January 29, 2008 (Cable, Wisconsin) – The USSA Cross Country SuperTour resumed with a midweek sprint in Duluth, Minnesota on Jan 23, and huge fields of athletes for weekend distance races at Telemark Resort in Wisconsin’s North Woods on Jan. 25-27. An eye-opening 449 skiers competed Saturday and 378 on Sunday.

Marius Korthauer, the German import who races (impressively) for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, took the sprint and then won both distance races, a 10km skate race Saturday and a 15km classic technique race Sunday.

Weather forecasts of extreme weather forced cancellation of the Jan. 19-20 races at Mount Itasca outside Duluth. By midweek, it was still below zero, but 35 hardy men and women turned out for the Telemark Sprints in Duluth. Czech Martina Stursova was thje women’s sprint winner in -2 F. weather.

Saturday, temperatures had moderated and were in the mid-teens. Good thing since a huge pack of skiers was ready to roll. Maria Stuber of North Michigan University edged NMU teammate Morgan Smyth for the SuperTour 5km victory. Stuber’s winning time was 15:44.8, just 3.1 seconds ahead of Smyth. Completing the podium was Johanna Winters of Team CXC.

Korthauer cruised to the men’s 10km win in a time of 27:01.3 with Bryan Cook, another NMU product now skiing for Team Atomic/Swix, runner-up (27:13.5). Dartmouth grad Brayton Osgood, racing for Team Fischer-Craft and XC Oregon, was third, another 19.5 seconds out.

Sunday, Korthauer won the two-lap 15km classic technique race one second, finishing in 39:21.2 with Zach Violett second. Cook finished third. The women’s 10km CL was won by Sweden’s Kristina Strandberg, the onetime New Mexico skier who races for The Factory Team. Her time 30:10 was two seconds up on Smyth with Aurelia Korthauer third.

For full results click here. The Capitol Sprints are next on the SuperTour Feb. 2-3 in Madison, Wisconsin.