![Japan's Chisa Obayashi (second from r) leads after crashing early in Saturday's 30 k freestyle mass start at Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. Eventual winner, Bettina Gruber of Switzerland (r), runner-up Zina Kocher (l) and Heidi Widmer (second from l) follow. (Photo: Martin Kaiser)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMGP8675.jpg")
WHISTLER, B.C. — Wondering how your favorite Canadian skier is feeling about last season? We asked many of them at Canadian Ski Nationals in late March. Here is the final product of our efforts: a montage of interviews with some of the best (at least the ones at nationals) talking about their seasons and final races in Callaghan Valley.
Like this? Check out our “Bits from Canmore” video from the Alberta World Cup in December.
![Former US Ski Team member Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) leading Saturday's 50 k freestyle mass start at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. Koos won the race by 0.4 seconds over Brent McMurtry (AWCA). (Photo: Martin Kaiser)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMGP7769.jpg")
WHISTLER, B.C. – Canadian Cross Country Nationals ended the way it started at Whistler Olympic Park, with exciting racing and sunshine on a freestyle-technique day.
In the men’s 50-kilometre race, American Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) attacked on the final hill and held on to edge Brent McMurtry of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) by just 0.4 seconds in 2 hours, 4:55.2 minutes. His girlfriend, Bettina Gruber of Switzerland, later won the women’s 30 k.
![Brent McMurtry of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) checks back during the men's 50 k freestyle mass start at 2013 Canadian Nationals on Saturday in Whistler, B.C. McMurtry went on to place second to American Torin Koos for his second Canadian title of the week. (Photo: Martin Kaiser)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMGP7867.jpg")
The men’s runner-up by a ski length, McMurtry, 26, ended his season and career as a National Senior Development Team athlete with one last Canadian title (he won the 15 k classic earlier in the week).
His teammate, Kevin Sandau was third, 1.8 seconds behind Koos, and Brian McKeever of the Para-Nordic Ski Team took fourth and the Canadian bronze (+2.2).
The race started at 9 a.m. Saturday at -2 degrees Celsius with the sun starting to rise over the mountains to warm the stadium. The first hour featured hard, crusty snow, with fertilizer making a few climbs hard enough to be difficult for skating. The first lap was the blue 5 k (Olympic skating) loop, then the men settled in for six 7.5-k laps, featuring the first 4 k of the red loop (Olympic class) then the last 3.5 k of the blue.
This was the fifth event and eighth day of cross-country nationals and tired bodies contributed to a relaxed pace on very fast snow (the opening 5 k, with a total climb of 170 meters, was completed by the leader at the time – McMurtry – in just over 11 minutes). The next four 7.5-k laps were completed in about 19 minutes each, with slightly softening snow and increasing intensity resulting in an even pace. An all-Academy pack with McMurtry, Michael Somppi and Chris Hamilton led much of the opening 35 k, while Graham Nishikawa (AWCA) and Koos skied relaxed in the group.
On a slower-starting sixth lap, Somppi tried a push before Sandau made a real attack, but Koos ultimately closed on Sandau.
“I was a little worried; that was the first time I thought maybe I’m not going to have it today,” Koos said. “Two k’s later I felt good again, and I was like, ‘Okay, all right, I know how to win this race.”
Fifteen men were still together at the start of the final lap.
“With 5k or one lap to go, I thought Torin was the guy to mark,” McMurtry said. “I was trying to stay on him, watch him.”
Koos went to the front with about 1.5 k to go and “just slowed the pace to his speed,” Sandau said. “He was definitely one of the guys you didn’t want to bring to the finish line, but he had some good endurance today.”
“I am a little disappointed,” McMurtry said of his second place. “I had the gas at the top of the hill, but I was behind Brian [McKeever] and I didn’t push to get on Koos. He opened up a bit of a gap. Coming into the stadium, I used some gas to catch up to him. In the final stretch, I just didn’t have the legs to get around him.“
“I felt really strong and had perfect skis,” McMurtry said, “I enjoyed the final race of my career.”
McMurtry’s first Nationals win, as a juvenile boy in 2001, was in the sprint where he was beaten by an American, so it was “a fitting way to end my career with a title but also getting beat by an American.”
The men had similar views on the course conditions:
Koos: “It was awesome!”
Somppi: “Conditions were awesome.”
McMurtry: “It was amazing. A perfect day for ski racing in March, or almost April. You can’t really ask for anything more. Sunny, super fast at the beginning, and still held up really well. A perfect way to go out, a super, super day.”
In the junior men’s 30 k, starting just after the open men, national-junior team member Raphaël Couturier of the Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre (CNEPH) attacked with more than a kilometre remaining to take the gold by 8.3 seconds in 1:18.15.4. Matthew Vrielink of Rocky Mountain Racers (RMR) placed second, and Sebastien Dandurand (Callaghan Valley TC) outsprinted four others to take the bronze medal, 18.8 seconds after Couturier.
