The Flying Moose Classic
The Flying Moose Classic
2/9/2025
The Flying Moose Classic Half Marathon was held on Sunday. The event was the second installment of the Maine Marathon Weekend, and like the Great Caribou Bog Classic and several other races, this season was held in perfect conditions. The Flying Moose Classic is hosted through a joint effort of the Bethel Outing Club, and Nonstop Nordic that draws the full spectrum of skiers in New England. Skiers from the lollipop to M10 enjoyed the various events throughout the day.
The winter of 2025 continued to set the stage for the race. As has been the case for many races, we received a fresh snowfall just prior to the event. The snow for the Flying Moose was the most significant day-of-race snow we have seen this season, with 4-5 inches of velvety powder falling in the early morning hours. The crew at the venue handled it with ease and wrapped up grooming at least ten minutes before the start of the day's first events. The snow made travel to the race a little more challenging, so organizers pushed all the official start times back fifteen minutes. This also gave the last tracks set a few more minutes to cure. Temperatures stayed in the low twenties, and the sun shined bright for the races. There was little detectable wind.
NWVE racers arrived early and went about dialing in their wax. The club recommendation was a little on the cold side for the actual temps, but it was working fine and, with easy striding on the course, was a fast option. A mix of Guru Blue and Guru Violet, dubbed Extra Gru was popular. Many liked Swix Extra Blue or Rode B17, and there was even a strong lobby for Rode Super Weiss. Toko Red was determined to be slow. Some put a Start Terva cover on, but that was not advised by the club's wax authority, who favored Guru Blue as the preferred shell.
The course was a version of what we have been racing on the last few years utilizing the Bethel Village Trails. Skiers started on Millbrook to Moose; they turned onto Uncorked and climbed to the top of Grovers Grind. The steady descent down Grovers Grind was a little slow this year due to the fresh snow, making the sharp left onto I95 much easier to clear. Skiers did an out and back on I95, allowing cheering and getting some support from much of the field. Most skiers like having the out and back because they can see everyone and gauge where they are in the race. Once done with the 4-km stint on I95, skiers returned to the stadium via Millbrook. Missing this year was the chicane at the bottom of Millbrook before the final climb.
Skiers lined up early. Dhyan Nirmegh (NWVE) was uncharacteristically ahead of schedule (or maybe 5 minutes behind schedule for a 10 o’clock start) and took a prime spot. He noticed that he was a little further up in the field than he wanted to be and offered to trade spots with a few athletes. There were no takers. When it was pointed out that he was in front of Kate Carlson (Gould), he quipped that he coached her mother at South Burlington High School, which got a few chuckles from those paying attention.
First, there was a rumor that we would start at 10:10 instead of 10:15. Then, there was a two-minute warning, followed by several minutes of instructions, sponsor acknowledgments, and a few shoutouts. Finally, the countdown and a horn blast to start the race unleashed the twitchy skiers. Racing got underway in an orderly fashion. The field sorted itself out over the first two kilometers. Trying a new starting strategy, Eric Darling (NWVE) decided to shadow David Herr (Unattached) since they usually finish close in the results. Eric quickly realized that David’s racing style is an inversion of everyone else in the field. He takes his time to get going and works to pass continuously throughout the race. Eric did not have the patience for that and took off when the going was good.
Gaelen Boyle-Wight (NWVE) and Brook Hodgeman (NWVE) started back in the field but shot by nearly everyone in the opening meters of the race. Eric Tremble (NWVE), Rob Riley (GNA), and Tyler Magnan (NWVE) skied together for the first lap. Forrest Hamilton (NWVE) was skiing alone until David Herr worked his way up to him toward the end of the first lap. Sarah Pribram (NWVE), Ed Hamilton (NWVE), Rosalie Wilson (Ford Sayre), Kirsten Beaudry (Unattached), and I started together and stayed as a pack until the top of Grover’s Grind. Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) hung close to the pack, watching the moves, unable to connect. Dhyan Nirmegh (NWVE) and Jud Hartmann (NWVE) resumed their race within a race. Nirmegh taking an early lead, but Jud overtaking it by the end of the first lap.
