Tag: Max Donaldson

Wednesday Rundown: SuperTour Finals Skate Sprints

Jessie Diggins (SMS Elite) leads fellow U.S. Ski Team member Kikkan Randall (APU) to the finish of the women’s freestyle sprint final on Wednesday at SuperTour Finals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: Max Kaufman)

U.S. SuperTour Finals (Fairbanks, Alaska): Freestyle sprints

On Wednesday the 2017 U.S. SuperTour Finals, also referred to as Spring Series, the last of the year’s elite level sprints went down in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The women raced a 1.5-kilometer course while the men skied a slightly longer 1.6 k course, both run at the Birch Hill Recreation Area in Fairbanks.

Earlier in the week, Jessie Diggins of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) Elite Team and U.S. Ski Team (USST) showed why she’s one of the World Cup’s top overall skiers as she dominated the SuperTour Finals skiathlon.

Once again, and early on, Wednesday’s sprint had the appearance of another race to lose for Diggins. She qualified first, completing the course in 3:34.09 minutes. Her nearest competitor in qualification was Kikkan Randall of Alaska Pacific University (APU) and the USST, 6.72 seconds back.

As the heats progressed the looks of a Diggins-Randall show was in the makes. Both skiers were convincing in their trajectory to the finals as they placed first in their respective quarters and semis. And in the finals it became a two-skier race with the pair skiing decisively off the front.

Diggins scorched the finals, toeing the line in 3:30.39 minutes, nearly four seconds faster than her qualifying time. Randall, who skied in a tight race with Diggins until the closing stretch, placed second (+2.39).

The women’s freestyle sprint podium at SuperTour Finals on Wednesday night in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Jessie Diggins (c) in first, Kikkan Randall (l) in second and Erika Flowers (r) in third. (Photo: Max Kaufman)

Erika Flowers (SMS Elite Team) reached the podium in third (+15.65), ahead of her teammate Sophie Caldwell (SMS Elite Team/USST) in fourth (+19.03), Kelsey Phinney (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) in fifth (+23.06), and Ida Sargent (Craftsbury Green Racing Project/USST) sixth (+27.77).

“I thought it was normal, given I set the pace, so I did it to myself,” Diggins said on the phone, recalling the final. “I thought it felt like a pretty normal, brutal World Cup final. I was going out hard, playing for keeps, that is what you do when it comes to Spring Series, you still have fun but you race hard.”

Asked is she felt any added pressure to perform well racing stateside, Diggins noted she attempts to keep things in perspective.

“There is some pressure and at the same time there’s not,” Diggins added. “Because my goals for the year focused around World Championships and the Tour de Ski, that is where I am aiming to be fast and those are the targets I am intending to hit. So coming here, you are always wanting to ski fast … I feel like there is not an incredible amount of pressure because it is the end of the season and everybody is in a totally different place and mentally I am super excited for that place flight to Hawaii I am going to be on the day after the races. I think everyone is in very different places and I think it’s not fair for us to put pressure on ourselves. I think we just go out and have fun and race hard. This isn’t how you qualify for the Olympics and there is good reason for that.”

SMS Elite Team Head Coach Pat O’Brien provided some insight into the large time gaps in the women’s final.

“Coarse was pretty long and hard, I think it plays to people with some more muscular endurance and less fast twitch, especially this late in the season when people are tired,” O’Brien wrote in an email. “This isn’t a 3 min sprint on manmade that prioritizes finishing speed like a European World Cup. It was just straight tough out there! … No falls, just a bunch of tired ladies slugging it out at 8PM at night near the arctic circle. Hard work by all!”

Local skier Logan Hanneman (APU), who grew up and attended college in Fairbanks, made the hometown proud. He eventually pulled out the win in the men’s final.

Hanneman qualified fourth (+6.27) behind Simi Hamilton (SMS Elite Team/USST) who topped the qualifier in 3:11.35 minutes. (After the qualifier Hamilton pulled from the competition).

Logan Hanneman (APU) leads Canada’s Evan Palmer-Charrette (13) of NTDC Thunder Bay and Tyler Kornfield (16), his APU teammate, in the men’s freestyle sprint final on Wednesday at SuperTour Finals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: Max Kaufman)

In the men’s final, several skiers appeared to be in play for the win. Hanneman placed first in his quarter and semi. Canadian skier Evan Palmer-Charrette (NTDC Thunder Bay), also looked like a threat as he proved a knock-out type closer. Another guest skier, Norway’s Haakon Hjelstuen, a former Michigan Tech skier, skied heady and strong.

Also appearing in the men’s finals were two skiers who are known to pounce when opportunity knocks: Tyler Kornfield (APU) and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess (Bend Endurance Academy). Tad Elliott (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) completed the six-skier final.

Heading into the last technical descent on course Hanneman was third behind Kornfield and then Palmer-Charrette. A few tight corners remained with a climb back up to the finish.

“I ended up taking the last sweeping left corner very wide and accelerated as I moved right,” Hanneman explained in an email. “Then we were able to hit the bottom of the climb basically 3 abreast. Once I saw that I had a lane open I just opened it up and went for it!”

Here’s how the final played out: Hanneman placed first in 3:16.77 minutes, Palmer-Charrette was second (+1.08), Kornfield third (+3.84), Hjelstuen fourth (+3.98), Blackhorse-von Jess fifth (+6.38), and Elliott sixth (+7.17).

It appears Hanneman was able to channel his nervous energy into positive forward momentum.

“I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to win this race,” Hanneman wrote of performing in front of his hometown crowd. “To have these races in my hometown is one thing, but then knowing that I could do well in the sprint added a lot of nerves to the equation. I definitely really wanted to perform well for the volunteers, the crowd, etc. they have supported me through all of the skiing programs here in Fairbanks for years and I really wanted to ski my best for them. I am so very happy that this is how it turned out!”

Hunter Wonders (APU) won the junior men’s sprint in 3:32.76 (he was also the winner of Monday’s 11.25 k classic) with a hard-charging final push, Max Donaldson (University of Alaska Fairbanks) placed second (+0.40) and Logan Mowry (Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks/FXC) was third (+4.76).

For the junior women, Hannah Rudd (University of Alaska Anchorage) took the lead on the final climb and secured the win in 4:08.46, Dottie Anderson (Loppet Nordic Racing) placed second (+1.96) and Jenna Difolco (Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks/FXC) was third (+7.64).

Racing continues Friday with a mixed gender/mixed technique relay.

Results: Women | Men | Junior Women | Junior Men

The men’s freestyle sprint podium on Wednesday night at SuperTour Finals in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Fairbanks native Logan Hanneman (c) in first, Canada’s Evan Palmer-Charrette (l) in second and Tyler Kornfield (r) in third. (Photo: Max Kaufman)

March 29, 2017
Junior Nationals: New England J2 Skiers Nab Three Podium Finishes

Lydia Blanchet (Alaska Pacific University) leading New England’s Julia Kern (301) and Katharine Ogden and Rocky Mountain’s Hailey Swirbul in the J2 girls 5 k classic mass start on Saturday at 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com. Proceeds go to NNF)

By Eric Troyer

(Via jn2013fairbanks.us)

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – New England took three of the top six spots in the Junior 2 boys and girls 5-kilometer classic races at the 2013 Cross Country Junior Nationals on Saturday. Julia Kern and Katharine Ogden finished one and two, while Koby Gordon took the J2 boys title.

Kern said getting a podium finish with a friend is special.

“It’s even better when you get to share the victory with your teammate and friend. It just makes it like the cherry on top,” she said.

Kern, Ogden Finish 1-2 for New England

Julia Kern (Cambridge Sports Union) en route to a 2.7-second win over New England teammate Katharine Ogden in Saturday’s J2 girls 5 k classic mass start at 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com. Proceeds go to NNF)

Just a little over two kilometers into the J2 girls race, favorites Kern, Ogden, and Lydia Blanchet, of Alaska, were leading a large pack of racers. After the climb up East Ramp about 2.5 kilometers into the race, the lead pack dropped to five skiers, with Hailey Swirbul, of Rocky Mountain, and Leah Lange, of Intermountain, making up the rest of the pack.

