Steve Crafts gives his take on the awesome Climb to the Castle race!
MASTERS BATTLE THE EYE OF SAURON!
There’s a joke among Masters that all through the Summer the “Eye of Sauron” (aka Whiteface Mountain) keeps a watchful eye on our progress.
The one and only Whiteface Toll Rd
The peak juts out from the Adirondack mountain range, peers across Lake Champlain and wrathfully observes our training. Even on the loveliest of summer days seeing the diamond peak can elicit a palpable sense of dread. I know I’ve seen it’s formidable form and thought to myself “we’re actually going to ski up that?” But like brave Hobbits that’s just what our Masters did this past weekend.
Each one of us dug deep and conquered our fears knowing that we’d prepared.
All Summer a dedicated crew has been putting in the training and it showed. Multiple treks up Bolton, hill workouts, long distance skis and even “better than nothing” days where we managed to scrap together a little time paid off. There were tons of PR’s, impressive times and moments of pure grit.
On the Women’s side Rosemary showed the mountain who was boss. No small feat in pain management. I remember her getting to the top of Bolton once and exclaiming that the climb was harder than child birth. I wouldn’t know, but luckily she must have “hill climb amnesia” because she’s no stranger to elevation gain and on Sunday she cranked up Whiteface in about one hour. Fast!
On the Mens side 4 of the top 10 Masters were Mansfield with 3 in the top 5! This made me wish there was team scoring!
“Rookie” Master Adam Terko lead the way nabbing a 2nd place Masters podium. I believe this was Adam’s first podium and race as a Master. Welcome to the club Adam! A complimentary tube of Bio-Freeze and a foam roller await you!
Not all that far behind were Michael Gaughan and Mike Millar. Like many of our Masters these guys are inspirational examples of new comers who’ve grown tremendously while having fun.
Last year was their first C2C and together we spent a lot of time training and thinking about the race.
Like anyone tackling this for the first time fear of the unknown was a factor. The idea of skiing up that big seemed impossible but with each hour of skiing that passed their skill and ability grew. This year they powered up Whiteface and demolished their previous times by minutes. They even V2ed long expanses–a concept that seems impossible to my V1 loving brain! Seeing them power into the finish was pretty amazing. They looked like college kids (and even managed to beat some).
The mountain climbers Mike and Michael!
On the seasoned racer side Rick Constanza also had a great day. Rick is one of my personal ski heroes and whenever he blows past me in a race I think to myself “well he’s just had more years to practice” and I feel better about myself.
After almost two decades on the same pair of ancient Marwes, Rick finally broke down and bought a “gently used” pair of roller skis with substantially less miles. 57 minutes was all it took for him to slay the mountain.
And slaying the mountain and our fears is just what we did.
For me this race was a turning stone. Going in I was lacking confidence despite putting in the prep time. When I finished I realized I was actually prepared and ready. Go figure. It reminded me that sometimes the hardest part about a big challenge is believing in yourself and stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Driving to the race we were talking about strategy and Michael Gaughan said something that struck me…”The race will find you”.
When it comes to racing that’s so true. It’s a personal journey and struggle but if you put in the time and effort and just make it to the start the race sort itself out.
The Eye of Sauron certainly found us this weekend and it wasn’t as scary as we thought.
Three of Mansfield Nordic’s most notorious street-wheelin’ masters completed their mission in Lake Placid this past weekend, throwing it down at the annual Climb to the Castle rollerski race!
Future album cover for three legends of Masters Hip Hop
Steve “Craftmaster Flex” Crafts, Mike “Mixmaster” Millar, and Michael “G-Unit” Gaughan all repped the club well and had some fast times at this challenging race. The field was the biggest it’s ever been (over 100!) and the Masters category was quite large. Craftmaster Flex took home some prize swag with a 3rd place Masters finish!
3rd place for Craftmaster Flex!
Congrats to these guys on hitting the hills all summer to prepare and send it big when it counted. It sounds like our rivalry with the metalheads at Peru Nordic continues as we are looking to schedule a joint timetrial with them in the coming weeks. Let’s take the showdown to HOME TURF in Vermont! Who’s in?! Stay tuned!
Two photos from Michael, that can be combined to show the whole course!
On a hot and humid Sunday, some of the toughest Masters around gathered at the base of Smugglers Notch for a rollerski interval workout.
This was not your ordinary Masters workout, but rather the start and growth of what might be the freshest, most fly group of rollerskiers to ever take on the Climb to the Castle. While the Peru Nordic Masters may embrace the ethos of heavy metal culture, fashion, and lingo, the MNC Masters are taking it up a few decades to become this season’s bastions of hip hop rollerskiing. It all started with a Jay Z disc in Steve Crafts’ car, purchased on a whim for $1 at Pure Pop Records.
Will there be an East Coast (Jericho, VT) versus West Cost (Peru, NY) beef like the grudges that heated up the streets in the mid-90s?
Will members of New York’s most notorious band of metal-loving Masters, such as the “Harvester of Sorrow” Jim Kobak, or the “Hand of Doom” Chris Rose, by able to stand up against the likes of notorious rap legend Steve “Craftmaster Flex” or “Slick Rick Costanza”? Have they heard of young underground hip hop sensation “Mic Drop Millar”?!
Only time will tell, as MNC Masters continue to gear up for the NYSEF Climb to the Castle rollerski race on September 16th. This is bound to be the showdown of the year, and if you’re interested in making your mark with this crew be sure to stay tuned to the Masters Training Doc for rollerski opportunities to help prepare.
For THIS particular workout, the crew tackled the uphill on Road 101 near Smuggs. A favorite haunt of the MNC Junior team, this beautiful hillclimb is perfect for anyone…smooth pavement, minimal traffic, and stunning views. Thanks to some shuttle-rides from MC “Killa Kort” Longenbach, everyone was able to get in a few trips up this big climb. And just like any good rap group, there’s a music video to go along:
Craftmaster Flex showing the homies how it’s done, with Smuggs in the background
Mic Drop Millar getting in some post-ski recovery food at the Burger Barn in Jeffersonville
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!
The NYSEF Climb To The Castle rollerski race will be on September 18th! This is a fun but challenging 5-mile rollerski hillclimb up the Whiteface Toll Road outside of Lake Placid.
Members of the US Biathlon Team will be in attendance, as well as some of the top junior races from New England and New York!
Preview of the course from NYSEF skier Everett Sapp:
Race footage 2015:
The race starts early Sunday morning. MNC is excited to offer Juniors an overnight option Saturday! Please see itinerary and form below:
