November 24, 2012 (West Yellowstone, MO) – Rosie Brennan (APU) won the women’s opening round of this season’s USSA SuperTour in West Yellowstone. Originally from Park City, Utah, Brennan established herself among the top tier of eastern collegiate racers while at Dartmouth with regular podium finishes. Now skiing for Erik Flora’s well known Alaska Pacific University program, that spawned Kikkan Randall and Holly Brooks among others, we caught up with Brennan following her victory…

First, congrats on the West win. If I’m not mistaken, this your first SuperTour victory, right? Either way, this must be such a nice way to start the season.
Rosie Brennan: Thank you! Yes, this is my first SuperTour win. So, yeah, I am quite excited about it. It is great to start the season on a high note, particularly when the early season races count for a little more this year.

You’ve been up in Anchorage for most of the fall, again training and racing for Alaska Pacific University team?  Tell us a little about how the preparation season has gone for you and your teammates.
RB: I have been in Anchorage since May with the exception of a few training camps. This fall was tougher than most in Anchorage. We didn’t get the early snow, so we have been skiing up high, but it was pretty limited in terms of terrain, being able to test race skis, and ski twice a day. I still have not skied in a set classic track. But in terms of training our hearts and muscles, we still had a very productive fall. We trained pretty hard up until the week before traveling here with lots of bounding intervals and ski intervals when possible.

How is it for you to race up on the plateau?
RB: I raced on the plateau a few years back so it wasn’t totally foreign to me, but it’s always a little different to race a point to point on a narrow-and-elevation-gain course. It is actually not unlike the skiing we had available in Anchorage this fall, so that is always a bonus. Growing up at altitude (Rosie grew up in Park City, skiing with the Park City Ski Team and Gordon Lange) has left me some ease in reverting back to racing at altitude, despite living many years at sea level now. I think these early years really help out with racing at altitude.

Tell us about your race. Probably one of the quietest times on a race course ever. How was it not receiving this auditory stimulus, or many race splits and the like?
RB: It was a full-on lung burner, that’s for certain. A handful of coaches were out there, and most gave me some sort of split or cheer so it wasn’t totally silent. Having only done time trials this year, in which there usually aren’t fans, it really didn’t seem that different to me. I was pretty early on in the A seed so I was trying not to focus too much on the splits because I knew many fast girls were behind me.  Because the course was very much a constant-output course, it didn’t seem that fast or short to me. It’s rare you have to work continually for 20-some minutes in a race.

I set some goals before I started about technique and focused on those most of the time, so I wouldn’t focus on the amount left. Skating has been a big focal point for me this summer. I had a lot to think about out there in terms of techniques, and I also really wanted to prove to myself that I was improving in skate technique. I skied on a brand new pair of Rossignols, so those in combination with our incredible wax techs left me some great skis for today. One challenge was finishing out in the middle of nowhere. I was fortunate to have had people bring down dry clothes and a PowerBar for the ski out.

What are your thoughts on just about punching your ticket to the early season Canadian World Cups with today’s effort?
RB: My goal for these early season races is definitely to qualify for the World Cups in Canada. I am pleased with having a solid effort in the right direction. I am hoping my sprint skills have improved as much as well!

Rosie, thank you for your time. Best of luck with the rest of the season, and the upcoming Bozeman race series as well.
RB: Thanks