As the racers came out of White Bear with just over a kilometer to go, five skiers still battled it out with Kern leading, but Swirbul was challenging. Ogden had fallen back a bit and Blanchet and Lange had fallen back even further.

“I saw the fourth place girl from Alaska, and she started fading up on what we call whoop-ass hill,” said Swirbul. “I got around her and went for it. Super-painful, but it’s all worth it now.”

With less than a kilometer to go, the pack was starting to get spread out. Kern and Ogden led, followed by Swirbul, Blanchet, and Lange, each a couple of seconds behind the other.

Kern clearly held the lead climbing out of Warm-Up into the Stadium, but she was followed closely by Ogden and a little farther back by Swirbul.

Kern kept the lead and finished first in 16 minutes, 37.7 seconds.

“I knew I was doing well, but I wasn’t for sure until I was in the finish straightaway,” she said.

Ogden claimed second, just under three seconds behind.

“I’m not a very strong double-poler, especially compared to her. I’m a little bit scrawnier,” Ogden said. “I would have had to be in front earlier.”

Swirbul, whose brother won the J1 American men’s race, took third in 16:48.7.

“It’s a good day for both of us,” she said.

J2 Boys Start with Fast Pace, End with Close Finish

New England’s Koby Gordon (Stratton Mountain School) on his way to winning Saturday’s J2 boys 5 k classic mass start at the 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com. Proceeds go to NNF)

With just five kilometers to race, the J2 boys started with a fast pace.

“The first hill the pace went out really fast. I was barely hanging on to the back of the lead group, but I knew I had to fight to stay with that lead group if I wanted to have a chance on the podium. That was really hard,” Gordon said.

Halfway through the course a lead pack of seven skiers, led by Zak Ketterson of Midwest, Jake Bassett of Alaska, and Max Donaldson of Alaska, kept up a steady pace.

The group also led at about kilometer 3, but by the climb out of White Bear at just over 3.5 kilometers into the race, the pack was down to four, Ketterson, Donaldson, Gordon and Bassett.

“That’s when the race starts to get really tough with a lot of big climbs and a lot of tough transitions that you have to keep skiing strong,” Gordon said.

Those four were close together as they headed down into the Warm-up Loop with less than a kilometer to go. The last climb out of Warm-Up was critical.

“It was pretty tight the whole race, so it was decided in the last 400 meters,” Donaldson said.

“Everyone was so dead and that’s such a hard hill. That was truly a test of manliness,” Ketterson said.

Gordon was able to pull out the win with a time of 14 minutes, 50.4 seconds, just over one second ahead of Ketterson.

“There was a ton of energy from all the fans coming into there. It was really empowering coming up that last hill,” Gordon said.

But Ketterson isn’t sad about taking second place.

“Based on my other races this week I was kind of down, so I wasn’t getting as high as I wanted to, but this is a great way to finish off the season. I’m really excited right now,” he said.

Donaldson was also happy with his race, finishing third almost 6 seconds back with a time of 14:56.2.

“I did what I could in that race. In the final 200 meters they had the sprinting left in them,” Donaldson said, adding that he doesn’t consider himself much of a sprinter. “I just did what I could to stay in third.”

Bassett fell to fifth, being outsprinted by a half-second by Bill Harmeyer who finished fourth in 15:12.4.

Complete results

Zak Ketterson (Midwest/Loppet Nordic Racing) leads the J2 boys 5 k classic mass start on Saturday at 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com. Proceeds go to NNF)

For more photos from 2013 Junior Nationals, visit bertboyer.zenfolio.com. Proceeds go to the National Nordic Foundation (NNF).

