In one of our most jam-packed and whirlwind 26 hours ever, the MNC Juniors made a great weekend out of the annual NYSEF Climb to the Castle rollerski race. 5 miles of uphill skating at Whiteface Mountain can be daunting, but this year the weather was looking great if not a bit hot. Early on Saturday afternoon we loaded up and motored across the lake on the Charlotte Ferry.

The sunny, hot ferry ride was a nice preview of the heat wave we’d be experiencing for the trip

When we arrived in Lake Placid, we wasted no time in getting a workout in. We pulled right into River Road at the base of the ski jumps and got our rollerskis on. This road is the primary hub of Ironman folk, hence the two street signs at each end of the road stating “Athletes Training On Road”. Pretty nice to have a 30-min stretch of road with that designation.

Of course, it’s a very scenic road as well

As we skied, we were continually bumping into runners and support vans. Turns out there was an ultrarunning relay that had started the previous morning at 6AM, and people were still running. We were cheering runners, and they were cheering us on too even though we weren’t racing that day. Pretty nice community of athlete-types!

When we got back to our rental house, it was down to business with a study hall and then team dinner. Everyone was productive and we were getting pretty antsy for the race to come.

Staying on that scholarly grind

Spaghetti and salad, the original pre-race meal

We talked a bit about the plans and strategy for the next day, attempted some yoga in the studio next door, and tried to motivate with a little inspirational DJ Khaled marshmallow reading…what exactly is that? Well…it’s an interesting story.

Last year for the NYSEF JNQ ski race we stayed in this very house. We’d listened to a funny interview in which legendary hip hop producer DJ Khaled told us about the Keys to success…a big one being to “have a lot of pillows”. He was promoting his new book, which of course I purchased and have brought out at several team events. On this occasion, I figured we’d break into partners and pick out some choice sections to read aloud to the group. When we found out the previous guests had left a package of marshmallows on the counter, the rest became obvious.

So, with our inspirations running high, everyone went to bed early and got a fresh start on Sunday morning. It was hot overnight, and we woke up to a humid morning. During the warmup the shirts came off almost immediately, and the ladies took off just after 8. The men followed a few minutes later and everyone was battling it out up the mountain.

There weren’t many US Biathlon Team or US Ski Team members like there often is at this event…instead the field was heavy with Juniors as well as college skiers from SLU, Saint Mikes, Castleton and Clarkson. Ben, Eliza, and Alex were all hammering hard for the Saints and the Purple Knights!

Dakota donned a speedy pair of Shark rollerskis and toyed with the podium before only slipping back just barely in the last mile to settle for 6th. Dakota skied the race very well tactically, making moves when he could and adjusting to what was happening around him.

An MNC/CSU battle: Adam, Oliver Snow, Dakota, and James Kitch (photo by Liam)

Not far behind, Kai and Aidan battled it out with a Nakkertok skier for much of the race, trading leads and skiing in a pack. In the end Kai put the heat on and gapped the other two for 11th. His continued toughness and strength gave Aidan the clear victory in the U16 men’s race and an impressive 13th overall.

Good technique and a lot of effort. Aidan (L) and Kai (R) lead their pack (Liam photo)

Honorary Pug Cameron Brochu also joined the men’s team this weekend, and the MNC Masters got into the mix with Steve Crafts representing the adult squad well with a 20th place overall finish and 2nd for masters. With a lot of strong competitors in every group there were plenty of epic duels out there.

An adult Pug getting in on the action! Congrats Steve

With the bright sun and warm temps, it was more fun than ever to cheer as racers came in and enjoy the scene at the finish line. Usually it is cold, windy, and occasionally frosty or snowy at the top. But on this day you could see racers far below making their way up. Ali and Magda ended up skiing much of the race together, and they even had a speedy sprint duel at the line captured by Fasterskiers’s Peter Minde

Thanks for the footage Peter!

Last year Ali came with us but didn’t race due to a bit of a lingering back situation. This year she was able to race and ski strong! Magda showed she made the most of her trip to Argentina and her time this year was 20 MINUTES faster than last year. Nice!

Before the awards were given out, we took a trip up a few more feet of vertical to the very top of the mountain. A 360-degree view awaited us, with clear skied and mountains in every direction. It was definitely a treat. We hung out for a while and chatted and mingled with skiers from CSU, SLU, and more.

A nice collection of dudes from clubs across New England atop Whiteface

At the awards ceremony, many MNC athletes received recognition for great races!

Aidan Burt: 1st place U16

Ali and Magda: 2nd and 3rd U16

Dakota: 3rd place U18

Steve: 2nd place Masters

Ali and Swags (grey) repping the Pugs on the podium

You can find some podium photos and additional shots on the MNC Flickr album Climb to the Castle 2017

But we weren’t done! Back in town we went for a short run to shake out the legs, running around Mirror Lake and then jumping right in. Then it was time for lunch and a trip into town for some sightseeing and store browsing.

Run and swim at the lake, with the MNC tattoos still on from the race of course

On the return trip home Ali put it best: “this felt like a baby training camp” she remarked. Another great trip in the books!

Climb to the Castle Results