Craftsbury Marathon 2025 Day Two – Skate
1/26/2025
Oh, what a difference a day can make! The Craftsbury Marathon Day Two presented skiers with a new challenge. As we left off with the Classic Marathon yesterday, the Craftsbury staff and volunteers were underway preparing for the Skate Marathon today. The tracks were being scrubbed, and the stadium reconfigured to host day two. Participants went home to recover and bring their best game for the second day.Â
I am not sure when the grooming was completed. The course was presumably set with time for it to cure before skiers arrived. The temperature followed the predicted path, warming significantly overnight. Some on the commute saw temps thirty degrees warmer than 24 hours prior on their way to the Classic Marathon yesterday. As people fueled for the day, the snow began falling right on cue. This seemed to be cold, dry snow that had accumulated over an inch before the race. This fell on top of the expertly prepared course.
People arrived with not much prep to do for the skate race. There was no wax testing, and new snow discouraged people from adding structure, though a few put on a fresh snow topcoat. People came in from their warm-up wanting to brush their skis, but there was little else that could be done. Having just the right flex would be key, but after yesterday’s fast tracks, things were going to be a lot slower today.
The course was yesterday’s loop in reverse. Skiers started in the lower field and completed a parade lap around the upper field before heading down Chip Hill and out Lemon’s Haunt to Six Corners. From there, they would ski Kirby’s Downhill, then up John’s Jaunt, up Hoyt’s Wall, and finally head out to Ruthie’s. Once Ruthie’s was completed, it was onto Lower Bailey Hazen, a grueling climb up Elinor’s Hill, then Upper Bailey Hazen to Main Street and the Upper Field. Skiers went out around Duck Pond and Murphy’s Field to return to the stadium to start the second lap. I believe skiing the loop in this direction on a fast day is more challenging than yesterday’s course. Add in the fresh, cold snow, and it was a slog!
Racing got underway with the men starting at 10. It did not take long to see the disparity in the skis among the participants. At the end of the first kilometer on the Dino Downhill, some skis glided, and others seemed to have Velcro on the bases. This was going to persist as a moderate squall was dumping more fresh snow on the course. Skiers could readjust their expectations or fight it. The latter would have consequences, especially for those who doubled up on the weekend.
The men’s field splintered relatively quickly into small working groups. Some had better skis, and others had fresher motors. Edward Southward (XC Ottawa) returned and was joined by some other quick Canadians in the elite pack. Race Director Ollie Burruss (CSC) hopped in with a chase group that included Warren McDermott (Snake Mountain) and teammate Russell Currier (CSC). A large group formed for the first lap that included NWVE’s top skier, Gaelan Boyle-Wight. He was skiing conservatively at the back of the group that included Sam Evans-Brown (Concord), Justin Freeman (Unattached), Ben Lustgarten (CSC), and Will Meehan (St. Michael’s Alum). This was great company to have, as all are very experienced racers. Thomas Clayton (NWVE) was also right in there, keeping pace with Ethan Dreissigacker (CSC) and Joel Bradley (Ford Sayre), and long-time family friend Andy Bishop (MNC), who took some long pulls to help the group.
Other NWVE racers tried to stay in contact for about half a lap, but some skis just kept getting slower. Brian Lavoie (NWVE) started his first competition conservatively after a serious injury but soon found his competitive instincts kick in and moved up through the field. Luke Shullenberger (NWVE) stuck with Brian and Keith Rosseau (Unattached). Brook Hodgeman muscled his way through lap one but had to re-evaluate to salvage something out of the day. Tyler Magnan (NWVE) skied his own race evenly catching those who fought the snow. Robert Burnham (NWVE) skied with Chris Burnham (NWVE), Neal Graves (NWVE), and me to the bottom of the long climb up Ruthie’s. Chris was skiing with no poles due to a bad muscle strain from yesterday. Jud Hartmann (NWVE) was skiing tough with Scott Brown (Ford Sayre).Â
The women’s race splintered much like the men’s race. However, there did seem to be a mild inversion with ski satisfaction. Yesterday, most NWVE men liked their skis, while the women thought they could have been better. Today, the NWVE women thought their skis were good, while the men felt they were contenders for the slowest skis. The women were happy that the men worked on the course a bit. The men were appreciative of the women softening the tracks yesterday. Yesterday’s work was more of an advantage to the men than to the women today, as it was snowing hard for a good portion of the race.