March 17, 2013
Junior Nationals: Alaska, New England Dominate J2 Relays

Katharine Ogden (Stratton Mountain School) racing to a J2 girls victory in Monday’s 5 k freestyle opener at the 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. The first leg of New England’s relay, Ogden went on to win gold with her team on Tuesday. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com. All proceeds go to NNF)

(Via jn2013fairbanks.us)

FAIRBANKS, AK — Not even a navigational gaffe could derail the New England J2 girls in Tuesday’s 3X3k classic relay at the U.S. Cross Country Junior Nationals.

Katharine Ogden, the lead skier for New England, lost the substantial lead she’d gained on Rocky Mountain’s Hailey Swirbul after she accidentally skied into the finish lane instead of the lap lane — despite large signs that directed skiers — as she approached the end of the first leg. Ogden was thus forced to backtrack out of the finish lane and into the correct exchange lane.

Instead of having a lead of perhaps 10 seconds, New England’s second skier, Leah Brams, inherited a 6-second deficit to Rocky Mountain.

It wasn’t the first time Ogden made the error.

“For the last qualifier me and Julie (Kern) and Katharine all went the wrong way,” Brams said. “We were like ‘It’s never happening again.’”

But it happened again on another sunny day with temperatures in the teens at the Jim Whisenhant Trails at Birch Hill Recreation Area. The mistake added a little drama but wasn’t worth fretting about for New England.

“I wasn’t that worried,” Brams said. “I was a little nervous, but I ski better when I have someone to pace off.”

Brams proceeded to build a nearly insurmountable 26-second lead by outpacing RM’s Jordan Floyd. New England anchor Kern then coasted home to secure the national championship in 34 minutes, 1 second. The dominant victory was no surprise — Ogden, Kern and Brams swept the J2 podium in the 5K freestyle on Monday.

Intermountain’s J2 boys relay anchor Zach Williams finishing second in the 3×3.3 k, just 6.6 seconds behind Alaska’s Max Donaldson, who notched his second victory in two days. (Photo: facebook.com/pages/JN-2013-Fairbanks/153097771413595)

Alaska anchor Lydia Blanchett, with the fastest third leg, rallied to win her team the silver-medal in 34:46 while Rocky Mountain slipped to third in 35:11.

The boys J2 race also played out as expected, with Alaska’s Jake Bassett, Tristan Sayre and Max Donaldson leading from start to finish.

“Yesterday we all got top four so we knew we were the favorite (team),” Sayre said.

Bassett skied the scramble leg and tagged to Sayre with a 4.2-second lead over Intermountain’s Logan Diekmann.

Sayre then busted the race open with the fastest second-leg to increase the gap to 18 seconds.

“I was pretty frantic at the start … then I relaxed because that’s what everyone was telling me to do,” Sayre said.

Sayre, from Fairbanks, made up some of his ground on the seemingly interminable “Sidewinder” hill, the second of two major climbs on the 3.3-kilometer course.

Donaldson, Monday’s runaway winner, had the honor of clinching the gold medal on his hometown trails.

While Donaldson was able to ski without anyone threatening him, he would have welcomed more pressure.

“It would have been nice to ski behind someone and maybe pass them in the end,” Donaldson said.

Intermountain held on for second place in 30:30 while New England won bronze in 30:41.

Complete results

March 13, 2013
Junior Nationals: Norwegian Boys Sweep J1 Division; Alaskans Hanneman and Donaldson Win at Home

Norwegian Mattis Stenshagen (NTG Lillehammer) on his way to winning Monday’s J1/OJ boys 10-kilometer freestyle race at the 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com/f490643483. All proceeds go to NNF)

(Via www.jn2013fairbanks.us)

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Norwegians got flowers and glory for sweeping the podium of the Junior 1 division on Monday.

They won’t get medals, however, nor will they get points in the team standings at the U.S. Cross Country Junior Nationals, since those are reserved for American skiers.

In the 10K interval-start freestyle race that kicked off the competition at Birch Hill Recreation Area on Monday, Mattis Stenshagen, Martin Thon and Sjur Slettom — all members of the NTG Lillehammer Club — claimed the top three spots in J1.

