Wet conditions did not dampen the mood of the 610 cross-country skiers who lined up at the start of The Great Ski Race on Sunday, March 3.
Whether the skiers came out looking for a spot on the podium — like the stacked field of elite racers that included local Olympians Katerina Nash and Marcus Nash — or whether they were just out for a good time at the largest cross-country race west of the Mississippi, spirits were high as the Great Ski Race celebrated its 37th year of raising funds for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team.
“In 15 years of organizing the race, this has been the hardest to plan and execute because of Mother Nature’s fickleness — no snow, then snow at the wrong time,” said Dirk Schoonmaker, race co-director. “Despite that, it was a huge success and we are so happy that we could put it on for the community after having to cancel last year. Our volunteers put out tremendous effort to make it happen, and we were rewarded by the energy and smiles at the finish line.”
The course stretches for 30 kilometers from Tahoe City to Truckee. Skiers climb 1,200 feet in elevation, before dropping 1,800 feet and ending with a steep downhill finish at Truckee’s Cottonwood restaurant.
Hometown racers fared well in the event. Katerina Nash won the women’s event in 1:39:49, Spencer Eusden of Soda Springs took second overall, and Marcus Nash took third.
Brian Gregg of Minneapolis won the race in 1:34:43 Because of conditions — several inches of fresh wet snow — it was the slowest overall winning time since 1985 and the slowest women’s win since 1997, according to Schoonmaker. See all Great Ski Race results at thegreatskirace.com.
