February Racing

Buoyed by my racing in Valcartier, I entered the month of February with high hopes for European racing and NorAm success. I was feeling confident and fit going into the second round of selection races in La Patrie Quebec. Unfortunately, the racing in La Patrie was canceled due to lack of snow and warm rainy weather. I quickly changed my plans and headed for Fort Kent to train for the second half of the season, which I hoped would include racing at the European Championships.  

After a few anxious days of waiting for the European Championship selection deadline I finally heard…nothing, nor word at all. Rumors swirled, but I continued to look ahead with cautions optimism. Finally 2 days later I received a message that I was not named to the team. Unfortunately the US Biathlon Association decided not to send any senior athletes to these races. This decision was disappointing to me and many of my peers, some of whom had pre-qualified for these races earlier this season.

Following this announcement I re-aligned my season priorities.  This month I have competed in a NorAm Biathlon race in Jericho, VT. I raced well in the Sprint taking 1^st place. The mass start featured some shooting woes; however, I still managed to take the win. The next weekend I contested the final Eastern Cup race of the season. I raced well finishing 7^th in the Mass Start 15k classic, and 2^nd in the 10k Skate race. 

The classic event was challenging due to my start position (60^th of 65) I set a personal record of passing people, going through 40 racers in the first 5km loop. An unlucky fall in the final 200m of the skate race kept me from taking the win. The highlight of the weekend was watching my teammate (from 6 places back) Welly Ramsey stride away from the rest of us for a dominant win.

The next month will be filled with exciting racing and travel. I will be racing at the North American Championships in Whistler, British Columbia, the 6^th Annual Mammoth Winter Biathlon, and the US XC Super Tour Finals in Tahoe California. I am looking forward to racing in some new places with new people.