Gruber Dominates Women’s 30 k
The women’s freestyle mass start began just before noon with the temperatures already up to 9 degrees Celsius and sun on most of the course. Organizers previously fertilized the entire stadium, plus the climbs and corners, to preserve the course and it held up well for the women, with a thin layer of slush over a frozen base for most of the blue 5 k course.
The action started on the first climb out of the stadium with Japan’s Chisa Obayashi (Madshus/Black Jack) taking a hard fall, breaking her pole across both knees, and losing about 40 places. Obayashi quickly rejoined the leaders, finishing the first lap in the top 10.
![Bettina Gruber of Switzerland's National Ski Team en route to her first victory at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. Gruber won the women's 30 k freestyle mass start by over 40 seconds. (Photo: Martin Kaiser)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMGP8891.jpg")
The second lap quickly separated with a group of four who would ski most of the race together at the front. Heidi Widmer (AWCA), Zina Kocher (Biathlon Canada), Bettina Gruber (Swiss National Team) and Obayashi slowly grew their lead through three laps.
On the fourth lap, Obayashi dropped back, with the combination of a tired body from chasing back to the group on the first lap and swelling knees slowing her down.
On the final lap, Kocher made a hard attack up the first hill out of the stadium and only Gruber followed. By the staircase climb, Gruber was comfortable again.
When Kocher faltered, Gruber was able to ski away for the victory in1:18:41.1, 40.2 seconds ahead of Kocher, the top Canadian, in second. Widmer wasn’t able to close on Kocher, finishing another 19 seconds back in third.
Resurgent Brittany Webster (Highlands Trailblazers) skied two fast final laps and outsprinted Obayashi for fourth place and the Canadian bronze. Eliska Hajkova (University of Colorado-Boulder), who struggled with ski speed as the snow softened, took sixth.
“Until about 15 k, it was four girls together, it was solid speed, a good pace,” Gruber said. “Then it went a little bit faster, and we dropped Chisa.”
“We kept it pretty easy until that final lap and then we really tried to put on the moves,” Kocher said. “The first one I did and dropped Bettina a bit, but she caught me after the downhill and then she made a move on me on the second uphill in the woods and I could go for half of it, and then I was done.”
![Zina Kocher attacks during Saturday's 30 k freestyle mass start at Canadian Nationals. Kocher was the first Canadian and second overall behind Switzerland's Bettina Gruber.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/Zina-attacks-IMG_1342.jpg")
“It was a lot of fun,” Widmer said. “I definitely exceeded my expectations as far as 30 k’s go. Really strong girls to ski with; Zina, Bettina, Chisa Obayashi and I skied the first four laps together and then on the fifth lap Chisa dropped off.
“At the end, coming out of the stadium for the sixth lap, Zina and Bettina attacked and I didn’t have the gas to go with them,” she added.
“That race was really fun,” Webster said, despite struggling with the pace from the start. “I was yoyo-ing off the back, got swallowed up by the girls behind and then kind of accelerated again.
“I had the best skis ever, so that was definitely a bonus,” Webster added. “Foothills Nordic did my skis, and yeah, they were phenomenal.”
“After start, I crashed, my pole is broken and I scratched my knees,” Obayashi said. “First lap, I used too much energy, so fourth, fifth, sixth laps, I lost energy.”
Gruber said the conditions were “pretty good. I was surprised, I thought it would be slower and more sluggish, but the track held up pretty well.”
In the junior women’s 20 k, Cendrine Browne (CNEPH) skied away from teammate Anne-Marie Comeau to take the gold by 3.7 seconds in 54:47.6. Biathlete Julia Ransom (Canmore) finished third, 49 seconds after Browne.
While the fertilizer gave the men an extremely fast course and the women a fairly fast course, the sheer volume of younger skiers and a high of 15 C created slushy skiing by the end of the day.
At the end of a long week and a long season, the start list was shorter. There were 79 open men, 45 junior men, 53 open women, 22 junior women, 73 juvenile boys, 82 junior boys, 59 junior girls, 74 juvenile girls, and 14 para-nordic skiers.
More than 150 volunteers made this event possible.
***
Full results and splits are at zone4.ca, with photo galleries coming at the event website.
Results by race:
![Female ski jumpers in action on Friday at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. (Photo: Jim Hegan)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/8601170483_65666103c0_b.jpg")
WHISTLER, B.C. – Friday was an official-training day for the cross-country athletes, but the Sea to Sky Nordic Festival isn’t all about cross country. While biathlon wrapped up earlier, ski jumping and nordic combined had their first competitions on Friday. Fast and Female hosted an event, and there were lectures on coaching female athletes.
Our cross-country coverage has focused on the open categories, which is just a small part of the event. The vast majority are Canadians, with 696 athletes eligible for national titles in four age groups, CCUNC (university students), and two para-nordic categories.
