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2009 Hiawatha Invitational Race Report
Temperatures of -29C caused a delay from the originally-planned 9:30am start to 11:30 am, by which time temperatures had warmed to a balmy -21C. In order to minimize exposure, a decision was made to shorten the race distances; therefore, participants in all race categories that were originally slated to ski 10k were instead told to ski the 7.5k Crystal/Olympic course, while participants in categories originally scheduled to ski 7.5k were told to ski the Crystal 5k course. A total of 15 racers braved the cold temperatures and sandpaper-like abrasive and slow snow conditions, with most skiers stating up front that they would throttle back in order to preserve lung and skin tissue. This plan wasn’t abundantly apparent off the mass start, as all skiers were away at what seemed a brisk pace. The timing crew retreated to the warmth of the timing shack while the racers braved the conditions out on the trail. Many skiers looked a little worse for wear coming across the finish line, sporting hoar frost crystals from eye lashes and exposed skin. Afterward, everybody retreated to the day lodge to enjoy hot grape juice and cookies – not to mention central heating! All in all, this wasn’t the most auspicious of this race’s 53 years of history, but it was memorable nevertheless. We are considering changes to the format for future years to make this a more accessible and fun race for everybody. All suggestions are welcome. |
