RESULTS! Davis and Briggs win Krazy Klassic!

Mon, Jan  11, 2021 - By Mike Muha

UPDATE January 20, 2020: We found an error in the start time of two racers. When we fixed the times, Yvon Dufour and Steven Smigiel Jr moved into second and third place overall for the men in the 12k Krazy Klassic. Sorry for the error.

Don't tell Adam Haberkorn or Ken Roth, but the REAL reason I spent so much time organizing this weekend's racing was for one very important reason: to beat Tony Percha. After a lazy summer of little activity, my fellow teammate forced me to train with him at dawn and sometimes - GASP! - before dawn, with headlamps ablaze. Gradually he got me back into shape so I could beat him.

Well, he probably planned to beat me if truth were know. But not a chance.

So you think I really care that that Michael Davis put in an incredible performance to win the 12k Krazy Klassic 32:20.9. He double poled the entire course, a tactic done by many or most of the top skiers in the race. And those skiers also included second and third place finishers, Yvon Dufour and Steven Smigiel J. who completed the race in 33:06.0 and 33:12.0.

Michael Davis doublepoles to victory in the Krazy Klassic
(Photos by Doug Johanningsmeier)

Well, actually I do care. Michael's cool, and Yvon is a teammates on Team NordicSkiRacer, and any Smigiel is a good guy 'cause they are ski crazy!

GO TEAM NORDICSKIRACER!

Allen, just so you know, Yvon Dufour thinks he beat you! The jury is still out (out skiing I think), and we'll get back to you in a few days...

Jenna Briggs was the top women in the 12k! Congratulations Jenna for skiing away from the field in 52:18.2! (Jenna, do you belong to a Michigan Cup team? We'd love to have you on Team NordicSkiRacer! https://www.skisignup.com/TeamNSR. Don't tell the other teams...) My teammates Skye Schultz and Kirsten Hensley beat the rest of the field taking second and third in 58:41.1 and 59:22.7.

GO TEAM NORDICSKIRACER!

So I guess I do care. But let's get back to Tony, my training partner and arch nemesis. Well, nemesis is too strong a word - Tony is an awesome teammate. But he wants to beat me. Can't let that happen.

I was successful in the Frosty Freestyle. We took turns pulling the other each lap. It was his turn to pull on lap 5 and I could tell he was getting tired, so on the way to lap 6 I jumped around and never looked back.

OK, I did look back. I got a good gap on him, but I could still see him, and he wasn't losing ground. But he wasn't gaining either. And I crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead.

VICTORY IS MINE!

(We have to choose our battles).

The course was in fine shape at the start or the Krazy Klassic: double tracks leading to the loop in the woods, triple tracks in the woods, a second set of doubletracks leading to the finish and to the next lap. 12k racers skied 5 laps. The 7.5k racers skied three laps.

Speaking of the 7.5k, Edison Byrum won in 20:24.2. Good job! Keith McCaffery and Tim Gustafson took second and third in 29:48.4 and 30:11.0. Erica Aittama cruised to the women's victory in 32:23.8, followed by Cheryl Chidester in 45:50.0. Gotta race to place!

We had wave starts today, just like yesterday's Frosty Freestyle. Is was slightly cooler and cloudy, but still no real wind. Tony and I were in the 3rd wave. I has setup my Garmin Forerunner 945 to display distance and laps on the display. I worked great for the Frosty and I know exactly where we were. (I will admit I double-checked with Tony toward the end of lap 5 BEFORE I BEAT HIM).

I was moving displays around when I accidently pressed start, then stop, then the wave - and Tony - left me behind as I fiddled with my heart rate monitor to get the right distance, time and lap counts for the race. Tony was to the woods before I left the start! Fortunately, we were chip timing so not to worry.

But I did worry. I wanted to pace Tony to victory. So I charged like a madman to catch up. It took me a lap, but I made it and passed him!

I take the inside to Tony's right and PASS!

I felt invincible! I was magnanimous and let Tony draft. If a faster skier came by, though, I jumped behind to see if I could drop Tony.

Damn. He's still there. And I tried numerous times to drop him. We finished the fourth lap and Tony yells, "There's Doug Cornell! We can catch him" . Tony takes the lead and I draft.

Well, I try to draft. Double poling a classic race is hard! He's gapped me by the woods and continued to pull ahead slowly but surely. Maybe I shouldn't have sprinted to catch him in that first lap. I try my best not to lose ground but I lose sight off him...until the last straightaway in the woods. I round the last right corner and see him down the trail. I HAVE TIME TO CATCH HIM!

I'm double polling like mad. I think I can, I think I can, I THINK I CAN!

I can't. Tony beats me. My soul is crushed.