The U.S. is well represented with 25 athletes. Norway has seven athletes, largely representing U.S. colleges. Switzerland and Slovakia each have two athletes. Australia, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Spain, France, Japan, the Netherlands, and Peru have one athlete each.
Biathlon had 175 competitors for four competition days, ending March 20th, with about 40 athletes from the U.S.
![Female Nordic Combined skiers starting Friday's 5 k at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. (Photo: Jim Hegan)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/8601172963_dc53acf7cc_h.jpg")
With the addition of female ski jumpers to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, it is no surprise to see that a significant number of the competitors are female (12 of 40 competitors on Friday). The new frontier is female nordic-combined competitors.
There were seven women who went on to complete the 5k skiing portion. Jumping and nordic-combined results are posted here. There are about equal numbers of Canadian and U.S. athletes.
Fast and Female held an event at the race venue on Friday morning. FasterSkier’s representative was not able to attend, being neither fast nor female, but a lot of female athletes, both young and role models, appeared to be having fun.
The CCC Women’s Committee held a coaching session with sport’s psychologist Sharleen Hoar and National Team women’s coach Eric DeNys titled, ‘Maximizing the Potential in your Female Athlete’.
A Conversation with Champions featured Olympic Champion rower Marnie McBean and World Champion mountain biker Catherine Pendrel. Pendrel has been doing cross-country ski races as part of her training the last few winters.
Official training for cross country was also on the program with the stadium and intersection controls set up. A few hundred skiers took advantage of the opportunity to ski the courses and get familiar with the stadium setup, starting at -2 degrees Celsius and warming up to 11 Celsius by mid-afternoon.
![Dasha Gaiazova leads Switzerland's Bettina Gruber in Thursday's 1.4 k classic sprint A-final at Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. Gaiazova won the final ahead of Gruber and Canadian World Cup teammate Perianne Jones, respectively. (Photo: Martin Kaiser)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMGP7192.jpg")
WHISTLER, B.C. – On another sunny day at Whistler Olympic Park, Canadian World Cup team members Dasha Gaiazova and Lenny Valjas set the standard, earning national titles in their favourite event – the classic sprint – on Thursday. Both won their respective 1.4- and 1.6-kilometre qualifiers at Canadian Nationals on fast, icy snow before delivering once more in the soft-and-slow finals.
Racing started early, as the para-nordic skiers and more than 300 younger racers competed in the sprints on Wednesday. By the time 75 women and 117 men finished the qualifiers on the Olympic courses, the crunchy, fast snow of Thursday morning was already turning to a thin layer of slush.
![Dasha Gaiazova smiles as she cruises across the finish in first, claiming her second-straight title at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Thursday's 1.4 k classic sprint in Whistler, B.C.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/Dasha-tactic-blow-the-field-apart-IMG_1029.jpg")
The women’s event was fairly straightforward with Gaiazova leading each heat most of the way around before finishing the 1.4 k course with a clear gap. In the final, Gaiazova coasted in with a big smile, followed by Swiss National Team skier Bettina Gruber comfortably in second. Gaiazova’s teammate, Perianne Jones over-powered Alysson Marshall of the Alberta World Cup Academy in the final stretch to take the silver medal.
“Classic sprinting, I love it!” Gaiazova said. “I had a great qualifier and it went really well in the heats.”
Still struggling with jet lag, Gaiazova came to the venue on Wednesday to watch the younger racers and award medals.
“It could be almost more fun than winning medals because you just see the joy on the faces of those people,” she said. “I got a chance to give out medals to para-skiers. It is so inspiring to see them race and fight.”
Gruber, who was second in the same event at Swiss Nationals earlier in the month and is headed to U.S. SuperTour Finals next week, was happy with her day.
“Pretty good, I would say, for just coming over to Canada,” she said. “Qualifying felt no so good; it was hard fight.”
“Qualifying was pretty icy, hard packed conditions are not my favourite,” Gruber said. “Right now, it’s pretty good, it’s a little slushy but still kind of good track.”
The second Canadian, Jones was happy with her performance. “It was really fun, and I am really happy that my season is over now,” she said.
Signing autographs before Thursday’s medal ceremony, Jones also handed out awards on Wednesday.
“It was great to be up here and see the kids race and give out medals at the end of the day,” she said. “That’s why we’re here, to see that next generation come up. It’s nice to see them race super-hard and then get to shake their hands at the end.”
Marshall collected her third individual bronze of these championships, putting a strong finish on a challenging season.
“I was feeling strong, and I was pretty close to Peri, so I am happy with that,” she said.
Marlis Kromm and Heidi Widmer took fifth and sixth for the Academy, making the A-final after winning Saturday’s team sprint.
Marshall and Gruber will be racing Saturday’s 30 k freestyle mass start, while the other podium finishers take a break. Gaiazova will be going to Russia in two weeks for a sprint race, and is resisting the temptation to do the distance race.
“The race organizers have done a great job and it’s a great venue,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to race here, for sure.”
