Skiathlon debuts in 2021 Vasa Festival of Races

Wed, May  13, 2020 - By Mike Muha

The North American Vasa recently posted the 2021 Vasa Festival of Races event on Facebook. Hidden in the details - a Skiathlon that will marque the event:

Unlike a pursuit race, where the skiers race a classic race, then race a freestyle race later in the day or even the next day, with the best overall time winning, a Skiathlon is like a triathlon: you ski one event, go into a transition zone, change equipment, and immediately ski the next leg. Time in the transition zone counts as part of your overall race time.

The race would continue to start at Timber Ridge Resort. The Skiathlon would consist of two 16K laps, the 1st being classic, and the 2nd being skate. At the the transition point, racers would ski up Michigan Street, turn left into bib-numbered transition lanes (yellow markings on the map below), swap out boots, skis, and/or poles as needed, and exit right onto Abigail Street for the second leg. This is similar to how it is done in the Olympics and World Cup.

The Vasa Board consulted with the Michigan Cup Committee, requesting the Skiathlon receive full Michigan Cup points. The Michigan Cup Committee endorsed the request.

The Skiathlon replaces the 50k event. There will still be a freestyle race on Saturday, and racers in the freestyle will receive partial Michigan Cup Points. On Sunday, 16km senior and 6km junior classic races will be held, but the longer 32km race will be dropped. These race will provide full Michigan Cup points.

We await more details from the Vasa Board. This should be an exciting event!