Tag Archives | Skiathlon

BKL Skiathlon Race Report 2025

By Liz Hollenbach on 13 January, 2025 in BKL Race Blog

Photos by Adam Popkin, Results and Thanks to Clover Whitham for writing this race report.

Mother Nature was smiling on the Mansfield Nordic Club Skiathlon, which was held Sunday at Sleepy Hollow on great snow under sunny skies.

It was all smiles with friends after the race for Rory, Bella, Hanna, Margo and Ophelia!

This is the “home” race for the club and proceeds support the MNC scholarship fund. It was also the first race of the season for many. Adults and Juniors (U20, U18 and U16s) raced in the morning before the Lollipopers kicked off the slate of Bill Koch races.

The Lollipop race is always a spectator favorite where the smallest racers of the day tackled some wild hills in the Sleepy Hollow fun park on the way to the finish line. Racers from around Vermont, including Craftsbury, Frost Mountain, Mad River Bill Koch and Sleepy Hollow BKL clubs, participated.

Next up were the eager Grade 1-2 racers who showed up to the start line ready to race many minutes early! MNC racers Nathaniel Schroeter, Johannes Hollenbach, Tanner Magnan and Grant Gillan, Margo Dillon, Claire Dolbec and Daisy Tremble flew off down the trail when the starter finally said “Go!” They skied a 1k loop around Molly’s Meadow and into the woods on Acadia Mania and returned on Potato Farmer to the fun park and finish.

There were a couple tangle ups in the mass start of the Grade 3-4 race but it didn’t stop these skiers! There were five MNC racers on the boys’ side – Rory Dillon, Rory Dolbec, Ollie Laber, Ronin White and Bodhi White – and two girls – Bella Altadonna, Nora Johnson. They skied in a crowd of 28 total racers for the first kids’ skiathlon race of the afternoon. They completed 1 classic and 1 skate lap, each 1 kilometer long. There were a lot of smiling faces flying by! Perhaps it was the promise of cookies made by volunteers at the finish line.

The racers in the Grade 5-6 race showed real grit and skill by finishing 4 laps (2 classic, 2 freestyle) for a total of 3.75 kilometers. This was also the first timed race of the Bill Koch races. Suiting up for MNC were Kaisa Weaver, Mazzy Merritt, Oliver Tremble, Finn Laber, Charlie Goosen and Jackson White. It looked like the ski exchange practice on Thursday paid off with smooth transitions and racers speeding back on the course.

Racers setup for the start of the Grade 5 + 6 race.

Sylas Weaver and Fiona Repp represented MNC in the Grade 7-8 race, which had 24 finishers from more than a half dozen clubs. These racers also completed 2 classic and 2 freestyle laps, for a total of 4 kilometers.

An honorary gold medal goes to former MNC coach Hanna Holm in her trademark cow in pink tutu costume for leading and keeping racers of all ages on the course!

Racers and their families made this another successful skiathlon! Special thanks to volunteers who made cookies for prizes, stocked the lunch table and monitored the transition zone and race course.

MNC Skiathlon 2020

By Adam Terko on 23 February, 2020 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

Wow, what a great day for a ski race! Thanks to Sleepy Hollow for the awesome venue, Christine Massey for being our race director, and all the volunteers, racers, and spectators who came out to be a part of the fun.

With bright sunny skies, beautiful deep snow, and an atmosphere of Nordic passion, the 2020 edition of our Skiathlon race will be one to remember. The location change to Sleepy Hollow meant hosting a race right in our backyard, bringing this big race back to Chittenden County. Although we had the whole round barn for indoor space, the pleasant weather meant that most people chose to enjoy the day out on the snow. Overall we had 135 racers!

Things began with the “What The Heck, I’ll Try It” 5km race, undertaken by a number of folks who have skied but never raced before! And even as that race was still underway, the Open skiers lined up for the longest event of the day.

A first-time racer and a not-so first-time racer getting after it! Steve’s first time rocking that hairdo

Rick and I had devised the course a week prior, meeting with Eli and Christine to ski various options, measure out lengths, and settle on a reasonable route. Our goal was a course that included mostly gradual climbing for both classic and skate techniques (the race would be the same loop for each technique) without terrifying descents. Given that Sleepy Hollow was operating in full swing, we were tasked to create the course on the Northern side of the trail system.