I put on the happy face and congratulate him on his victory. It's well deserved. And he is my good friend. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

And there's the Cote Dame Marie next weekend... Two out of three?

2021 Krazy Klassic Results

Women 12K
Overall	Bib	Name	City	State	Time	Pace	Place
1	339	Jenna Briggs	Bay City	MI	52:18.2	4:22	1
2	231	Skye Schultz	Ann Arbor	MI	58:41.1	4:53	2
3	232	Kirsten Hensley	Ann Arbor	MI	59:22.7	4:57	3
50-59 Women
4	233	Gwenn Stevenson	Oxford	MI	107:38.5	5:38	1
5	234	Kelly Kruper	Jones Mills	PA	107:55.1	5:40	2
Men 12K
Overall	Bib	Name	City	State	Time	Pace	Place
Top three overall
1	349	Michael Davis	Homer	MI	32:20.9	2:42	1
2	353	Yvon Dufour	Fowler	MI	34:49.8	2:54	2
3	355	Stephen Smigiel	Rockford	MI	34:54.6	2:55	3
20-29 Men
22	46	Kevin Vazquez	Novi	MI	47:42.4	3:59	1
24	45	Ian Nichols	Grosse Pointe	MI	48:47.7	4:04	2
43	245	William Markley	Birmingham	MI	1:12:31.0	6:03	3
30-39 Men
20	248	Ted Lind	Bay City	MI	45:22.6	3:47	1
34	246	Alex Russeau	Dundee	MI	59:34.8	4:58	2
42	247	Sean Labor	South Lyon	MI	1:11:01.3	5:55	3
40-49 Men
7	43	Charles Moore	Plymouth	MI	36:07.7	3:01	1
16	49	Jon Williams	Latrobe	PA	41:36.0	3:28	2
21	346	Riccardo Monaco	Pittsburgh	PA	47:07.0	4:12	3
40	47	Adam Haberkorn	Pinckney	MI	1:07:45.8	5:39	4
50-59 Men
2	371	Ricardo Lung			33:49.5	2:49	1
3	67	Allen Sorgenfrei	Livonia	MI	34:29.5	2:53	2
6	59	Jason Zimmerman	Latrobe	PA	35:19.7	2:56	3
12	79	John Britton	Zanesfield	OH	40:38.2	3:23	4
14	74	Tom Wernette	Holland	MI	40:48.2	3:24	5
15	72	Mike Temkin	Troy	MI	41:02.5	3:25	6
23	64	Adam Danes	Northville	MI	48:44.0	4:04	7
26	372	Sammi Kahra		MI	49:30.4	4:07	8
27	73	Mark Smith	Washington	MI	49:34.9	4:08	9
30	50	Dan Brickert	Peru	IL	52:21.3	4:22	10
31	63	Brad Plymale	Northville	MI	58:34.5	4:53	11
37	249	John Alguire	Ann Arbor	MI	1:04:49.2	5:24	12
60-69 Men
8	357	Cliff Onthank		MI	36:21.4	3:02	1
9	94	Douglas Cornell	Corunna	MI	39:09.8	3:16	2
10	84	Anthony Percha	Walled Lake	MI	40:17.9	3:21	3
13	97	Michael Muha	Wixom	MI	40:46.7	3:24	4
19	229	Jeffois Moore	Northville	MI	43:29.6	3:37	5
25	347	Frank Rynalski	Bay City	MI	49:18.5	4:07	6
28	230	Marvin Boluyt	Ann Arbor	MI	51:52.5	4:19	7
36	364	Douglas Ball	Linden	MI	1:02:05.8	5:11	8
38	351	Robert D'Orazio	Lake Orion	MI	1:05:22.7	5:27	9
44	362	Sergei Boikov	West Bloomfield	MI	1:13:23.6	6:07	10
70-79 Men
11	243	Jon Kruper	Jones Mills	PA	40:24.3	3:22	1
17	354	Steve Smigiel	Ada	MI	42:49.3	3:34	2
18	250	Zbigy Zlobicki			42:54.7	3:34	3
35	370	Lee Ries	Howell	MI	1:00:33.3	5:03	4
Women's 8k
Overall	Bib	Name	City	State	Time	Pace	Place
3	342	Erica Aittama	South Lyon	MI	34:23.8	4:18	1
5	356	Cheryl Chidester	Brighton	MI	45:50.0	5:44	2
Men's 8k
Overall	Bib	Name	City	State	Time	Pace	Place
1	244	Edison Byrum	Twelve Mile	IN	20:24.2	2:33	1
2	340	Keith McCaffery	Milford	MI	29:48.4	3:44	2
4	341	Tim Gustafson	Troy	MI	40:11.0	5:01	3