CRAFTSBURY – It was the final ski for most, and maybe the first bicycle ride and run for many more as nearly 150 people took part in the Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Mud ‘N Ice triathlon. Race organizer, Keith Woodward, was able to keep the 1.8 km Lemons Haunt ski trail skiable for one final event as racers headed out for four laps. The kayak-canoe leg had to be canceled at the last minute, so teams adapted as necessary. Participants skied about four miles, ran another 4.5 north to Albancy, and then biked about nine miles back to Craftsbury. The ski was challenging especially in the fields, which quickly became a slow slush ski, while the woods trails stayed a bit firmer.
photo by Eric Hanson.
Wolcott’s Alex Howe came into the ski-run transition first a few seconds of solo competitor Nils Koons and tagged off to his partner Emily Dreissigacker in the two-person category. Asa Lloyd, a Craftsbury Ski Club member, kept his two-person team near the top, 53 conds back, and his teammate, Claire Serrano, then ran the second fastest two-person team leg keeping them in second-place overall over the 4.5 mile segment. Philip Matthews, of the Barkeater Outdoors team ran one of the fastest legs (27:13) moving his two-person team to the front. The Barkeaters kept their lead with their anchor biker Timothy Zieglar for the fastest time of the day in 1:20:16. Lloyd maintained second place the bike leg in the two-person race.
Koons had the fastest solo ski time and was second in the run, just ahead of Issac Kristich who was part of the Moppy’s Marauders three-person team of Paul Smith’s college. Koons had the third fastest bike to hold on for the overall solo win in 1:22:12, a minute and 46 seconds ahead of Eli Enman from Huntington, who has won this event in past years. Maxfield English placed 10th overall and had the fastest run time of the day. Other local finishers included Magnus Hayden (11), Cyrus Kidder (17), Adrian Owens (18), Mike McCarthy (20), Kestrel Owens (22), and Damian Bolduc (23).
photo by Eric Hanson
Albany’s Hallie Grossman and GRP biathlete Kelsey Dickinson stayed side by side throughout the day finishing 1-2 after ski and run portions, and they would fall back to 4-5 after the final bike leg. Evelyn Needham moved up to third in women’s solo category with the second fastest run, and finished second overall. Rachel Slimovitch of St. Johnsbury moved up from sixth after the run to third overall with second fastest bike. But the big mover was Anna Ramsey of Hardwick. Ramsey was sixth after the ski, moved up to fourth after the run with fastest women’s run time (29:36), and then found another gear to have the fastest bike leg and take the win in 1:38:22. St. Johnsbury Academy senior, Tillie Lange, finished sixth on the day with Eloise Girard 11, Mae Searles 12, and Jessica Bolduc 13.
photo by eric hanson
In the three-person team event, the Siboure team from Quebec had the fastest time of 1:24:28. Their cyclist Pierre Olivier-Boily had the fastest bike time of the day in 29:40 moving the team up from eighth to first in the final leg. Lots of cheering in French going on here. Local teams of Jake Barton, Lucy Donaghy, and Averill McDowell placed sixth, and Hannah Dreissigacker and Anna Schultz were part of the 7th place team. Three really young teams of third- to eighth-graders made their way through all ski, run, and bike legs including the team of Sam Koschak, Lawrence Fox, and Asher Jacobs (14). Bee Johnson, Ruthie Podolin, Scarlett Podolin, Emerson McCarthy and one or two others had a 5-6 person team (17). Joe Krebs, Linden Fox, and Finn Nunnery were 18. The youngster were not to be outdone as veterans of these events, Gina Campoli, Judy Geer, and Carly Geer, placed 19 in a not-so-easy race.
Spring is here. See you next winter.