A few racers were making it a double weekend. Michael Melnikov (FTN), Victor Golovkin (FTN), and Bruce Katz (Unattached) were back at it along with me after the Great Caribou Bog Classic Marathon. Michael skied with Art Copoulos (Ford Sayre) and Scott Brown (Ford Sayre) for much of the race and looked a little fresher than Victor. Michele Smith (CSU) was also in the mix, keeping the group’s skiing even with her steady effort. Angeline Andrew (BOC) raced with Gordon Scannell (SDXC), trading places over the first lap of the race. Bruce Katz was on his own for day two, with Cipperly focusing her efforts on resting after the Caribou win.
Racing spread out on lap two, but things were just as exciting. Gaelen worked his way to the lead the field in the first and much of the second lap. However, John Paluszek (Gould) was not going to allow it to stand. John powered down I95, slowly gaining on Gaelen and holding position to the finish. Eric Tremble had a strong second lap, dropping Rob and Tyler and overtaking Parker Nellis to secure 4th overall for the day. Rob was able to get by and hold off Tyler in the closing stages of the race. Eric Darling's early move on David Herr paid off, as David was never able to catch up to Eric during the remainder of the race. Brook Hodgeman and Forrest Hamilton (NWVE) picked up a spot, passing Samuel Mathes (Unattached), who faded in his second lap.
Sarah Pribram (NWVE) broke out of her initial pack midway through lap one when Nat Lucy (Mount Washington) came by. Both were determined to catch Stuart Kremzner (Holderness), who was double poling. Sarah got Nat, but Stuart’s specialization in the double pole was too much to catch on I95. Ed Hamilton had an epic race with Rosalie Wilson. The two were nearly evenly matched throughout the course. It was not until the final climb that Ed gained a slim advantage. I watched Ed and Rosalie pull away and overtake Brad Clarke (BOC) but could do nothing about it with the previous day's K’s in my arms. Yes, there was a lot of double pole in Bethel, but there was even more in Orono. I was also worried about Kirsten Beaudry, who I have raced here several times, Jessica Bolduc, who was having a great race and too close for comfort, and Ian Blair, who has been known to surge by me on the last climb. The order stayed the same to the finish with Jessica making ground on Kirsten and Ian.
Jud Hartmann continued to power through the second lap, slowly gaining on Nirmegh. Andrew Craighead (Ford Sayre) took advantage of battling septuagenarians with his M7 youth in the final stage of the race, picking the two spots with a little pep, having not been immersed in the duel. Several others were on the upswing during the second lap, including Michele Smith, Victor Golovkin, Mark Lena (Maine Nordic), and Angeline Andrew. Bruce Katz finished out the double weekend skiing even with Gordon Scanell.
Skiers enjoyed some post-race cookies and Gatorade. I was a huge fan of the chocolate chip cookies and made one or two extra trips to grab a couple more! Tired skiers mingled around the finish line, sharing different aspects of the race. The climb up Millbrook is a tough way to finish, so people tend to need a little extra time to recover. Having just thrown down another incredible race, Jud
Hartmann’s decision-making was a little questionable when he grabbed Victor Golovkin's skis and poles for a cooldown. Victor was beside himself with Jud’s skis and poles, which looked like toys in the big man’s hands. Both took the mishap in stride and had a good laugh during the awards ceremony.
Once again, the winter of 2025 delivered for the New England skiers! The Bethel Village Trails crew did an excellent job of preparing the course in the short window between the storm and the start. The joint organization between the Bethel Outing Club and Nonstop Nordic staffed the race with plenty of spirit and enthusiasm. It is a great event that brings whole families together to enjoy winter, and what a day to do it!
Damian
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