March 24, 2012 (Mont Ste-Anne, QC) – The Junior/Elite Women’s Classic 20/30km race is up next on the final day of competition at the 2012 Haywood Ski Nationals in MSA. The Elite women will complete six (6) laps for 3okm while the juniors will start 5min after the senior women and complete four (4) laps of the 5km course for 20km. Weather: a beautiful sight, the sun is peaking through, but cloud cover keeps temperatures just above zero at +1, with the wind picking up slightly.

Lap 1
Good start for the women as Dasha Gaiazova – last year’s 30km skate champ – heads out across the stadium in lead position. A red wave with two Norwegians in the lead pack is just behind and several Canadian national team uniforms are there all double poling in synch.

Notes: skiers have learned some tips from the men’s race – the tracks on the uphills are all erased, and downhills remain fast while the corners are starting to break up.

Junior Women have now started after a 5-minute break skiing behind the seniors for four laps around the same 5km course.

Lap 2
The Senior Women complete the first lap in 15:50.48. The new leader is Chandra Crawford, followed by Gaiazova then Perianne Jones and the two Norwegians – all within 3.5 seconds.

Junior Women – just finished lap 1 in a tight pack of 8 led by Maya McIsaac-Jones and Anne Marie Comeau in a time of 17:06

The are being followed closely by Frederique Vezina, Rebecca Reid, Janelle Greer, Dariah Beatty, Centrine Brown, and Michelle Workun-Hill – all within 3 seconds

Lap 3
Gaiazova is back in the lead as they start the third of six laps in 31:35 with a lap time of 15:44. Crawford remains in second followed by Peri in third and the two Norwegians.

Emily Nishikawa is racing on her own at 1 min 10 sec behind – then it’s Kate Brennan and Zoe Roy another 20 seconds behind. Conditions should be stable out on the course, as the temperature is steady at +1, and the course is well skied in.

Junior Women – starting the penultimate third lap it’s Rebecca Reid, Maya Macisaac-Jones and Anne-Marie Comeau in the lead with 12 seconds over Dahria Beatty and Janelle Greer both of Whitehorse followed closely by the youngster Frederique Vezina and Michelle  top group all within 20 secs.

Previous lap time was 17 minutes for a total of 34:07

Lap 4 – Final Lap for the Juniors
Senior women are coming thru to finish their third lap and begin lap 4 lead by Crawford and Gaiazova, and the two Norwegians Ragnhild Haga and Britt Ingunn Nydal. Perianne Jones has dropped back with about 30 seconds to catch up.

Crawford came thru with a lap time of 16:07 on lap 3 and a total running time of 47:43.

Macisaac-Jones in a Rocky Mtn Racer blue/yellow racing suit is wearing the Leader’s bib and is now out front skiing on her own. She is being followed by Rebecca Reid (#216) and Anne-Marie Comeau (#214).

The pack is splitting up beind – still within two minutes of the leader are Greer (#215) at 1:16, Workun Hill (#213) at 1:36 then Beatty and Vezina.

Notes: of key interest in this race is that the leaders are very young. Macisaac-Jones was born in 1995, thus technically is a Junior Girl; and Anne Marie Comeau is a Juvenille Girl. Also racing up front is a Norwegian Junior Girl (#220) Marte Haakenstad Braaten presently in 12th position.

Bow Valley skier Macisaac-Jones entered the stadium all on her own with a time 1:08:39.84. The Alberta skier has already one gold and one silver in her 2012 Nationals collection. No other skier was in sight as she crossed the line – a brilliant week for Maya.

Rebecca Reid from Black Jack, BC scored her third silver medal while Anne-Marie Comeau, technically a Juvi girl, was third today.
Fourth goes to Janelle Greer, 5th to Michelle Workun Hill, 6th to Dahria Beatty and 7th to Frederique Vezina.

Unofficial
1. Maya Macisaac-Jones (Rocky Mountain) 1:08:39.84
2. Rebecca Reid (Black Jack) 1:09:35.25
3. Anne-Marie Comeau (M.S.A.) 1:09:55.29

Lap 5
The Senior Women’s four leaders – two Canadians and two Norwegians – have completed lap 4 with Norwegian Ragnhild Haga now leading with a chip of 16:43.92 for the lap and a running time of 1:04:29.36 as they start the penultimate lap with Gaiazova in 2nd, Crawford 3rd and Ingunn Nydal in 4th

Perianne Jones is in 5th skiing her own race, a first for this Sprint specialist who has had her strongest international racing year this season.

Speaking with Peri last evening she really didn’t know what to expect and was looking forward to today capping off a fantastic international racing season. She plans to spend next week catching up with family and friends in Ottawa and Almonte, Ontario, before heading back to Canmore, her ski home with boyfriend and National Team wax guru Joel Jacques. Then it’s off to Corsica, for fun in the sun and a ‘whole’ body tan 🙂

Coming up…the finish of the Junior Women’s race (see above).

Lap 6 FINAL
Going into their last lap the Senior Women are getting serious and really working hard. Crawford crossed the chip timing just ahead of Gaiazova, who’s skis look to be slipping slightly. The two Norwegians are three ski lengths behind in third and fourth.

Crawford’s lap time was 16:43.32 with a running total at 1:21:13.

Crawford attacks and has broken away from the group – she’s an Olympic Sprint gold medallist so she knows how to lay down a top result. If she wins this race it will be her first distance gold National title…

Crawford comes in alone for the WIN.

Second is not even in sight… it’s Norwegian Britt Ingunn Nydal in second with Ragnhild Haga third and Gaiazova in the slip stream of the lead pack in 4th taking the championship silver with Nakkertok’s Perianne Jones earning the bronze.

Unofficial
1. Chandra Crawford (Canmore) 1:36:51.66
2. Britt Ingunn Nyda ((Njaard) 1:37:05.40
3. Ragnhild Haga (Heming IL) 1:37:46.08
4. Daria Gaiazova (Rocky Mountain) 1:37:52.51
5. Perianne Jones (Nakkertok-ON) 1:42:18.66