Vasa nixes Skiathlon, drops marathon

Tue, Oct  12, 2021 - By Mike Muha

Registration for the 2022 North American Vasa opens Friday, October 15, 2021. But it's not going to be the Vasa you expected in 2021, or even the Vasa that was run in 2020.

The 2021 Vasa was going hosting the first major lower peninsula Skiathon race - a classic leg followed immediately by a skate leg. Those plans were ruined when COVID-19 forced the race weekend's cancellation.

Skiathlon plans were dropped for 2022, with the Vasa reverting back to the traditional Saturday skate events and Sunday classic events. But unlike the 2020 Vasa, 2022 drops the skate marathon distance - Saturday's marquee event will be the 27k George Kuhn Half Marathon Freestyle. Sunday's feature race will be the 15k Lombard Loppet Classic.

The 2022 North American Vasa now consists of the following cross country ski races:

Saturday Vasa races

• 27k George Kuhn Half Marathon Freestyle (Michigan Cup points)
• 15k Kortelopet Freestyle (under consideration for partial MI Cup points)
• 1k, 2k, 3k Junior Vasa for kids up to 12 years old
• Adaptive Skiers Race

Sunday Vasa races

• 15k Lombard Loppet Classic (Michigan Cup points)
• 6k High School Classic (age 19 and under only - under consideration for Junior MI Cup points)
• 6k Vasa Tour (classic or skate)

Saturday's 27k skate event and Sunday's 15k classic event are designated Michigan Cup senior points races. It's unclear yet whether the 6k high school race on Sunday will be granted Michigan Cup points since the high school championships are being held in the upper peninsula the same weekend. And the shorter 15k skate race is being considered for partial Michigan Cup Points.

North American Vasa press release

Vasa President Gussie Peterson just released more details about the 2022 North American Vasa:

We’re Back!! And we hope that you are too!

After Covid canceled our event last year, our energetic Board is chomping at the bit to get the show on the road again. Please plan to join us for the 46th year of the North American Vasa, February 12 & 13, 2022!

We do have some exciting updates for you. Read on….

New Race Director

We were sad to bid farewell to John Roe, who did the heavy lifting as race director for the past 3+ years. Lucky us, he continues to serve on the Board as the Fat Bike Race Director. But we are excited to announce that we have someone able and willing to fill his big shoes. Janice Davidson, from North Mitten Events, has taken over the helm. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation Management and her background includes 20 years in resort management and event planning. She is also a certified EMT, Wilderness First Responder and (get this!) a raptor ambassador (bird nerd). In short, we are in good hands. For a full look at her, check this out: https://nordicskiracer.com/news.asp?NewsID=16410

Our Big Name Sponsors

We are very grateful for the continued support of Serra Subaru of TC, co-title sponsor, and our NEW co-title sponsor, Huntington Bank. We simply could not do it without their financial support. Please consider doing business with them and THANK them for their community involvement!

Registration Opens October 15

And as always, the sooner you register, the cheaper the rate. You have until October 31 to get the cheapest rate, and if you attend the Vasa Ski Club Ski Swap on October 16, 10-1:00 at Brick Wheels, you can pick up a coupon for an additional $5 off major races. Don’t plan to register onsite this year. It ain’t happening. Registration will be entirely online, and the deadline is Wednesday, February 9, 6:00pm. Don’t be left out in the cold!

Staying Covid-Safe

Who knows what this elusive bug will be up to come February. One measure we are taking is to not offer onsite registration to minimize racer and volunteer contacts and the possibility of a covid exposure. There may be other anti-covid measures depending on the pandemic situation. TBD as we get closer to race time.

Race Roster

Saturday’s races will include 27K & 15K freestyle ski races, and 35K and 17K fat bike races.

Sunday will feature 16K & 6K classic races. A 6K classic or freestyle ski tour will also be offered, as well as our second annual 6K snowshoe race. You may notice that we have slimmed down our ski race offerings. There’s a method to this madness – we are hoping to create more excitement by funneling the ski racers to the most competitive events, the 27K freestyle on Saturday and the 15K classic on Sunday. These have been our most popular races.

Doing both of these events puts you into the Michigan Cup Challenge where you get a registration discount. NEW! this year – the top three male and female Michigan Cup Challenge winners get a wad of real money! You don’t need to be on a Michigan Cup team to be eligible.

The Collegiate Challenge will also be back, and any college kid can join the action. This involves skiing the 15K freestyle + classic races.

Waves

In the past, you self-seeded, picking the wave you thought was appropriate for your race speed. This time, we are getting more scientific (Yay, science!). Wave placement will be based on the estimated finish time that the registrant enters into RunSignUp when they register for the event. Estimated finish times will be rank-ordered from lowest to highest and then used to place racers in the appropriate wave. For example, if the first wave has 50 slots, the 50 fastest times will be placed in the first wave. First time racers can review previous year's results at https://vasa.org/results to help determine a reasonable estimated finish time.

So that’s the skinny for 2022! Regular updates and more information are forthcoming. To register and get the full scoop, see www.vasa.org.