February 17, 2018 (Gatineau, Que.) – The mood was most definitely festive as today’s Gatineau Loppet skiers hit the trails of Gatineau Park. More than 1,200 of them gathered at the start line on day one of the competitions, bolstered by excellent conditions and ideal temperatures.

The first two classic styles, which started simultaneously this morning on the trails of Gatineau Park, were the 51 km SWIX, from P17 in Wakefield, and the 27 km OTTO’S BMW and SUBARU, from École secondaire Mont-Bleu. The 51 km classic was back again this year as a linear race to the delight of skiers.

Results

51 KM CLASSIC SWIX
Men
1st place: Petter Soleng Skinstad (2:26:57.2) Lillehammer, NOR
2nd place: Andy Shields (2:26:59.1) Thunder Bay, CAN
3rd place: Maarten Solen Skinstad (2:28:16.3) Lillehammer, NOR

Women
1st place: Kamila Borutova (2:54:00.2), CZE
2nd place: Karen Messenger (3:08:35.9) Canmore, CAN
3rd place: Lena Pichard (3:09:15.7) Estavayer-le-Lac, SUI

27 KM CLASSIC OTTO’S BMW / SUBARU
Men
1st place: Alec MacLean (1:19:55.0) Oro-Medonte, CAN
2nd place: Bruce Macneil (1:21:13.4) Rosemère, CAN
3rd place: Declan Barber (1:23:53.0) Oro-Medonte, CAN

Women
1st place: Madison Fraser (1:36:09.9) North Bay, CAN
2nd place: Jessica Roach (1:43:50.1) Coldwater, CAN
3rd place: Joann Hanowski (1:44:16.4) Underhill Center, USA

15 KM CLASSIC AUCLAIR
Men
1st place: Mats Halvorsen (00:42:54.0) Chelsea, CAN
2nd place: Andrew Hayman (00:44:20.1) Kanata, USA
3rd place: Tyler Allan (00:44:20.4) Ottawa, CAN

Women
1st place: Marianne Scherrer (00:50:48.3) Lévis, CAN
2nd place: Lotte Kallio (00:56:00.9) South Chelsea, CAN
3rd place: Marianne Lévesque (1:01:35.7) Ottawa, CAN

5 KM CLASSIC PHYSIO AVANTAGE PLUS
Men
1st place: Benjamin Croteau (00:13:15.7) Cantley, CAN
2nd place: Brennan Nobles (00:15:47.5) Saranac Lake, USA
3rd place: Simon Létourneau (00:16:54.8) Prevost, CAN

Women
1st place: Stellan Duncan (00:15:02.0) Chelsea, CAN
2nd place: Britt Halvorsen (00:15:33.1) Chelsea, CAN
3rd place: Sarah Macintosh (00:15:34.4) Ottawa, CAN

40 KM FATBIKE
Men
1st place: Jim Deguire (02:02:28.0) Kanata, CAN
Women
1st place: Véronique Fortin (02:26:26.1) Gatineau, CAN

20 KM FATBIKE
Men
1st place: Patrick Séguin (01:01:12.4) Gatineau, CAN
Women
1st place: Donna Winter (01:15:55.8) Newmarket, CAN

10 KM FATBIKE
Men
1st place: Christian Caron (00:36:37.5) Gatineau, CAN
Women
1st place: Marie-Pier Lefebvre Lachance (00:44:34.8) Gatineau, CAN

“We would like to congratulate and thank all of the participants and the winners on this first day of the competition,” indicated Gatineau Loppet President Claude Laramée. Tomorrow’s races, the freestyle and snowshoe, will start at 9 a.m. at École secondaire Mont-Bleu. Once again the weather promises to be great and perfect for the freestyle, and there are still spots available in each of the races! In addition, there will be entertainment all day long, including traditional musicians, maple taffy, outdoor activities for kids, a grand tepee, hot chocolate, the XC Ski Show, and more.

For additional information visit here.