Keskinada 2006 Feb 18 & 19

February 24, 2006

After a week of unseasonably warm weather with temperatures above freezing, there was a quick freeze midday on Friday before the race with the temperature dropping to below –20C and a small amount of fresh snow.

The tracks for Saturday’s classic events were well prepared despite the challenging weather conditions. The start was delayed until 10:00 but it was still –22C with a strong wind which made the temperature feel closer to –35C. The course was modified into a series of 4 loops each returning through the start area. Total distance was 51k for the Gold level event and 25.5 for the Silver event. The food station volunteers deserve special recognition for their cheerful assistance on a very cold day. The blankets provided to skiers at the finish were much appreciated. The winner’s time was 2:30:46.9. in the 51k, 1:18:51.8 in the 25.5k. 245 skiers, mostly parents with young children, braved the cold temperatures to compete in the 5k classic.

Sunday’s skating events benefited from more seasonable weather, -14C at the start and less wind. The events took place on the originally planned course which was again well prepared. The winner’s time for the 53k was 2:13:18.5 and 1:19:53.9 for the 29k.

This page was last revised on September 16, 2007