Emily Nishikawa (AWCA), who also made time to give out awards on Wednesday, opted out of the sprints coming off some fatiguing races at World Cup Finals.
Vajlas Takes Control
In the men’s 1.6 k sprints, Valjas relied on tactics to collect his third national title in his only race at this year’s championships.
![Lenny Valjas of the Canadian World Cup Team leads Phil Widmer of the AWCA (l) and Knute Johnsgaard of the Yukon Elite Squad (r) in Thursday's 1.6 k classic sprint A-final at Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. Valjas went on to beat Graham Nishikawa and Widmer, who were second and third, respectively, for the title. (Photo: Martin Kaiser)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMGP7568-1.jpg")
His tall build and slick skis allowed him to move to the front on every downhill. With marginal grip, he judged his efforts on the climbs and finished comfortably in the top two in the quarterfinal and semifinal. In each heat, he led into the finishing straight, taking the fastest lane in the increasingly wet snow.
In the final, Phil Widmer (AWCA) followed Valjas into the stadium and moved over a lane to start the double-pole battle. In the slower lane, Widmer was unable to stay with Valjas, and his teammate, Graham Nishikawa, took advantage of the faster tracks to steal second, nearly running over Valjas, who slowed at the line.
“I was just out here to enjoy the day and have fun,” Valjas said. “It’s been a long season and I’m happy with how it ended up.”
Asked about his backup plan for the finish, he said, “I had one extra, tiny, gear if someone did show up beside me.”
A man of few words, Nishikawa answered a question about whether he expected to get a medal in the classic sprint with “No,” and a laugh. On tactics, he was more verbose.
![Graham Nishikawa (AWCA) puts out his hands to prevent crashing into Thursday's sprint winner Lenny Valjas (l).](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/Mens-final-Lenny-slowed-IMG_1096.jpg")
“A lot of guys [had] superfast skis,” Nishikawa said. “I think mine were right in the middle, good kick and decent speed, I got passed on the first downhill by some guys with fast skis but my strength is striding so I need the good kick.”
Widmer could have played it safe and followed Valjas for a near-certain silver, but chose to put it all out there, to the delight of the crowd.
“It is the end of the season, and the body is feeling it a little bit, but for the most part it was good,” Widmer said after the race. “It’s nice to have Lenny here and the Americans.”
Jess Cockney (AWCA) took fourth, after poor grip in the final caused him to lose ground on each of the climbs. Cockney saved his energy for a fast finish in the quarter and semi, but wasn’t close enough in the final to use his speed.
Rune Ødegärd of the University of Colorado-Boulder took fifth ahead of a breakthrough performance by Knute Johnsgaard (Yukon Elite Squad).
Two Norwegians, Ødegärd and his Colorado teammate Trygve Markset, who was ninth, were the only men to try double poling on skate skis and qualified in 16th and ninth, respectively.
After the race, Ødegärd said they made the decision so they wouldn’t have to re-wax after the qualifier. Without a support team, they skied all three heats on the same wax. Ødegärd had great skis in the quarter, gliding up from the back of the group to win, but reversed the process in the final, losing places on each downhill.
Americans Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) and Dakota Blackhorse-Von Jess (Bend Endurance Academy), who qualified in second and third behind Valjas, took advantage of those results in the quarters, knowing that a third place would guarantee them a lucky-loser spot.
NorAms and nationals use untimed heats to reduce the number of volunteers required. This changes the way that lucky losers are chosen from the best two times among third- and fourth-place finishers to the two lowest bib numbers who placed third.
Koos reported to the jury that he was obstructed in the semifinal and requested a spot in the A final. The jury reviewed the video and decided that there was “no evidence of obstruction.” After a 10-minute delay, the A-final was run without Koos being added as a seventh starter. He ended up 12th and did not start the B-final.
![Sixteen hours after flying in from Sweden, Canadian World Cup Team member Dasha Gaiazova charges up the opening climb of Tuesday's 10 k classic interval start at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. She won the race by 1 minute 23 seconds.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0745.jpg")
WHISTLER, B.C. — Whistler Olympic Park delivered the first warm and slow day of Canadian Nationals for Tuesday’s classic individual starts. The younger skiers got fast snow in the morning and open categories got sticky, transformed snow in the afternoon. By the time the final starter, World Cup Team member Ivan Babikov, hit the line, the temperature had reached 9 degrees Celsius and the very fast conditions of the first two races were a memory.
World Cup sprint specialist Dasha Gaiazova, also of Rocky Mountain Racers, who arrived just sixteen hours earlier from Sweden, showed no signs of jet lag as she destroyed the field, winning the women’s 10-kilometer race in 34:04.2. Clocking the fastest splits throughout the three-lap race, it was apparent that Gaiazova was the strongest from the start.
“I just got off the plane from Sweden last night,” she said. “It was a long flight and I’m feeling pretty jet lagged, but it was a surprisingly good day for me.”
