Canadians from across the country flocked to Whitehorse for the Bill Gairdner Masters National Cross-Country Skiing Championship, which took place at the Whitehorse Nordic Centre from Feb. 19 to 23.
The national championship event saw 80 to 90 cross-country skiers travel to the Yukon from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland. In total, 144 skiers competed, said Whitehorse Nordic Centre general manager Ben Poudou.
The Bill Gairdner Masters National Cross-Country Skiing Championship spanned four days and included a mix of classic and skate races, with varying distances based on the age categories of participants, Poudou said.
The course was set around the Whitehorse Nordic Centre’s chalet and stadium area, adjacent to the Whitehorse Canada Games Centre, with the longer 20-kilometre course extending southward into the Mt. McIntyre Recreation Area.
The shorter five-kilometre skate and classic races took place on Feb. 19 and 20, while the 20-kilometre skate and classic races occurred over the weekend from Feb. 22 to 23.
Simon Lapointe from the Yukon emerged as the overall fastest male skier on Feb. 19 and 20 during the five-kilometre classic and skate races, clocking times of 17 minutes, 40 seconds and 14 minutes, respectively.
Similarly, Shalane Frost from the Fairbanks Nordic Ski Club in Alaska, the only non-Canadian competitor, won overall during the skate and classic races on Feb. 19 and 20. She registered times of 19 minutes, 45 seconds on Feb. 19 and 15 minutes, 16 seconds on Feb. 20.
The final two days of racing, on Feb. 22 and 23, saw athletes ski across a 20-kilometre course with 266 metres of elevation. Lindsay Adam from Alberta logged the fastest overall times during the weekend races in the female category. She completed the 20-kilometre course in one hour, 12 minutes and 13 seconds on Saturday, and finished the skate race in one hour, five minutes and two seconds on Sunday.
In the men's category, Albertan Shawn Bunnin logged the fastest overall time during the classic race on Saturday with a time of one hour, one minute and 39 seconds. Yukoner David Greer emerged as the fastest skier during the skate race on Sunday, logging a time of 58 minutes and 58 seconds.
Approximately 50 to 60 Yukoners volunteered to make the event a success, Poudou said. "We recruited through our membership and ski community. We have a membership of 2,300 people," Poudou mentioned.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
