine and firm classic tracks for all.
Chilly drive through Wolcott
Coach Sara and I set our alarms for an early wakeup in order to secure an indoor space in the lower wax room at the Outdoor Center (the thermometer on my car said -13 on the drive through Wolcott) and we succeeded with our choice of benches. The MNC flag denoted our “home” for Masters to check in and receive kick and glide support on their skis.
I think it’s worth noting here that Sara and I both started our MNC coaching careers at the same time: the summer of 2015. So, 2025 marks the start of our 10th year working together. I like to think this makes us pretty dialed when it comes to our preferences for kick and glide (in terms of ski feel) and our timelines and process for preparing race skis. We used the MNC test skis to work through a number of options for both kicking wax and cover waxes, eventually settling on a result that would probably surprise nobody: Start Oslo.
We really love these waxes, and race on them quite frequently. Many suggest that Oslo waxes are “too slow” to be effective race waxes, but at MNC we are frequently covering Oslo, mixing it with other waxes or klister, and applying them via an iron. In short, we manipulate the Oslo wax in a variety of ways to get it to our liking. Also, let’s be real: even if it’s a little slow, don’t you prefer to have kick in a classic race?
Despite the fact that it comes in a regular-looking kickwax tin, our favorite way to apply Start Oslo is via an iron. A few have asked about this method, so I took a few extra minutes at Craftsbury to film a clip of the process. This is fast, simple, and waaaay less hassle than trying to cork this goopy mess.
For this race, our final wax decision was Start Oslo Blue under the toe, with Start Oslo Green on the rest of the kickzone. This was all ironed in (over a hardwax binder) and then cooled. We then covered it with a cold green wax…actually a homemade combination of Guru Super Halgier and Rode B310. We call this mixed wax “Fairbanks” if that gives any indication of when you’d pull it out of the box. The cover was very lightly applied over the top of the cooled Oslo, and corked very subtly…not enough to mix it into the Oslo, but rather to create a shell layer above it.
After the gun went off, Sara and I brought a wax bench up to the upper field and put some corks and Toko Red out as “emergency wax” for anybody interested. Last year was a klister day, and Coach Rosemary brought out the speedy wax roller and offered an extra layer or two for anyone skiing by who needed it…so we decided to keep that tradition alive.
As the racers made their way through the event, Sara and I met up with Junior skier Mia Gorman and waxed up our skis for the opposite of a ski marathon: a classic old school tour!
We avoided the race course and took the Village Trail toward the town of Craftsbury. There was ample snow and bright sun, and skiing through rolling farm fields got me in a very excited mood. It felt like a vintage day in Norway when you might go out with your family into the woods and have a picnic on the trail. The scenery also reminded me of that famous and still-inspiring old video of Bill Koch ripping around the woods and fields of southern VT!
What a lovely day for a ski tour through the outskirts of Craftsbury
In keeping with the vintage vibes, it was only natural that we ski over to the general store (Genny) in town. We purchased a locally-made fresh baguette and a block of cheddar cheese, and I was really getting into the spirit now. Would we sit on the bench at the store to eat our bread and cheese? Absolutely not: we were going to carry that thing right back to a ski trail along a red barn and rolling hills and eat that stuff on the snow just like you would in the halcyon days!
When we skied back to the Outdoor Center, the race was winding down. Later finishers were making their way to the line, and many MNC athletes were mingling around sharing tales from their efforts. We caught up to hear how everything went, and one thing was for sure: it was an amazing day to be outside regardless of how your race went! It felt extra special to be both a part of the race event and a memorable, idyllic cruise around the casual trails. Our sport can be truly rewarding in many different ways.
Congrats to all of the MNC racers, and good luck to those racing in the skate marathon event, too!
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