“At this time of the season we have been racing for five months and it is easy to just shut it down mentally and not push to the maximum,” she said. “Today I really wanted to do a really good job of giving it my all.”
Gaiazova’s all was too much for the rest of the field. Japan’s Chisa Obayashi finished 1:23.5 minutes back in second. After racing three days earlier at Japan’s nationals, Obayashi flew to Canada in search of FIS points and the possibility of earning a start at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Obayashi said she struggled with her technique and the effects of jet lag, but moved up from eighth in the first lap past competitors that were slowing down in the softening snow. Asked about Thursday’s classic sprint, the distance specialist replied, “I like long distance.”
Another Canadian World Cup Team member, Perianne Jones (Nakkertok) returned to Canmore, Alberta, a week earlier than her teammates, who qualified for World Cup Finals. She finished third on Tuesday, 11.7 seconds behind Obayashi, and collected the silver as second Canadian.
“It was really fun to be out here,” Jones said. “It’s a beautiful day and seeing the whole Canadian ski community and everyone from my club and everyone who has been supporting us all year, but [the race] was tough.”
“I am looking forward to the sprint on Thursday,” Jones added. “One k is more my thing than 10.”
Alysson Marshall of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) continued to finish her season strong, taking fourth (+1:42.5) to collect her second bronze of the week.
Eliska Hajkova (University of Colorado-Boulder) was the top non-Canadian in seventh. American Caitlin Gregg (Central Cross Country), and Anne-Marie Comeau (Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre) was the top junior in 11th overall.
Second No More, McMurtry Claims Gold
![Brent McMurtry of the Alberta World Cup Academy after winning his first gold medal at Canadian Nationals in Tuesday's 15 k classic interval start in Whistler, B.C.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0929.jpg")
In the men’s 15 k classic interval start, Brent McMurtry (AWCA) collected his first individual Canadian title with a solid performance in slower, deeper snow of the afternoon, winning in 41:26.9.
“It feels pretty good [to be national champion],” McMurtry said. “I’ve been second many, many times and I am happy to finally get a win.”
While almost every skier had a slower second lap in the softening conditions, McMurtry lost less than most to set the fastest second lap time, moving up from second place after the first of two 7.5 k laps.
Norwegian Rune Ødegärd, a sophomore at the University of Colorado, faded after a commanding first lap to take silver, 22.8 seconds behind.
“It was so nice out there, really warm, really slow, really tough for every one,” Ødegärd said. “It’s fun racing, spring skiing.”
After missing his warmup because he was waxing his own skis, Ødegärd thought he had started his first lap too slowly, but soon discovered that it was actually too fast. Leading after the first lap, he was fourth fastest the second time around to hang onto second place.
“I had really good skis,” he said, crediting help from the team in the neighboring wax cabin and personal klister expertise from growing up in a coastal town in Norway.
David Greer of the Yukon Elite Squad (YES) finished in third to take the Canadian silver, 44.3 seconds behind McMurtry.
![Men's 15 k classic podium at Canadian Nationals on Tuesday in Whistler B.C.:](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0928-1.jpg")
“[I had] good glide, good grip and I felt super-strong on the first lap,” Greer said. “On the second lap, I started to hurt pretty bad, but I was able to keep it under control.”
In the first season of the Elite Squad, his achievement marked the team’s first individual nationals podium.
Graham Nishikawa (AWCA) topped off a great day for Whitehorse, taking fourth place 8.9 seconds behind Greer, his club-mate.
“Today was pretty tough,” Nishikawa said, “I had no power out there, but I was just focusing on skiing fast and smooth.”
Nishikawa’s bronze medal matches the one he got on Saturday’s team sprint with Colin Abbott. That day, Greer took silver with Knute Johnsgaard.
“I think our team had amazing skis,” Nishikawa said. “Alain [Masson] did a great job [along] with the whole staff here.”
The Yukon staff is feeling the love; the YES team baked beavertails for the support team during Monday’s rest day.
Sylvan Ellefson (SSCV/Team HomeGrown) took fifth place for the U.S., and Kevin Sandau (AWCA) edged pre-race favourite Graeme Killick (AWCA) for sixth. David Palmer (Blackjack) was the top junior man in 12th, 2:57.5 behind the winner.
The rest of the Canada’s World Cup team flew back from Sweden on Monday. Emily Nishikawa (AWCA) and Ivan Babikov (NST) shook off the travel to arrive at the start line and hear the appreciative crowd. Both looked visibly tired on the first climb out of the stadium, with snap and power absent, possibly lost in somewhere over the Atlantic. Emily Nishikawa finished the race, while Babikov dropped out partway through the second lap.
The crowd roared each time the stadium announcer mentioned one of the four World Cup Team members who made the effort to race on home snow after a long season in Europe.
Lenny Valjas was a surprise non-starter for his favoured 15 k classic event, while Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw had earlier announced that they wouldn’t be racing.