From Molly’s Meadow, racers headed downhill briefly before swinging onto Potato Farmer. This provided the first gradual uphill, which is the perfect gradient for striding. Some more rolling climbs on Bear Claw, ending with another straight and gradual striding climb, brought racers to Ridge Road. Normally skied in the opposite direction, this part of the course was a fast but very straight tucking downhill.

The last part of the loop is what could be argued as the “technical” section, the trail known as Zig-Zag. True to it’s name, the course features long gradual/flat straighaways that change direction with a few short punchy switchbacks (mostly herringbone in classic, or V1 or coaches-skate in freestyle). A return to Molly’s Meadow either meant another lap (2 laps per technique) or a switch to the skate skis.

Kickwax was definitely a bit interesting with temps warming during the course of the race and some variability between sun and shade. A few who opted to go speedy on the kickwax (Rode T-lines) ended up slipping more than they would have preferred, while others going the Toko Red/Toko Yellow route were in a slightly better position. Despite this being a non-fluoro race, the snow during the skate leg was extremely fast due to ideal weather and grooming conditions!

Off to the races!

MNC Juniors taking the race SUPER seriously!

MNC packed the results sheet with a TON of racers. Thanks again to everyone who came out!

But the day was just getting started, as BKL races were lined up for the whole afternoon. Whether they were racing for a lollipop or sprinting for a lunge with a fierce competitor, all the kids seemed to have a great time and especially enjoy the swoops, turns, and jumps of the skier-cross course which has been a highlight of Sleepy’s grooming this year and, of course, had to be included in the race.

Pack of youngsters ripping through the Nordic Cross course

will race for lollipops!

Preliminary Results

Photo Album

BKLers, Masters & Juniors: It’s time to register for the MNC Skiathlon!

By Rosemary Shea-Cobb on 16 February, 2020 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

Our MNC Skiathlon is this Saturday, Feb. 22 at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington! We are hoping for a good turn-out for this fundraiser which supports our scholarship fund, so give it a try! Open Men & Women, Juniors and the “What The Heck I’ll Try It! Race” is in the morning and the BKL kids races are in the afternoon.

In a Skiathlon, racers ski a classic loop, transition to skate skis then ski a skate loop. Grades 1&2 ski a classic loop only. The “What the Heck…” race is a 5 km, your choice of technique and is designed for first timers who want to give racing a fun try and support the scholarship fund.

Registration: By Thursday midnight on SKIREG. Schedule on SKIREG as well. Day of Race registration also available for an increased fee (so sign-up early & SAVE $).

Contribute to the concession stand! Sign-up HERE

See you there!

MNC_flyer_skiathlon_2-11-2020

BKL Parents- We need your help Feb. 22!

By Rosemary Shea-Cobb on 3 February, 2020 in BKL Race Blog, BKL Training Schedule

Hi BKL Parents! Our MNC Skiathlon race is coming up on Feb. 22nd. This race raises money for our scholarship fund and will be held at Sleepy Hollow Inn & Touring Center in Huntington. BKL has been given the task of running a small concession stand for lunch. We really need one person to organize the concession (make a sign-up genius, be there to set it up), a few more volunteers to help run it and lots of people to donate crockpots of chili, cornbread and homemade snacks. If you can help, please email Lisanne Hegman at lhegman@gmavt.net

Thanks so much!!

-Coach Rosemary

MNC Skiathlon Recap

By Adam Terko on 12 February, 2019 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog, Uncategorized

We had bright sun and amazing conditions for this year’s MNC Skiathlon! Racers from lollipop age to seasoned Masters all competed on Sunday in one of the club’s premier events. The day began frigid, but the clear skies and abundant sun warmed things up and the atmosphere was fun and exciting. Icy klister and fast snow were the conditions on-hand, and our racers all did great.

7th/8th grade girls heading out on course

Thanks so much to our great events supporters: Skirack, Toko, Rossignol, and of course Craftsbury for putting together an immaculate venue as always. We also had an army of MNC volunteer making sure things ran smoothly! Whether in the timing booth, the registration table, or on the snow, our club pulled off another successful day.