Boy that was Stupid!

The resurrected Wednesday Night Cross Country Ski Series here is not unlike an all-comer's track meet in a university town, totally low key atmosphere but tends to draw out a high proportion of very good athletes. Most everyone out there was a solid skier--as one of them said last night not many mid-packers.

Conditions were excellent with 12 F and we've been getting fresh snow almost every day or two.

Got off to a good start, about 5th-6th place throughout the first km, and was just deciding to close in on 4th place Peter, who was about 15 m ahead when I tripped on a light beam or something and hurtled forward and did a major chest plant, OOOMMHPSSAA, and I started babbling and swearing as 3-4 racers sped by.

I was 50 meter behind by the time I got up, but reeled them all in within a km, as we climbed East Ramp, but up everyone cut right onto Tower Loop when I thought we had some more climbing to do, up to the old sprint course cutoff on Tower Direct. I was certain we had to go straight because there were two flags on the sprint course headwall, and we were supposed to go up through those and to the cutoff. Right?

So I stopped in my tracks, "No no we go straight, see the flags! Peter stopped, me but all the others (Jim, Dave, Gary, and then everyone else) took the right turn. I saw Ken, the Race Director, about 200 m down below at the top of East Ramp and hollered, holding my arms up like Charlton Heston's version of Moses with in The 10 Commandments--me just with ski poles and in utter bewilderment.

He heard me and gestured but I could not tell WTF he was saying so I skied on down to him. Indeed, we were supposed to turn onto Tower, did you get the memo? Umm, yes, I read it, but didn't look at the attached map: Turn on Tower Loop and do 1K and return on the sprint course cutoff...not take Tower Direct and turn on the old sprint course cutoff (which is what I thought)...

I am really sorry Peter!

So, with most of the field long gone I jumped back in and reeled in as many as I could. Finished 10th, overall and passed several other skiers along the way. Probably lost 1.5 to 2 min with those histrionics.

Stuff of minor legend I guess, as everyone was talking about it post-race. Mostly I just feel stupid, but then again enlightened because everyone else here in the Fairbanks ski community has known that for quite some time.

Didn't sleep well either. My ribs hurt from the crash.

1. Mike Kramer..................14:35
2. Max Kaufman................14:52
3. Jim Button......................15:11
4. Jim Lokken ....................15:34 (1st Master)
5. David Apperson.............16:20
6. Gary Holton....................16:23
7. Dave Edic.......................16:24
8. Melissa Lewis.................16:56 (1st female)
9. Mike Hajdukovich..........16:57
10. Roger Sayre....................16:58 (skied an extra ½ -1 kilometer)
11. Bob Baker......................17:12
12. Matt Stoller....................17:30
13. Peter Fix.........................17:31 (skied an extra ½ -1 kilometer)
14. Mark Ross......................18:24
15. Byron Broda..................19:06
16. Ashley Strauch...............19:53
17. Brandon Hoover............22:17
18. Pete Wilda.....................22:19
19. Adam Johnson...............24:23
20. Jim Case........................25:54
21. Debbie Brown...............26:42
22. John McKiney...............26:06