![Heidi Widmer (AWCA) on a mission to capture her first individual national title at 2013 Canadian Nationals on Sunday in Whister, B.C. There, she was the top Canadian and third overall in the 5 k freestyle individual start.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0590.jpg")
WHISTLER, B.C. – Heidi Widmer of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) didn’t win Sunday’s 5-kilometre freestyle individual start at Canadian Nationals outright, but she took home her first individual national championship at the age of 22.
American Caitlin Gregg of Central Cross Country (CXC) made the trip to Canada and took the overall win in 12:02.9 on a fast-and-warm day at Whistler Olympic Park. She was happy with her race and is feeling that this event will be good preparation for the U.S. SuperTour Finals in April.
![Caitlin Gregg (CXC) en route to the overall win in Sunday's 5 k freestyle individual start at Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0621.jpg")
University of Colorado-Boulder senior Eliska Hajkova took second place, 10.9 seconds behind Gregg. Along with some Colorado teammates, she decided to celebrate spring break in Canada this year. A Sochi hopeful, she wanted to test herself against an international field before returning home.
Hajkova was excited by her race, particularly enjoying the fast snow and low elevation (900 metres compared to Boulder’s elevation of 1,650 m).
“The [course] has hard uphills and tricky downhills, but it is so fun to race,” she said. “The trails here, oh my God, this is really a heaven for skiing.”
The fastest Canadian, Widmer was third overall, 22.4 seconds behind Gregg.
“It was definitely a lung burner, but I am very happy and ecstatic,” she a day after winning the team sprint with Marlis Kromm. “It is my first Canadian championship, so I am really happy with that.”
“It was a really fast course today and good conditions, but different than we expected,” she added. “I wanted to finish stronger than I started. Five k is about pushing right from the beginning and trying to hold off that blow up as long as possible.”
Nakkertok’s Alana Thomas was second Canadian and fourth overall (+32.7) and Alysson Marshall (AWCA) brought some upside to a rough season, collecting the bronze less than two seconds behind Thomas.
“It was a pretty decent distance race for me,” Marshall said. “I am happy with how it turned out.”
Asked what her season highlight was, she responded “Later this week!” A sprint specialist, she is looking forward to the classic sprints on Thursday and the classic interval start on Tuesday to provide that highlight.
Julia Ransom (Biathlon Alberta) was the top Junior Woman in eighth (+48.9). She was not the top biathlete on the day, edged out by Canadian national-team biathlete Rosanna Crawford, also from Canmore.
Fresh off Sochi, McKeever notches first Canadian title
![Brian McKeever (Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team) after notching his first national title at Canadian Nationals on Sunday in Whistler, B.C. There, he won the 10 k freestyle individual start just days after flying back from IPC World Cup Finals in Sochi, Russia.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/photo-56.jpg")
In the men’s 10 k freestyle individual start, Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team member Brian McKeever collected his first national title in 21:18.1.
A perennial winner in International Paralympic Committee (IPC) events with 10 Paralympic medals and an unbeaten streak on the World Cup this season, the 33-year-old visually-impaired skier started fast on Sunday. He posted one of the fastest splits up the opening climb and kept up the tempo.
Graeme Killick (AWCA) started faster, but faded on the second lap to concede the silver medal to teammate Graham Nishikawa, who was 14 seconds behind on the first climb.
“You never really know how you are going to feel after getting off the plane from Russia,” McKeever said after flying from IPC World Cup Finals in Sochi just 48 hours prior.
“First national championship win in my career,” he said. “I am really happy about that.”
About 10 seconds behind with three kilometers remaining, Nishikawa finished strong, 11.6 seconds behind McKeever.
The 5 k ‘blue’ loop, best known as the second loop of the 2010 Olympic 50 k course, has a testing final kilometre, with the steep climb from ‘Way Out’ followed by a rolling section into the Hermodt’s hill before the drop into the stadium. Many racers bled time on the apparently easy Hermodt’s on the second lap, Killick included. With 3 k remaining, Killick was close to McKeever.
“I lost a lot of it probably coming to the stadium here,” Killick said.
![Coming off two golds at IPC World Cup Finals and two at IPC World Championships this season, Brian McKeever returned to Canada to claim his first national title on Sunday in the 10 k freestyle individual start in Whistler, B.C.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0423.jpg")
Hearing how McKeever one-skated the final climb, Killick laughed and said that wasn’t an option for him. Killick held on for bronze, 23.0 seconds out of first.
“It was super-fast conditions,” Nishikawa said. “Just go from the gun and a lot of pain. I usually start slow and hopefully pick it up. I am happy with my effort, it hurt a lot so that’s a good thing.”
Nishikawa’s also coming off some intense racing at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, but said he’s recovering.
“[Today] feels better than yesterday, so I am looking forward to Tuesday a lot,” he said.
Killick was also upbeat, saying “it was good for a skate race.” In a 10 k individual start, “you have to keep your speed up all the time, and I think I was almost there, but not quite.”
