Teams celebrating on the podium. © Rob Whitney

March 25, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska) – Alaska Pacific University (APU) dominated the inaugural 4 x 5km Mixed Relay on first day of racing at the 2014 U.S. National Championships establishing itself as the strongest Nordic club in the country.

The APU-1 team of all stars including Reese Hanneman, Sadie Bjornsen, Erik Bjornsen and Kikkan Randall took the crown by a 45.6-second margin over a strong Stratton Mountain School that included Andy Newell, Sophie Caldwell, Simi Hamilton and Jessie Diggins.

Kikkan Randall celebrates victory. © Rob Whitney

“Alaska is delivering big time right now,” said Randall, the four-time Olympian from Anchorage who served as APU’s anchor.

Not only did Alaska see its most prestigious club crush the competition, but it also witnessed history on a bright, beautiful evening at Kincaid Park. Never before had the U.S. National Championships host a mixed-gender, mixed-technique relay.

Stratton cheering on their second team approaching finish line. © Rob Whitney

The men started the relay with two classic legs of a 3.3-kilometer loop. They tagged off to the women, who also raced that loop twice. Then came the men, who switched techniques and raced two freestyle legs of a 2.5-kilometer loop. The women finished their two freestyle laps in the stadium.

“This worked out perfectly,” said APU Nordic Ski Center director Erik Flora. “It was a chance to show off your club pride.”

Brian Gregg (l) and Reese Hanneman R, leading pack right out of start. © Rob Whitney

It was also a chance for Hanneman, a 24-year-old skier from Fairbanks, to show his fellow Americans that he’s on the verge of becoming the next big thing in U.S. skiing.

Hanneman established a 10-second lead over sprint sensation Andy Newell after completing the first lap of the classic loop. The wide gap didn’t end there and by the time he tagged Sadie Bjornsen to end the classical portion, he had built APU’s lead to about 12 seconds.

“Attacking two kilometers into a six-kilometer race is a really hard distance to start out with,” Hanneman told Trax. “You basically have to be sprinting – and that’s a long time to be sprinting.”

Reese Hanneman leading at 3 km. © Rob Whitney

At first Hanneman wanted to ski with the pack until the second lap. But at the bottom of the first big climb, he found a burst of energy and accelerated past everybody. In what seemed like a split second, he committed to taking a lead that was never relinquished.

“If you don’t commit, it doesn’t work,” Hanneman added.

Bjornsen said she and Hanneman talked strategy before the race. She asked him, “So what should we do?” He didn’t really have a set game plan, so she gave him her two cents.

“I told him, ‘You should go hard from the start,’ ” she shared. “That’s exactly what he did. He set the tone from the beginning and we just followed suit.”

Sadie Bjornsen leading her leg. © Rob Whitney

His fast and furious start allowed Bjornsen, her brother Erik, and Randall to put it on cruise control all the way to the end and finish in 55 minutes, 51 seconds. Stratton Mountain-1 finished second in 56:37 and APU-2 – Lex Treinen, Rosie Brennan, David Norris, Holly Brooks – placed third in 57:09.

The Bjornsens have been skiing together for 20 years. Sadie told us this was the first time she had ever skied in a relay race with her younger brother.

Erik Bjornsen right after taking tag, heading out on his lap. © Rob Whitney

“That was pretty neat,” commented Bjornsen. “I didn’t realize it until I was tagging him and I said to myself, ‘Oh, that’s kinda cool.'” She would like to see the mixed-gender relay race someday become an event on the World Cup circuit. “It’s more than just a relay,” she added. “It incorporates a lot of diversity.”

Stratton having a post race cheer. © Rob Whitney

The U.S. National Championships concludes on March 28 on the foothills of the Chugach Mountains starting with the women’s 30-K classic and wraps up with the men’s 50-K classic.

The double podium finish for APU pays tribute to Erik Flora’s renowned program at Alaska Pacific University – read more here.

Live timing results w/Splits here.