RESULTS: Mandy Paull and Ryan Harris win 2025 Winter Wolf Skiathlon
Sun, Jan 5, 2025 - By Mike Muha
Mandy Paull and Ryan Harris won the 2025 Winter Wolf Skiathlon on Saturday, January 4, 2025. Paull took the victory in 42:24, beating Eric Ohearn (42:57) and Rebecca Davis (43:19). Harris crushed his competition with a finish time of 33:36. Second and third were Jorden Wakeley (35:52) and Drew Moore (36:03).
The race was cancelled the prior two years because of poor snow conditions at Hanson Hills Recreation Area in Grayling. Rain and warm weather again took out the snow at Hanson Hills. Rather than cancelling a third year, Hanson Hills and Skiathlon race director Justin Andre asked if the race could be relocated to Forbush Corner. A huge shoot out to the Forbush Crew for hosting the inaugural Winter Wolf Skiathlon! And extra thanks to Alan Hough for his exceptional timing and co-direction of this event with Justin!
Chip timed, racers started in waves of four, every 5 seconds. Racers self-seeded themselves at the start line.
Photo 1: Sarah Newmister skiing to the finish line, finishing 7th overall. (Photos from Justin Andrea)
Skiers raced four laps around the same loop for a total distance of about 12k. The first two laps were classic, then skiers went through a transition zones to exchange skis and poles. The last two laps were freestyle. A double-track was set for the entire course to one side of the skate lane. The skate lane was quite wide, allowing two skiers to ski side-by-side if necessary. (See Winter Wolf Skiathlon course and transition rules announced for maps of the course and transition area).
The loops selected for the race had a nice balance of up, down, and flat. The vast majority of uphills were very skiable using diagonal stride making this a nice classic course.
Skiing conditions were excellent with a mix of manmade snow and fresh natural snow! Several inches of new snow fell on top of manmade snow in the days leading up to the race and overnight before the race. It also snowed off and on slightly during the race, increasing in intensity as the race finished. It was a cool 16F during the race, with a mix of sun, clouds, and snow, with a bit of a wind on short sections of the course.
The tracks were glazed and fast, although they got a little softer with new snow toward the second half of the race.
Several of the top men and women doublepoled the classic leg. Skiers using only one set of skis were required to remove them, switch feet, and put them back on as they passed through the transition zone. The same was required if the skier was only using one set of poles: they had to be removed then put them back on before the last two laps.
Photo 2: Transition area: Each racer had a dedicated 4x8 foot area to exchange skis and poles. The pink flags were numbered with racer bibs. Aisles between exchange areas allowed skiers to doublepole to their skis.
One blind skier and guide raced. John Kusku, guided by guide Jesse Crandall, finished 40th out of 70 skiers with a time of 51:53, good enough to finish 4th in the 40-49 age category. (Crandall was third - the guide always skis ahead of the blind skier). Of note: Kusku won a silver medal in Goalball the 2016 Summer Paralympics Games in Rio de Janerio. Skiing world beware!
Photo 3: Jesse Crandall (front skier) leads blind skier John Kusku (yellow bib behind Crandall) to a joint 3rd and 4th place in the 40-49 age category
The results show a skier's time on each loop and through the transition zone. A nicely formatted PDF of the results, including results in Michigan Cup order, is here:
- 2025 Winter Wolf Skiathlon Results (PDF)
- Also see some photos from the 2025 Winter Wolf Skiathlon