Canadian Ski Marathon
Feb. 8-9, Lachute to Buckingham, Que. The 37th annual Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) drew some 2,066 skiers for classic skiing in Quebec's Laurentian Hills. The 160K event, billed as the world's longest cross-country ski tour, reverses direction every second year. In 2003, it started in Lachute and finished in Buckingham, on the outskirts of Ottawa. Some 227 skiers vied for the coveted Gold Coureur des Bois medal, attempting the entire distance and bivouac camping outdoors on Saturday night. Skiers as young as five and as old as 85 completed at least one 12-kilometre section of the trail. John Kane, CSM president, declared: “We could not have asked for a better weekend-a double-tracked ski trail groomed to perfection, ideal temperatures, and 500 volunteers promoting a spirit of fitness, friendship, and fun.” The fastest overall skier was Phil Shaw of Morin Heights, Que.

Canadian Birkebeiner
Feb. 8, Edmonton, Alta. The 17th Birky was held near Edmonton, Alta., on Feb. 8. The winner of the 55K Torskeklubben Birkebeiner (with pack) was Tuck Dale of Grande Cache, Alta., with a total time of 3:35:07, while Penny Thompson of Grovedale, Alta., carried that honour for the women with a time of 4:16:23. Winner of the 55K Birkie Lite (no pack) was Stephen Waterreus of Whitehorse, Yukon, with a time of 3:19:50. Shayla Swanson of Calgary was the first-place woman with a time of 3:49:50. Birkebeiner refers to the birchbark legging worn by Viking warriors in 13th-century Norway. Two such warriors were entrusted with saving the infant prince Hakon Hakonsson from an enemy army. They skied him 55 kilometres to safety. Hence, began the tradition still
celebrated today.

Mora Vasaloppet
Feb. 9, Mora, Minn. Sparse snow cover forced the race to be relocated to Knife Lake, Minn., where excellent grooming made up for the lack of snow. Race co-ordinator Laurel Roberson described conditions as “very cold and windy” for the 1,529 participants. Events at the 31st Vasaloppet on Feb. 9 included the 45K skate, the 30K skate, and the 30K classic. Last year's winner of the 45K skate, Chad Giese, who grew up in Mora, finished with 1:46:20, just ahead of Marc Gilbertson. Among the women, Olympian Nina Kemppel came in with 2:00:31.0 on the clock. Kemppel and Giese won tickets to Sweden's Vasaloppet next year, which had 15,730 participants in 2003.

Keskinada Loppet
Feb. 14-16, Hull, Que., and Ottawa, Ont.
The Keskinada Loppet in Gatineau Park, near Ottawa, was held from Feb. 15-16. Keskinada is billed as Canada's biggest cross-country ski event. Despite temperatures of 25ºC on Sunday and “extremely difficult” conditions for the race, a new record attendance was established as 3,428 hardy skiers participated in the 50K, 25K, 10K, and 2K races. For the 25th annual Keskinada, the 50K free style loppet was “the year of the Italians.” Unofficial results have Gianantonio Zanatel winning with a time of 1:52:51.8, followed by Italian teammates to wrap up the second, third, and fourth places. On the women's side, fellow Italian Lara Peyrot came in first with a time of 2:12:58.9. Best (for men and women) Canadian times were Charles Nadeau, in seventh place with 1:58:25.9 on the clock and Sheila Kealey in fourth with 2:25:24.7. The 50K classic ski turned into a heat with strongman Phil Shaw leading the pack much of the race. Guido Visser (2:15:25.2) barely passed Shaw (2:15:25.7) at the finish, and Chad Yurich (2:20.41.4) squeaked into third place, beating former Olympian Pierre Harvey. Yurich is from Sault Saint Marie, Ont., while the other three are all from Quebec.

Johnson Bank American Birkebeiner
Feb. 20-22, Cable/Hayward, Wis. The American Birkebeiner and the Kortelopet took place Feb. 22, from Cable to Hayward, Wisc. The event, now North America's largest and most prestigious cross-country ski marathon, attracted 5,623 skiers. The Birkebeiner is part of the Worldloppet international circuit, the International Ski Federation Marathon Cup, and the American Ski Marathon series. Events culminated with the 51K Birkebeiner and the 23K Kortelopet. The Italians dominated the 51K race, as they did in 2002, with Gianantonio Zanatel recapturing his title and clocking 2:10:57.6. Italians claimed second, third, and fourth in the men's division, while Italy's Lara Peyrot captured the women's title with a time of 2:24:21.8. She was followed by second-place finisher Katerina Hanusova from Truckee, Calif., in 2:25:12.4 and third-place finisher Brooke Baughman from Ketchum, Idaho with a time of 2:25:17.9. Both Zanatel and Peyrot won here a week after their Keskinada wins. Garret Heath of Winona, Minn., won the 23K Kortelopet at 1:03:57.6, while the fastest woman was Sonne Nordgren of Marine on St. Croix, Minn., who clocked 1:14:09.2. Sparse snow plagued the Midwest early this winter, but organizers did a great job. Zanetel described the course as being “in very good condition.”