Back Up

A lot has happened since I last updated this blog on May 4^th. I moved to Craftsbury Common, Vermont, joined the Craftsbury Green Racing Project team, gained new coaches and teammates, added the backing of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, and made a plethora of other changes to my sporting and personal life.

Being a supported professional biathlete on the best private team in North America is a privilege I am grateful for every day.  

The training year has whizzed by and I am now in the thick of the competition season. Here is a brief summary of the training year and the first trimester of the race season.

Spring 2018

I arrived in Craftsbury and began training in earnest. The most difficult parts where adopting a new style of skiing and adjusting to the sheer volume and intensity of the training. I took each challenge in stride and improved with every workout.

Summer 2018

The most intense period of summer training was punctuated, as it is every year, by rollerski races in Jericho, Vermont. These races would play a role in selecting who raced in Europe in December. I realize this seems like an odd way to select athletes for a winter sport, but this is how US Biathlon likes it, for some reason… I produced flashes of quality during the competitions but was left frustrated and off the pace of my peers.

Fall 2018

I continued to make incremental gains both skiing and shooting. I got the opportunity to attend a training camp with the National team which was a huge boost to my training because it allowed me to get new perspectives on shooting and skiing, while exposing the areas I needed to improve most.

The focal point of the fall was a 3-week training and competition trip to Soldier Hollow, Utah. The purpose of the trip was to spend time training at high altitude and qualify for the first period of European Competition via rollerski competitions.

I trained well in Utah but came up just short of making a team for December. I was very disappointed in myself, and this feeling was compounded by all my GRP teammates qualifying to race in Europe. I was happy to share in their success but felt like I was letting the team and myself down by not making the cut.   

November 2018

In November my GRP teammates and I traveled to Foret Montmorency, Quebec for two early snow camps. Each a week long these skiing focused periods where very helpful for me. After Foret, I focused on preparing for December IBU Cup Trials which took place in Soldier Hollow, Utah, this time on snow. I tried to keep focused and realize that most of the season was yet to come.

December 2018

December brought the defining moments of the season in the form of IBU Cup Trials. These races ran in conjunction with US World Junior Championship Trials. The coming together of different age groups and biathletes from around the country was very cool, the passive behavior of the organizers was not. Huge thanks to the heroic efforts of the few individuals to made the races happen. The races where very challenging for me, but I overcame some bad shooting and poor ski selection adversity with a renewed belief in my ability and good ski form.

My efforts earned me a place on the January IBU Cup team. Qualifying for these races was the culmination of my career to date.

January 2019

I raced IBU Cups 4, 5 and 6. In Poland, Germany and Switzerland. During the trip I had the opportunity to be promoted to the World Cup, but I was not able to perform at that level. I enjoyed the trip immensely.

Even on days when I did not perform well, I was grateful for the opportunity to race in Europe and improve my biathlon. My best result was 40^th place in Germany, which qualified me to race at the Open European Championships in Minsk, Belarus this February.

The journey back to the international level of biathlon has tested me far more than I expected, but the feeling of finally breaking through was well worth the effort. By qualifying to race at the senior level in Europe I feel like a weight has been lifted from my athletic conscious. The duration of my absence was notable enough for two IBU officials to question if I was eligible to race, “Is it possible that your last race was 7 years ago??” In fact, it has been 7 years since I last raced in an IBU race, it was January 2012 at World Junior Championships.

It took longer, and was much harder than I expected in 2012, but I’m back to the international level, and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.  

 

Craftsbury Green Racing Project

I am very happy to announce that I am joining the Craftsbury Green Racing Project. It’s a privilege to be part of this successful club. I am very grateful to my coaches, teammates, and the Craftsbury Community for their warm welcome and faith in my potential. You can read about the team I am joining here: https://www.craftsbury.com/general/about-the-center/news/detail/2030/

To follow my teammates and I check out https://greenracingproject.com/. I will continue to post updates here and on my personal social media accounts.  

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.   

Mid-Winter Blues

Winter is my favorite season. I love snow, cold and all the fun the winter season brings. I have never understood why the middle part of winter gets people down in the dumps. This winter, I experienced my own version of the “Mid-Winter Blues”, but not because it was dark, cold and snowy.  

That's some nice skiing

As I noted in my previous post, my non-selection to the European Championships team put to rest any ambitions I had of racing overseas this season and consequently the chances of my being included in a national training group next season. I did my best to stay focused on improving myself at every opportunity and enjoying the winter season. After a few days of bitter disappointment, I expected my normal outlook to return. Instead, I continually felt sad, unmotivated and depressed. Despite the lovely winter atmosphere, miraculously good skiing in Southern Maine, and the absence of competition stress, I felt lost, frustrated and directionless. Losing my primary goals of racing in Europe and progressing to a national training group hit me much harder than I expected it to.

  

I should note that technically, I still had a chance to qualify for European competition. The February North American Cups in Jericho, VT and Lake Placid New York where listed as selection races for March IBU Cup Racing in Russia. I knew that even if I was selected for this tour, I would not be able to afford to go. Furthermore, the selection criteria for next season’s national training groups did not contain any objective standards for March European racing. After some deliberation, I decided that I should put the time and energy I devoted in the training year to use and race some biathlon.

