Williams plagued by illness and injury in European races
Kelowna’s national cross-country skiing champion, Gareth Williams, is returning this week from a very lengthy stay overseas. He raced in the Junior world championships at the end of January and then went with the B.C. ski team to several other European races.
Unfortunately, Williams caught a very bad cold and was not able to perform as he hoped. He recovered and performed very well at the Swiss Cup races, placing 18th in a field of some of the best skiers in Europe.
However, his bad luck continued at the next races in Zweisel, Germany. In his own words: “After my second time in Seefeld, I headed to Zwiesel to race the next OPA Cup. In Friday’s sprint qualifier, I pulled a muscle in my lower back which was insanely painful during and after the race. Later that day I could barely get up out of a chair! I decided to race the following day, which was a 15K classic, but since my back was still so sore I was not able to double pole as much as I wanted, which was frustrating on a course with a lot of fast double pole sections.
“The final race of the weekend was a 20K skate mass-start, which was brutal, but I managed to place 32nd, which was better than the previous two races. Far from what I was hoping for, but I was still the top Canadian of the day and happy to have raced against the best Senior racers in Europe who aren’t at the Olympic Games.
“Now I am in Toblach with a very sore back while I prepare for this weekend where we will be racing in Oberstdorf, Germany. I have never been so excited to be coming home, I’ve been away since New Year’s and am in need of a few days of relaxation at home before ski nationals!”
Still with skiing, the B.C. Winter Games were held in Kamloops, Feb. 22-25. Telemark’s Gregor Graham (juvenile boy) took home a gold medal in the 5K classic event and a silver in the sprint race, and Vernon’s Pedar Ree (midget boy) got a gold in the sprint. Okanagan skiers took home the majority of the medals!
Big White also had two medal winners at the B.C. Winter Games. Daniel Loban of Lake Country won silver for second place in snowboard cross and Xander Appels won bronze in the same event.
A few Okanagan skiers competed in the Kananaskis “Cookie Race” last weekend. This is a tough Loppet of 42 kilometres with lots of climbing.
Vernon’s Garry Mitchell finished second in the 70-plus class and Kelowna’s John Davina was fifth in the 60-69 age class.
My good friend Eric Rayson had third place in the 70-plus class sewn up until he took a wrong turn and ended up having to hitchhike back to the race in the bed of a pick up!
Most of us who race a lot have had that happen. Even Olympic athletes! At the recent Olympics, an Austrian woman, who had a silver medal pretty well in hand at the 30K event, took a wrong turn and dropped out of contention.
TELEMARK HOSTS LARGEST B.C. CUP RACE EVER!
Over 650 skiers from all over B.C., Alberta and Washington competed in the B.C. CrossCountry Ski Championships held at the Telemark Nodic ski trails on Feb. 16-18.
Skiers in each of the many age classes competed in three events. A Free Technique (skate-ski) race with a mass start, a Classic Technique race with individual timed starts, and a team relay for each age group.
The competition was fierce with the top skiers from many different ski clubs fighting it out for the podium spots.
The Larch Hills Ski club of Salmon Arm took home the honour as the No. 1 club, winning the most medals.
Skiers from West Kelowna’s Telemark Nordic Club and Vernon’s Sovereign Lake Club also posted some great results.
Local winners were:
Free Technique
Bantam Boys – Finn Redman, Telemark. Jr. Women – Hannah Mehain, Sovereign. Master Women 50-59 – Michelle Wolfe, Telemark.
Master Women 60-69 – Maureen Clement, Sovereign.
Junior Men – Philip-Maynard Davies, Telemark.
Master Men 60-69 – Gerry Breneman, Sovereign.
Classic Technique
Atom Girls – Emily Lane, Sovereign. Peewee Boys – Simon Heidt, Sovereign. Bantam Boys – Finn Redman, Telemark. Midget Boys – Garrett Siever, Telemark. Junior Women – Hannah Mehain, Sovereign.
Master Women 50-59 – Josee Leclerc, Sovereign.
Junior Men – Philip-Maynard Davies, Telemark.
Master Men 60-69 – Gerry Breneman, Sovereign.
There were many outstanding performances by local skiers. To see the full results, go online to zone4.ca/results and type in Teck B.C. Champs.
Telemark Nordic is hosting another B.C. Championship this weekend, the B.C. Biathlon Championships.
After watching the biathlon races at the Olympics, I have become a huge fan.
The races are fast and the lead changes that occur because of the shooting section make the race very exciting and unpredictable.
Depending on the length of the race, there are one to four times when the competitors must stop at the shooting range and fire five shots at a small target 50 metres away. For every miss, the racer has to ski a short penalty loop — that will take 60-75 seconds — before they can continue to race.
Kelowna’s Julia Ransom is on the Canadian National Biathlon team and competed at the Pyeongchang Olympics. She did very well, helping the team to a 12th-place finish in the mixed relay and 10th place in the women’s relay, as well as strong performances in her three individual events.
RUNNING
The Hypothermic Half Marathon was held in Kelowna last Sunday. It was a slog through the snow on the Greenway. Winners were Zach Jackman and Heather Johnson.
Johnson, besides being first female, was also third overall!
Brian Turnham and Oliver Richardson were second and third in the men’s field, as were Jennifer Swan and Timaree Wallace among the women.
Kelowna’s Diane Leonard had another fine race. Diane competes in the 70-75 class in most races. There were no age classes in this event, but she finished 14th out of 35 women!
The second race in the Canadian Tire Interior Road Race Series — the Spring Run-Off 10K — takes place on March 18 in Kamloops.
SHANDA HILL
As regular readers of this column may have figured out, one of my favorite athletes in Canada is Vernon Ultra-Triathlete Shanda Hill. The more I know about this amazing woman, the more impressed I am!
I knew that she had started her athletic career as a BMX champion, and that she had been hit by a car while riding. But I didn’t realize what a terrible life-changing event that had been, as she suffered a traumatic brain injury. She has a three-minute video on YouTube about it that is worth watching.
It is inspirational for athletes, people who have suffered brain trauma, and for just about anyone who likes a great story.
How she came back from not being able to walk to become the greatest woman ultratriathlete in the world is worthy of a movie! The video is at Youtu.be/Tj1qKc9FFfI. Hill also has a Facebook page, Shanda hill ultra athlete that will give you more insights into this remarkable woman.
I wrote in a previous column about Penticton triathlete Jen Annett and the bike course record she set at the Arizona Ironman. Now her time there has been recognized by Trirating.com as the best woman’s bike time at any Ironman event in 2017!
That’s impressive! I understand that Annett is pleased about how well her winter training is going and excited about the 2018 season.