RESULTS: Ryan Harris and Sarah Newmister conquer The Beast!
Mon, Mar 3, 2025 - By John Gravlin and Mike Muha
Hanson Hills / Cross Country Ski Shop teammates Ryan Harris and Drew Moore raced to a photo finish in the 2025 Black Mountain Freestyle, aka "The Beast". Harris prevailed but by only four-tenths of a second, 32:29.1 to 32:29.5. Denny Paull (Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team) somehow managed to finish third in 35:04: He had spent the morning grooming and removing windstorm trash from the trail, then walking over a mile back to the parking lot after the groomer broke down!!!!
Sarah Newmister (Team NordicSkiRacer) was the women’s overall winner - her first Black Mountain victory and first Michigan Cup win of the season - taking the victory in 43:20. Mary Schlimmer-Willoughby (Hanson Hills / Cross Country Ski Shop) was second in 47:54, followed by Saturday’s classic champion, Deanna Spencer (Cross Country Ski Headquarters) in 49:48.
Sarah Newmister commented, "Awesome course, skiing was so much fun. I have more control on my skate skis and the snow had softened up a little. Skiing with such joy brought me the win today!" Sean Newmister commented, "Holy lactate!"
Conditions were BLISTERING FAST but thanks to Paull’s grooming efforts, very manageable and fun. The race was 11km and featured around 1,000 of climbing.
Men |
|||
| Place | Bib | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 103 | Ryan Harris | 32:29.1 |
| 2 | 105 | Drew Moore | 32:29.5 |
| 3 | 101 | Denny Paull | 35:03.7 |
| 4 | 123 | Sean Newmister | 35:08.9 |
| 5 | 104 | Yvon Dufour | 35:46.3 |
| 6 | 100 | John Gravlin | 38:35.1 |
| 7 | 119 | Theo Vonwallmenich | 40:51.2 |
| 8 | 129 | Joel Heeres | 41:05.0 |
| 9 | 118 | James Beebe | 41:30.5 |
| 10 | 115 | Jackson Tucker | 42:52.5 |
| 11 | 120 | Doug Cornell | 44:05.4 |
| 12 | 140 | Mike Temkin | 46:36.2 |
| 13 | 137 | Dan Dubes | 49:50.8 |
| 14 | 116 | Tim Spencer | 53:43.1 |
| 15 | 126 | Tom Wernette | 53:56.7 |
| 16 | 109 | Andrew Miller | 54:45.9 |
| 17 | 108 | Rick Neier | 55:34.7 |
| 18 | 141 | Dan Nolan | 1:15:02 |
| Robin Luce | DNS | ||
Women |
|||
| Place | Bib | Name | Time |
| 1 | 122 | Sarah Newmister | 43:19.8 |
| 2 | 111 | Mary Schlimmer-Willoughby | 47:53.9 |
| 3 | 112 | Deanna Spencer | 49:47.6 |
| 4 | 131 | Wendy Anderson | 55:23.2 |
| 5 | 136 | Linda Weeks-Kaleita | 1:12:12 |
| 6 | 125 | Gwen Stevenson | 1:27:07 |
| 7 | 138 | Leslie Maclin | 1:45:04 |