Like the others, Killick enjoyed the conditions, describing them as “nice and fast, good speed. It held up better than when we were testing yesterday.”
While the men’s podium was all-Canadian, the U.S. took fourth and sixth with Sylvan Ellefson (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Team HomeGrown) and Bryan Gregg (CXC), respectively.
Marc-André Bédard (Biathlon Canada) led a good showing of biathletes, placing fifth overall and fourth Canadian (+30.4) to match his result at Canadian Nationals last year, where he was fourth in Quebec.
![2013 Canadian Nationals 10 k freestyle men's podium, with winner Brian McKeever (third from r), Graham Nishikawa in second (second from l), Graeme Killick in third (second from r), Sylvan Ellefson in fourth (second from l), Marc-Andre Bedard in fifth (r) and Brian Gregg in sixth (l).](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_1671.jpg")
![2013 Canadian Nationals 5 k freestyle women's podium](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_16841.jpg")
![Foothill Nordic's Jess Cockney (r) and Phil Widmer (Canmore Nordic), after colliding in the finishing straight of Saturday's freestyle team sprint final at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. Cockney went on to win with teammate Brent McMurtry, defending their 2012 national title, while Widmer and Russell Kennedy settled for fourth.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0176.jpg")
WHISTLER, B.C. – On a sunny day at Whistler Olympic Park, the men put the cap on an exciting first day of Canadian Nationals with a collision and crash in the final 50 metres of the 2×3 1-kilometre freestyle team sprint.
![Whitehorse divides and conquers to take second and third in Saturday's freestyle team sprint at Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0177.jpg")
Four teams entered the final straight together with Phil Widmer of Canmore Nordic in the lead. At the start of the pine-bough lane markers with 50 metres to go, Widmer and Jess Cockney of Foothills Nordic chose the same lane. Widmer fell, leaving Cockney to defend his national team-sprint title with partner Brent McMurtry. Skiing for different Whitehorse teams, Knute Johnsgaard and Graham Nishikawa split around the fallen Widmer and lunged for the line.
A year after winning at Canadian Nationals in Quebec, McMurtry and Cockney claimed the team victory in 15:32.03. Johnsgaard finished in 15:33.00, taking silver with partner David Greer. Nishikawa was 0.31 seconds behind to take bronze with teammate Colin Abbott.
Widmer recovered to take fourth with Russell Kennedy, 11 seconds after Cockney. Raphaël Couturier (Skibec) led the second pack another 5 seconds back in fifth with teammate and Canadian National Team biathlete Marc-André Bédard.
When asked what made the difference, Cockney had a one-word answer: “Brent.”
“Brent skied so strong on his last leg and gave me such a huge lead,” Cockney added. “All the other guys were gassed after catching up to me.”
Johnsgaard had a similar view. “I felt really strong. I just didn’t quite have the finishing speed that Jess had in the final,” he said.
Cockney skied the last leg with a clear tactic in mind.
“I didn’t feel that strong so I held the lead as long as I could and made sure to tuck in behind Knute and Phil on the downhill into the last 300 metres,” he said. “With the headwind, it was good to tuck behind someone else.”
Nishikawa also took a strategic approach to the final. A big crash and a broken pole on his first lap of the semifinal put him well off the back of the pack. While Abbott was able to finish the job of rejoining the group, the energy they spent qualifying in second in the fastest heat would come back to haunt them.
![An exhausted top three after Saturday's freestyle team sprint final at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_1633.jpg")
In the final, the first-leg skiers went out hard on their third and final lap.
“Brent attacked and dragged Colin,” Greer said. “I got around a couple of people and ended up coming in second.”
“I finally caught the top three teams at the corner with a hundred to go and then they all started their sprint,” Nishikawa said.
Asked about the crash, he said, “It took a lot of energy to get there so I just had my head down trying to sprint. I saw some tangles and then I was in a lunge for second as well. It happened fast so I don’t really know what happened.”
Johnsgaard, who also was in a good position to see the collision, didn’t think any penalties would come of it. “I think it is part of racing,” he said.
The jury agreed and took no action.
The women’s 2×3 1-kilometer team sprint was also exciting, but without the finishing-straight fireworks. On the final lap, Foothills’ Marlis Kromm opened up a gap to send Heidi Widmer off with a sizable lead. Their finish time of 15:17.1 was nearly 10 seconds ahead of Hardwood’s Erin Tribe, who shared silver with Mary Thompson.
![Heidi Widmer (Foothills) leads Anne-Marie Comeau (MSA) in the semifinal of Saturday's freestyle team sprint at 2013 Canadian Nationals in Whistler, B.C. Widmer and her teammate Marlis Kromm went on to win the final.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0030.jpg")
Zoe Roy and Michaela Howie teamed up for Rocky Mountain Racers and won the sprint for bronze. Roy finished just over a second ahead of biathlete Julia Ransom (Canmore), who partnered with Kathryn Stone.
