A Beautiful, Evil Place: Lake Placid Loppet 2006
Jonathan Hines of Middlebury VT won the overall 50km freestyle event in 2:52. He was followed by Dane Johnson and Matt Johnson of Middlebury College. Notable New Jersey finishers included Dave Baker, taking age group silver in the men's 25k classic, and Peter Allen of Morristown NJ, winning his age group in the 50k classic.
4 - 6 inches of snow fell before and during the race, which combined with gusting winds made for a tough day. I started strong for a change and hung on by my fingernails to the back of a train until the top of Porter Mountain and then then went off the back. A fall in unconsolidated powder at the bottom of the Ladies 5k cost me momentum and I couldn't catch back up with them. It took a couple of kilometers to get a head of steam back, which I promptly lost on the biathlon side: places where one can usually pick up time, with lots of V2, were slow going. It goes to show how brutal the place was today.
At kilometer 40 I stopped in my tracks, utterly gassed. The glide down Main Street was a much needed rest, and I picked up my pace on the biathlon side, which was faster the second time around, for the final push to the finish.
With at least 4 races scheduled or postponed to this weekend, the field was thinner than usual. But those who came out had a heck of a day.