Season Finale and 2017/2018 by the Numbers

I finished the 2017/18 race season in Craftsbury, Vermont last weekend. I had hoped to travel to Utah to race at the US Biathlon National Championships, but I was unable to make the trip. When it became clear that Utah was out of the question, I decided to make the US Supertour Finals my primary goal for the end of the season.

With a borrowed car from my parents, the hospitality of John Madigan, wax help from the UNH Ski Team and the company of my friend Russell Currier the final races of the year where fun and productive. I was able to spend some time with several old friends I do not often get to see, which made the weekend extra special.  

Initially, I was only planning on racing the 15km freestyle at Super Tour Finals, but I was given a one-day contract on the US Biathlon All-Star Relay Team for the National Club Relay Championships.

The 15km skate race was a mass start affair. Racers where lined up based on the points they had earned during the season. Having no cross country points this season and no grounds to ask for a better start position I started the race in the very last row, 118th of 125 racers. This start spot made reaching the front of the race a difficult task. I went all out from the gun but was unable to get attached to the front pack before it accelerated away on the first loop. I managed to move up to 57^th place, passing 61 racers in the process.

Photo-Katrina Howe 

The relay was a ton of fun. I am very grateful to Susan, Claire, and Russell for inviting me to join their team. The race consisted of 4 legs of 5km, with 2 skate and 2 classic legs spread evenly between men and women. With 3 Olympians in the team, I was nervous I would let the side down, but thankfully I held my own against the other skiers on my leg. Our team posted a respectable 10^th place finish ahead of some top cross-country clubs.

I would like to wish all the athletes racing in Utah good luck and a fun series, I am cheering for you back East!

In the coming weeks I will assess my season and the options at hand for the future. Part of those assessments will include my training and finances from the past year. The Biathlon year runs from May to May. Here are some figures from the 2017-2018 season.

715: Projected total physical training hours

122: Shooting hours

6313: Shots

9: Biathlon races,

2: Cross Country races

2: Countries visited

8,017: US Dollars spent on biathlon training and racing

0: IBU Teams qualified for

0: IBU Teams selected for  

I would like to once again thank all my friends and supporters. Without your contributions, I would not have had a season at all. This season I would like to give special thanks to my Family, James Upham, Bill Meyer, the Kjorlien Family, the Auburn Ski Club, Team R.A.D., Sam Dougherty, Jackson Biathlon, Joel Hinshaw, Mr. Knight and everyone else who helped me, even though they didn’t need to.