February 11, 2008 (Pinkham Notch, NH) – When the cannon sounded at 10:00 a.m. for the start of the Great Glen Nordic 300 at Great Glen Trails in Pinkham Notch, NH, the skies were clear and sunny. By the time the cannon fired at 3:00 p.m. signaling the end of the race, heavy snow and wind was in the face of every competitor. A lot can happen in five hours of Nordic skiing.

Phil Lawson of Bethlehem, NH won the men’s solo skate completing 11 laps in 4:57:15, and Kellie Carmin of Gorham, NH won the women’s solo skate with 8 laps in 4:38:53. Steve Piotrow of Jackson, NH won the men’s classic division with 9 laps in 4:32:34. His wife, Meredith Piotrow took home the women’s classic title with 8 laps in 4:49:09.

On the team side, Josh Plog of Avon, ME and David Huish of Farmington, ME won the men’s skate division with 13 laps in 4:54:25. The women’s skate division was won by Ellise Lawson of Bethlehem, NH and Nicole Kellogg of Littleton, NH. In the mixed skate category, David Penney and Beth Woodbury both of Lyndeborough, NH took the victory with 9 laps in 4:39:55. Nat Steele and Mary Lou Lowry both of New Gloucester, ME skied 9 laps in 4:59:33 to win the mixed classic division. The Great Glen Nordic 300 is open to all ages, and Asher Solnit of Bath, NH and Alex Lawson of Bethlehem, NH won the mixed skate for juniors with 6 laps in 4:46:45.

The Great Glen Nordic 300 is a 300-minute cross country ski race for solo racers or teams of two. The goal is to ski as many laps of the 6-kilometer course as possible within the 300-minute time limit. Teams can be of mixed age and gender, and teams can use either skate or classic technique.

Here’s a Great Glen Nordic 300 video – for complete results, photos are available here.



In March, Great Glen Trails will host another unique ski challenge: Ski to the Clouds, North America’s Toughest 10k. Presented by Maxiglide, Ski to the Clouds climbs 2200 vertical feet up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. For more information click here.

Great Glen Trails is open daily for cross country skiing and snowshoeing with 40km. SnowCoach tours up the Mt. Washington Auto Road are also running daily. Complete details and snow conditions available here.