The Great Ski Race

(click any photo to enlarge) Sunday, March 7th, was the big day. The Great Ski Race is a 30km XC Race from Tahoe City to Truckee. The Race starts with a 12km climb up and over Starrett Pass and then gradually meanders downhill for 18km to The Cottonwood Restaurant just above the Truckee River in downtown Truckee. This Race is the largest mass start race west of the Rockies with 1000+ starters. For most racers and Tahoe Basin skiers, this is THE race of the year. Sunny skies and mild temperatures greeted us as we arrived early to test ski wax and warm up the engines for the task ahead. The vibe at TGSR is low key and not typical of a huge mass start race. Many people take this race seriously, but most just do to do it. Its the happening thing to do on the first Sunday in March in Tahoe. My training partner Peter Rosser and his new bride Jennifer were kind enough to drive so I sat in the backseat and just chilled for the one hour drive to the Tahoe XC Center where the race starts. One of the problems with a point to point race is the car shuttle issue. Luckily Jen was not racing this year and offered to drive the car to the finish so Pete and I could be stress free after the race. Thanks Jen! We arrived two hours before our 9am start time and helped Roger (Rossignol/Toko God) unload the wax benches and gear. We tested our skis to see which pair was the fastest and consulted Roger for advice on what would be running fast in two hours when the sun starts to transform the snow crystals from sharp to round. I chose my longer skis as I knew they would be faster on the long fast downhill after the big climb. The drawback is that they would be a little slower on the climb. After doing a couple of short bursts to warm the engine up I stripped off my warm ups and made my way to the start line. I am lucky enough to be seeded in the first wave based on my previous results, so I lined up in the second row, behind one of the 20-something studs that would surely start fast. The few minutes before the start are frenetic. When I looked behind me all I could see was a huge wave of people. When I looked in front all I could see was a clear path of perfectly groomed snow. The gun went off and all of a sudden there are no more thoughts just speed. The start is very important and not getting one of your poles snapped by another racer is a huge concern. I made it through the melee in the top 25 and worked on trying to relax while still drilling it to stay with the young guys. Unfortunately, Peter was not as lucky as I was and had someone step on one of his poles and snap it in half. Being the stud that he is, he grabbed another pole from Dan Hill (Fischer/Swix) and finished the race with a respectable time! Two of my team mates were with me and I stayed on the wheels for the first 5km until we made the hard right turn to hit the climb. Jeremy started to detonate and I had to get around him to stay with the small group that started to pull away. At this point the real racers were ahead by about one minute. Our two fastest skiers Rick Reynolds and Danny Buchanon were in the lead group. I was with the group that comprised the top 15 through 25. I felt good and settled into a climbing rhythm I could maintain for the next 30 minutes. The snow was perfect but the temperature was creeping up. Half way up the climb I saw Jo Jo Toeppner, the GM of Tahoe Donner XC, and threw her my hat as I was starting to over heat. Finally after about 40 minutes from the start I crested the Pass and started the smokin' fast downhill section. I had unbelievably fast skis (Thanks Roger!) and started passing skiers that had started faster than I did. I jumped in to the tracks and tucked with no fear of crashing and rocketed to the flat section before the second feed station. Between the two feed stations is where I made the critical error of the day. I didn't feed at either of them. I didn't bring a bottle holder and I didn't grab any energy gels. I blew it big time. I also should know better. I knew I was skiing well and thought I could hold out until the finish. I was wrong. I got passed by FIVE EFFING guys in the last 4km when I hit the wall. Stupid Stupid Stupid. I ended up 33rd Overall and 7th in the 40-45 Category. I had hoped for better. Anything in the Top 25 is considered very good for a Master. I just missed it. As you can see by the photo above of me crossing the Finish line, I'M COOKED! It was still my best finish Overall (I was 34th in 2008), but I know I could have done better. My skiing is coming around and I have two Biathlon races coming up in the next three weeks. Stay tuned........