SuperTour opener hosts 300 athletes in sprint and distance skate races

Men’s distance podium at the SuperTour opener. Ian Harvey/TokoUS

This past weekend saw the start to the 2014-15 SuperTour season in West Yellowstone, Mont. The event, held annually during West Yellowstone’s Thanksgiving Ski Festival, hosted 300 racers in opening skate sprint and distance races that play a role in the selection for World Cup starts.

Despite scarce snow and timing issues, organizers pulled off Friday’s 1.5-kilometer sprint race, crowning Dakota Blackhorse-Von Jess (Bend Endurance Academy) and Alyson Marshall (Alberta World Cup Academy/CAN) atop the podium.

“The course was really fast which meant that the heats were tight,” said Marshall, who out-lunged teammate and second-place finisher Heidi Widmer by a boot length at the line. “It created a really tactical and fun race as you have to respond anything!” Both Widmer, who qualified first in the morning prelim, and Marshall attended the SuperTours in search of more competitive racing to prepare them for their Canadian national team World Cup bids this winter.

“In North America in general, I don’t think that we do enough racing,” said Widmer, who crossed the border in search of more races and varied competition. “For sprint racing in general, it is great to have more competitive heats.”

American Jennie Bender (BSF) finished third, just edging APU’s Chelsea Holmes at the line.

The men’s race saw equally tight heats, and the fast, power-absorbing snow provided the perfect surface for Blackhorse-Von Jess, who is known for his strength in sprint heats. University of Colorado racers Mads Stroem and Rune Oedegaard placed second and third.

“This was my first year on this course, so I was relying a bit on the experience of others and getting a feel for the race through the quarter and semifinals. It became pretty apparent to me that passing was only an option heading out of the stadium and back into the stadium,” said Blackhorse-Von Jess about his tactics.

“For the finals, I went straight to the front from the gun knowing that it was very unlikely that anyone would be able to come around me, even if I couldn’t find my kick – and when we hit the last quarter of the race I had more than enough speed to hold the lead.”

The following day, the racers lined up again for individual start distance races, this time 10 kilometers for women and 15 kilometers for men. The snow on the course was well groomed and less icy than surrounding trails, which made for slower racing around the course’s grueling up hills. Both Rosie Brennan (APU) and Matthew Gelso (SVSEF GT) were not fazed by the conditions, however, and pulled into the finish with definitive leads over their competition.

Rosie Brennan on course. Ian Harvey/TokoUS

“I am fortunate to be familiar with racing at altitude so I didn’t really fear pacing. As a result, I went out at a good clip and tried to maintain that the whole race,” said Brennan, who calls Park City, Utah home. “West Yellowstone requires constant output so I chose to accept the fact that there was no rest and focus on skiing all parts of the course as best I could.”

With a breakout performance, 17-year-old Katharine Ogden (SMS) finished behind Brennan, leading the junior racers by minutes and finishing among competitive international women.

“I just tried to ski with a really strong V2, because that’s what my coach told me to do. I was surprised by my splits and happy with the result,” she said.

Holmes came back from fourth place the day before to finish third.

In the men’s race, Gelso finished in 36:20, nine seconds ahead of second-place finisher Brian Gregg (Team Gregg) while CU’s Stroem landed himself on the podium for the second day in a row. Just as the men’s race began, dirty snow from a close dust storm started falling on the course, dramatically slowing the conditions with each lap.

“The race had some strange weather, warm and windy with new snow falling on icy and dirty trails – not what you expect when you come to West Yellowstone,” said Gelso. “It’s always nice to start the season off on a positive note, but if it didn’t go well it gives you the motivation to keep working.”

Next weekend, the SuperTour racers will convene in Bozeman, Mont., for a classic sprint and mass start, giving the athletes another chance to earn SuperTour leader and qualify for the January World Cups.