Some familiar local names controlled the front of the women’s field. Britta Clark (GRP) and Sarah Lange (Unattached) led the way. Hallie Grossman (CSC), Olivia Cuneo (Unattached), and Elissa Bradley (Ford Sayre) joined up with Jessie Donavan (GMVS) to help deliver the Brodhead Crown to her on day two. Sara Graves (NWVE) and Kasie Enman (NWVE) skied in contact with each other for the first lap but did not know how close they were to the group ahead. Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) was feeling the fatigue from yesterday but was happy with her skis today. Jessica was cruising with Marie Shaedel, who dropped after lap one.
As the men’s race progressed, the field spread out. Some significant changes seemed to be related to experience. For NWVE, Gaelen Boyle-Wight and Thomas Clayton picked up a hard-earned spot or two, skiing consistently on the second lap. Brian Lavoie got by Luke Shullenberger on his return to competition. Luke was feeling the classic race and a boot issue. Brook Hodgeman and Bob Burnham met on different trajectories in the field. Bob ascended several spots in a group of masters that included Roger Prevot (CSC), Ari Ofsevit (CSU), and Rick Powell (Ford Sayre). They caught and overtook Tyler Magnan, who maintained 67th place in the race. Brett Rutledge (Downeast) and John McGill (Victory) worked their way up through the field, catching Jeff Palleiko (GNS) before the finish. I skied a bit with Eric Hanson (CSC), who enjoyed the fruits of all his labor on the course. Eric is responsible for most of the shoveling that made the course exceptional, as well as grooming at the center. Eric was eying Adrian Owens (Sterling) and overtook him during the final stages of the race, proving two weeks of snow-scooping plus a wee-hour grooming session is all the training you need. I continued to fall back but felt better on the second lap than the first, Chris Burnham (NWVE) toughed it out, getting a hell of a workout in with no poles. Jud Hartmann (NWVE) defended his perfect record for his age group this season, picking up essential points for the club. Neal Graves (NWVE) and Jamie Willsey (NWVE) were a no-go for lap two.
As the women’s race continued, Britta Clarke (GRP) would make a decisive move for the win on Duck Pond. Hallie Grossman (CSC) powered through, gaining spots, but did not quite connect to the two leaders. Ingid Thyr (Pathletics) made a strong effort to get the two-day combined crown for the Brodhead Challenge, but Jessie Donovan’s (GMVS) lead in the classic race was too much to overcome. Sara Graves (NWVE) pulled away from Kasie Enman (NWVE) and also picked up another spot, passing Jessica Snyder (CSU). Kasie was still pleased with the day and much happier with her performance over yesterday’s backward race. Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) was happy to finish and take her skis off for the weekend.Â
NWVE had eight athletes complete the Brodhead Challenge, plus two honorable mentions!
Sara Graves, Kasie Enman, Gaelen Boyle-Wight, Thomas Clayton, Brook Hodgeman, Tyler Magnan, Chris Burnham, Damian Bolduc.
Bob Burnham and Jud Hartmann are very honorable mentions for doing the double 30km abiding by their Zak Age Classes.
Day two presented new challenges with slow snow and slow skis. Those who fought the conditions paid the price, as the course had very little recovery, and the harder you tried, the deeper the hole you dug yourself into. After the race, Ollie Burruss remarked that even with all the shoveling, there were a lot of dirty spots that came through. Hallie Grossman and I remarked that today, the dirty snow was the fast snow! Even though the conditions were not as fast as yesterday, participants still got what they came for. Great skiing at New England’s Signature Weekend! Thank you to Craftsbury for all the work that went into hosting a wonderful event, and thank you to all who participated! People are sure to come away with a great sense of accomplishment and an appreciation for the possibilities of our sport!
Damian