Anne-Marie Comeau (Mont St. Anne) took over from Camille Pépin and quickly moved from fifth to second on the final leg , but a crash on the top hairpin put her back in fifth, six seconds out of the medals.
Kromm and Widmer were very happy with their result.
“We were junior challenge girls here [in Whistler at 2008 nationals] and won the relay here so it was really fun to come back,” Widmer said. “It’s a great start to the week and Mother Nature has been really great today.”
Both saw the race as tactical. “We wanted to start in control, ski the first couple of laps with the pack and try to save some energy and make our moves in the second half of the race,” Kromm said.
“It is a long week of racing at nationals,” Widmer added. “The team sprint is important, but you have to be aware of your energy for the rest of the week.”
The silver medalists said the race was “definitely tactical.”
“You had to hold on to a spot and pick when to move up and make sure you had something for that last lap,” Thompson said.
“It was really refreshing that the sun was shining and the skis were fast,” Tribe added. “It was a great day.”
![Women's freestyle team sprint podium at 2013 Canadian Nationals, with Marlis Kromm and Heidi Widmer of Foothills Nordic in first (c), Erin Tribe and Mary Thompson of Hardwood in second (l), and Michaela Howie and Zoe Roy of Rocky Mountain Racers in third. (Photo: Peggy Hung)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0185-1.jpg")
![2013 Canadian Nationals men's freestyle team sprint podium: (Photo: Peggy Hung)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_01891.jpg")
Audrey Vaillancourt (Quebec) completed her set of three titles at 2013 Canadian Biathlon Championships on Tuesday with a photo-finish victory over Megan Heinicke (Biathlon BC) in the 12.5 k mass start in Whistler, B.C.
“We both deserved to win today,” Vaillancourt wrote in an email. “I’m just glad I managed to have a better stretch.”
Vaillancourt shot clean at Whistler Olympic Park to finish in 34:54.0. Heinicke was just 0.2 seconds behind and missed one shot (0+0+1+0).
“Today skiing didn’t feel as good as during the weekend,” Vaillancourt wrote, “So I focused more on shooting and it worked very well; I had a perfect day on the range.”
Vaillancourt enjoyed her first mass start of the season: “On the last lap we came out of the range together, so I knew this was going to be a really tough one,” she wrote. “We both tried to drop each other at different places on the course, but we were both dead tired and ended up together for the final sprint! It has been a photo finish for the win!”
Corrine Malcolm (U.S. Biathlon) took third place in 36:38 (1+0+1+0), 30 seconds ahead of Julia Ransom (Biathlon BC) in fourth.
“Today was actually the best I’ve ever shot in a race,” Malcolm wrote. “Unfortunately I lost a little bit of time when I accidentally started to ski onto the 2km cut off on our second loop. Luckily [Canadian biathlete] Rosanna [Crawford] saw me veer off and was able to yell to me to turn around. By the time I made it back to the right trail Julia was coming by and I was able to get in with her and ski nice and relaxed. Julia and I stayed together until the last shooting stage where I cleaned and she missed her final shot.”
Ransom’s time of 37:08 (2+0+1+1) was good enough for third Canadian, but shooting was perhaps not surprisingly the difference for the 20 year old who started her first Cross Country World Cup earlier this season in Canmore, Alberta.
In the men’s 15 k mass start, Nathan Smith (Alberta/Biathlon Canada) struck back after Sunday’s starting error by dominating the day. He won by 44 seconds in 37:53 despite missing three shots (1+0+0+2) during what he described as ideal shooting conditions.
“I missed that first shot prone and was a little concerned, but after that I felt comfortable and in control,” Smith told Biathlon Canada. “I know I didn’t win the pursuit race, but I feel like I’m in great shape and accomplished what I came here to do.”
Marc-André Bédard (Quebec) was second in 38:37 with four misses.
“Shooting was perfect 3 out of 4 times,” he wrote in an email. “[I] missed 4 at my first standing!”
Although disappointed by his shooting, that should not be a problem next week when Bédard competes at Canadian cross-country nationals. “I’m hoping to repeat or do better than my 4th at the 15 free last year!” he wrote.
Bill Bowler took third place to lead a large American contingent with his second podium. He finished 43 seconds behind Bédard, and also had four penalties (0+1+2+1).
“I felt good on the skis,” Bowler wrote. “Definitely better than in the races earlier this week.”
He agreed that the conditions weren’t a problem. “It was a perfect day for racing with fast tracks,” he wrote. “The weather in Whistler can be volatile so it was nice to have sun and solid conditions.”
Kurtis Wenzel (Alberta) grabbed the Canadian bronze with 39:31 (0+0+1+1), good for fourth overall.
Biathlon wraps up Wednesday with the relays. The Sea to Sky Nordic Festival continues with cross country nationals (March 23 to 29), nordic combined (March 28 to 30) and ski jumping (March 28 to 30).