Skate Skiing race 3:33:45 [4] 30.5 mi (7:00 / mi) +1250m 6:13 / mi
shoes: Rossi Xium Skate
The Rumford, ME John Roderick 50k Ski Marathon: 9 loops on a 5.5 km race course, up down up down etc -flat sections non - existent. Some of my skiing friends warned me that this is the toughest marathon in NE, which made me nervous - being only the 3rd time on skate skis this winter. (not counting crust cruising intermezzis).
It was cold and the start was postponed by an hour. Temps were from ~ 3 F rising to about 13 F at the finish. Sunny, with a light breeze. Not bad actually for racing. The course was granular hard packed. In the first 2 loops the downhills were challenging, had to push down hard to keep the feet in line without sliding to a full split! But it got better as the course was softened by the sun and the skiers going over it. Thank goodness. My quads were getting heavy from all the pushing, and I was getting nervous about inducing cramps.
But over time my balance improved, my pace got a bit slower, I avoided jerky movements, fully concentrated on form and balancing effort with push, and it worked. The beauty of skiing (as opposed to running). And as I was getting more tired, even though the hills were getting tougher with each loop, the loops seem to go by faster. I also stopped for about a minute squeezing out a goo and getting water at the end of each loop starting after loop 4.
So I made it - not too far behind R Falthus, ahead of P King, whom I traveled with to the event from Jackson - he has beaten me many times.
So I was pleased with the effort and the result.
My splits:
21:28 22:10 22:17 22:58 25:18 25:09 24:44
24:48 24:48