Kikkan's Season Finale

Fri, Apr  2, 2010 - By Kikkan Randall

Thanks to the Ski Post for allow the reprint on this article.

The 2009-2010 season comes to a close with the final week of racing in Northern Maine. 

First on tap was the 30km skate US National Championship race in Fort Kent.  I was a little nervous about how I would feel after a heavy racing schedule at the World Cup finals and a trans-Atlantic travel back from Europe, but I made it onto the snow feeling fresh and ready to go.

It was tight pack racing through the entire 30km, with everyone exchanging leads every few kilometers.  After leading for a bit at the beginning of the race and then settling into the pack, I again took the lead going into the final 9km lap. I controlled the pace and lead a hard-charging pack of 5 races into the final kilometer.  I was able to counter each attack and crossed the finish line in first place for my 5th National Championship of the year, and my first 30km championship.

There was one day off from racing that we filled with a fun-filled Fast and Female event in Madawaska.  Several of my fellow elite racers joined me as instructors for the 150 girls we had participating in ski games, healthy snacks, and inspirational talks.  The weather was fantastic and we had a great day.

The SuperTour Finals mini-tour kicked off the following day with three consecutive days of racing, including all sorts of fun formats, bonus seconds and overall scoring.

The first event was a 7.5km mass-start classic.  I set a fast pace from the start, to go for the preem at the 1km mark, and kept rolling from there.  I felt really strong and was able to take the win with a 30-second margin.  I also gained 45 bonus seconds by taking all three preems.

The second day was classic sprints.  It was cold, but the tracks were like rails and the sun was shinning.  I won the qualification over Ida Sargent by 2.4 seconds and led both my quarterfinal and semi-finals.  In the finals, Ida gave me a quite a challenge over the first half of the course and it wasn't until the top of the final climb that I was able to pull away for the win.

Going into the final race of the competition, I had a 90 second lead in the overall ahead of Rebecca Dussault.  I gave it my best effort to lay down a good time on the 4.8km course that went up and over the Fort Kent alpine course.  While I did win the overall title, Rebecca managed to edge me by 7 seconds for the stage win.

For more Kikkan Randall action go to kikkan.com