March 24, 2009 (Donner Summit, CA) – More than a foot of snow fell on Donner Summit overnight Saturday and continued prior to the start of the annual California Gold Rush, a 46km cross-country ski race held at Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort. The weather resulted in a delayed start and slight course change. The races started at 9:30 a.m. and instead of a two-lap 21km loop, Gold Rush competitors skied three laps of a 15km loop.

Silver Rush Competitors skied two laps (30k) and Bronze Rush skied a 9km. The only thing more challenging than trying to skate ski through the soft, fresh snow was the visibility, or lack of. Out of an elite field of racers, Adam Swank, 33, of Duluth, Minn. won the Gold Rush race with a time of 2:28.49. The Minnesotan said the conditions were the toughest he’d ever seen at the race. There were sections where it was coming down so hard, he was trying to skate through “boot-high” snow. “It was like an expedition out there,” said. “There were times when you couldn’t see the trail in front of you.”

Swank took the early lead, around 7km, and managed to hold his lead the entire race. His best finish prior to Sunday was 2nd in 2007. Behind Swank by two minutes was Nikolai Anikin, also from Duluth, with a time of 2:30.36. Ian Case of Truckee, the top local finisher, hung on for third with a time of 2:34.17.

On the women’s side, Katerina Vinogradova of Auburn won with a time of 2:45.22. Behind Vinogradova were Sarah Max of Bend, Ore., with a time of 2:51.03 and Lenka Palanova of Boulder, Colo., with a time of 2:56.00.

Swank had nothing but praise for the race organizers and groomers who dealt with the challenging conditions. “They did a good job,” Swank said as he enjoyed the post race food. “The free beer and chili (for racers) will keep you coming back.” Besides the racing, Swank said he enjoys coming to the Sierras to train in the 60-degree spring weather. “I love coming out here,” Swank said.

Silver and Bronze Rush
In the shorter races it was all about girl power. Joanne Reid, 16, of Palo Alto was the first-place female (2nd overall) finisher with a time of 32:50.5 in the Bronze Rush. Behind Reid was Janelle Webb with a time of 40:18.0 and Nancy Rosenblum with a time of 40:29.7.

The first place male was Truckee junior Justin Ondry, with a time of 31:58.3 followed by Alex Kopytko (38:02.8) and Bill Aaron (39:40.5), also from Truckee.

The top two finishers in the Silver Rush were Beth Reid (Joanne’s mom) of Palo Alto with a time of 1:47.46 followed by Cathy Howard of Truckee with a time of 1:57.48. The 3rd place female was Kari Rust with a time of 2:04.09. The men’s race was won by Adam Wright of Truckee with a time of 2:00.58 followed by Glenn Jobe with a time of 2:01:21 and Scott Fairman with a time of 2:01.30.

The 2009 California Gold Rush was hosted by Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort and sponsored by Fischer, Solomon and Hammer Gel. One-hundred percent of proceeds go toward developing youth and junior skiers in the region. For complete results go to farwestnordic.org