.: Ski XCOttawa.ca :: Skiing in Ottawa and Gatineau Park

Eastern Championships February 4/5th, 2006
By:  Linnea Rudachyk   (2006/02/08)

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I woke up to the sound of rain early Friday morning. In disbelief I glanced at the calendar, was it really February 3rd? Was it really one day before the Eastern Canadian Championships? There is only one word that came to mind, klister, klister, klister… We have had a very unusually winter here in Ottawa, one that doesn’t really benefit those involved in winter sports, however we make do. I arrived at Nakkertok in the early afternoon of the 3rd and it was still raining. It was a very wet ski to say the least. All of us who were there, skiers and coaches alike, were hoping that the following days forecast would not include rain.

 

Saturday morning was around 5 degrees, however there was no rain, at last!! Nakkertok was very busy, as there were around 550 racers and 150 volunteers. Nakkertok volunteers put a lot of effort and work into making this weekend possible. The trails were well groomed, which was difficult with the rainy conditions. The coaches had a difficult job in front of them of waxing the men’s skis for the 10km classic race and the women’s for the 5km classic. (The women were lucky this time around as we got to hear how the men’s skis were before we made any final decisions.) Although it was a difficult job, I think our team managed to choose the right wax. Ed McCarthy was XC Ottawa’s top senior man on Saturday, placing 14th with a time of 33:59. Following him was his brother Tom McCarthy (16th), Pierre-Olivier Dorego (25th) and Andrew Wynd (27th). Wayne Dustin won the masters men with a time of 35:05. Our top senior woman was Sheila Kealey placing 12th with a time of 12.21, followed by Erika Langman (16th), Linnea Rudachyk (17th) and Eva Szabo (25th). To see results from Saturdays race visit, www.zone4.ca and click on results for the Eastern Championships.

Sunday morning started with a bit of rain, but later in the morning the rain turned to sun. It was also around 5 degrees. Sunday was a pursuit, which means you start according to your finishing time from Saturday’s classic race. The women skied a 10 km skate and the men skied a 15km skate. Our top senior man was once again, Ed McCarthy placing 13th with a time of 43:58, followed by Tom McCarthy, Andrew Wynd and P-O Dorego. Wayne Dustin won the masters men again with a time of 45:39. Our top senior woman was Sheila Kealey placing 12th, followed by Eva Szabo (14th), and Erika Langman (18th).

Nakkertok did a great job of organizing this race. Everything went relatively well the post race food was great! If only the food was like that after every race! Thanks once again to all of the volunteers who made the day run so smoothly. Thanks also to our coach John Suuronen (and Carleton University coaches, John Langstone, Don Moxley and Greg Marks) who did a great job of mastering the art of waxing yet again. All in all XC Ottawa had a very successful weekend.


 
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