Stenshagen, 16, even bested all the Older Junior competitors (ages 17-19) with time of 26 minutes, 34.2 seconds.

Logan Hanneman, representing Team Alaska, won the OJ and placed second overall 3.2 seconds after Stenshagen.

“We hoped (for a sweep), but it’s a little bit surprising,” Stenshagen said. “The first 8K was very good but the last 2K was not so good.”

Stenshagen, as a B-seeded skier, raced without the benefit of getting splits, unlike the 30 skiers in the top-seeded A group. Thon was seeded in the C group and Slettom started even earlier in the D group.

Stenshagen said the seeding did not matter. “I just think about myself,” he said.

Team Norway head coach Per Ola Gasmann explained that juniors and seniors generally race together in Norway, making it tougher to place high and gather a favorable FIS ranking.

“It is much easier to get low FIS points in the U.S. than in Norway,” Gasmann said.

Six Norwegians — all J1s — are competing at the Junior Nationals as part of an exchange with the American National Nordic Foundation after a dozen U.S. skiers participated recently at the Norwegian junior championships in the Olympic town of Lillehammer.

Logan Hanneman (University of Alaska-Fairbanks) racing to second overall in Monday’s 10 k freestyle at the 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com)

Hanneman welcomed the extra competition.

“I think it’s really awesome. We’re getting an international racing experience without going anywhere,” he said.

Hanneman, a sophomore skier at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, only returned from the NCAA Championships in Vermont at 11 p.m. Sunday. He didn’t fall asleep until 2 a.m. and got maybe six hours of rest before Monday’s competition.

Hanneman, 19, said he felt “pretty terrible” but managed to pull off a solid race by not starting too aggressively. He skied a slightly faster second of two loops than Stenshagen but was not quite able to erase a seven-second deficit from the midway point.

“If you go out too fast it bites you in the second lap,” he said. “The race doesn’t start until the second time going up Tower Direct.”

Ben Saxton of Midwest was the runner-up OJ and fourth overall while Eli Hoenig of New England completed the OJ podium.

In J1, due to the Norwegians’ domination, Ian Torchia of New England missed out on the flower ceremony podium but will collect a gold medal for being the top American.

With relatively slow snow and a temperature in the teens, skiers were challenged by a course that featured 290 feet of climbing per lap, much of it on the Black Funk and Tower Direct ascents.

But they were also required to execute high-speed cornering on a black-diamond downhill in the opening kilometer. More than a few racers were unable to negotiate a sharp left-hand turn and crashed. Organizers even added padding to a ditch where several skiers wound up. Two skiers broke pole handles and another made a dramatic recovery after losing his balance on the turn, only to wipe out on an ensuing downhill. The area was popular with spectators seeking entertainment.

Max Donaldson (NSCF-FXC) en route to winning the J2 boys 5 k freestyle race on Monday at 2013 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: bertboyer.zenfolio.com)

J2 winner Max Donaldson of Team Alaska managed to emerge unscathed.

“It’s not worth it to crash or take it too quick,” Donaldson said. “Otherwise you can be in the woods and lose 30 seconds.”

Boosted by cheering fans on his home trails, Donaldson, the recent Alaska High School Skimeister, powered his slight frame to a convincing 5-kilometer win in 13:30.

“I’ve never raced these guys. I was definitely hoping for top three,” Donaldson said.

Koby Gordon of New England placed second in 13:47 while Jake Bassett of Alaska notched third in 13:57.

With six of the top seven spots in J2 going to skiers from Alaska and New England, those teams are perhaps setting up a showdown in the 3X3-kilometer relay on Tuesday.

In the Alaska Cup team competition, Alaska is also looking to unseat New England, the four-time defending champion.

Results | Girls recap

For more photos from 2013 Junior Nationals, visit bertboyer.zenfolio.com. Proceeds go to the National Nordic Foundation (NNF).

March 12, 2013