The NorAm in Jericho was much like the rest of my season, a mixed bag. I was graciously hosted by the coaches of the Mansfield Nordic Club. Check them out here: http://www.mansfieldnordic.org/, they are doing amazing work for Nordic sport in Vermont. I shot 86% prone over the race weekend, received some excellent race day coaching and felt fast and fit on skis. On the other side of the coin, I struggled shooting standing and did not have competitive skis compared to other top athletes. The USBA same wax protocol was not put into effect for this NorAm. Consequently, some of my competitors and I where at a serious disadvantage to those athletes whose teams could apply multiple layers of expensive wax to their skis. So far, I have not seen any sign that these races where used to qualify athletes to race in Europe, so ultimately, the gap in wax preparation did not matter. I ended the weekend with a terribly long, rainy, dark and windy drive home.

Lacking the funds to travel to Lake Placid, I took the opportunity to help others reach their goals. I graciously accepted an invitation from my former coaches Cory and Steve to help prepare skis for the University of New Hampshire at the final college carnival of the season in Middlebury, Vermont. A weekend helping others, seeing old friends, feeling for fast skis, and unplugging from my normal routine was the perfect reset to help me shake the last of my “Mid-Winter Blues.” I am very grateful to the UNH Skiing community for all they do and have done to make me feel like a part of something bigger than myself.

A second uplifting force came in the form of the sublime performance of Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggings in the Team Sprint at the Olympics. Their GOLD MEDAL performance brought joy and inspiration to all corners of the Nordic world, especially right here in the USA. I am so excited to see the generation of athletes they have inspired bring home Olympic Medals of their own.   

I will not be traveling to Utah of US Biathlon Nationals. Instead, I will be jumping back into cross country racing at the US Supertour Finals in Craftsbury, Vermont at the end of March. I will be racing the 15km freestyle race and aiming for a performance which outdoes my current 132 USSA point status, a number more than double my personal best of 65. (USSA points are like golf-lower is better.) 

If you are interested in more regular updates on my biathlon life and otherwise, follow me on the social media.   

Valcarti-No Way

I enjoyed a great Holiday Break from racing with my family. My parents selected and excellent Christmas tree, some of my extended family visited, and I reveled in snow-globe dreamy skiing in Southern Maine.

Ruby, the Christmas Dog 

During the festive season I put in a training block to prepare for a North American Cup in Valcartier, Quebec. Valcartier is a challenging course, which has treated me well in the past. I was excited at the prospect of producing good results. This North American Cup was highlighted by US Biathlon as a focal point in their selection of the European Championships team. Although I couldn’t shoot between Minnesota Trials and these races, I was confident I could carry my good shooting form into the competitions.

I was glad to have my dad along for this race weekend to help with driving and logistics. His help was invaluable in what turned out to be the wildest weather weekend I have ever experienced. Biathlon races only get canceled in extreme conditions: cold, wind, fog, etc. The forecast was not promising, but I suspected that at least one race would go off. My father and I left for Quebec on Friday. During the drive it was raining and a steady 50 degrees Fahrenheit. We arrived at the venue to find that training had been canceled for the day. This was not surprising, but unfortunate, as it deprived me of the chance for some shooting training before the race.

I awoke the next morning to about 8 inches of snow on the ground and temperatures in the low teens. I have raced in very similar conditions to this in Quebec and around the world, so I had no doubt the race would go on. The race did go on, and the organizers did all they could to provide the best possible conditions. The ski tracks where very soft and powdery, the penalty loop had to be abandoned due to puddles, and heavy snow persisted during the race. The racing was equally difficult for all the competitors. I struggled in the soft snow and picked up 5 penalties on the range. I felt okay about my race, and was relieved not to make any gigantic mistakes. The next day I learned that I finished 4^th, 1 second out of 3^rd. 

This is what skiing on Saturday felt like. 

The forecast for Sunday was very cold, and the organizers shortened and delayed the race in the hopes of still running the competition. When I arrived at the venue the race had been canceled, and the car thermometer clearly told why. It was 20 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit! This represented a 70-degree swing from Friday afternoon! The US Biathlon representative on site initially told the competitors that an official, optional time trial would take place. It would not count against selection for the European Championships, but would still be considered. I prepared to race, but later, the USBA official canceled the competition outright after conferring with club coaches at the race. I did some light training following the announcement and after skiing one loop of the course it was very apparent that racing would have posed a serious risk of bodily harm.   

Yeah no racing happening in that cold... 

I drove home on pins and needles waiting to hear who had been selected to the European Championships team. This nervous feeling of anticipation, excitement, and dread continued into Tuesday morning. Noon Tuesday passed with no contact, a time at which a US Biathlon official indicated to me a decision would be made. On Tuesday evening I found out through unofficial channels that I was not selected to the team. I had a feeling I would be left out, but I was nonetheless gutted to miss out on the last European race opportunity of the year. I looked over the criteria and my results and I feel I had a good case for being selected. These selections where done subjectively by a committee, and not objectively based purely on race results. Since my recent results where strong, I would like to think I had something to do with the extended deliberations, but I will never know.

As sad and discouraging as not being selected is, I am very proud of the level of performance I have been able to achieve with no venue, no in person coaching, no teammates and no funding. I am also proud of my comeback for zero fitness after a long and intense spell of mono in the summer of 2016. This season, I have beaten all but 6 of the American Men’s field at least once on-snow. Of those 6, I have never raced 5 of them on snow. This isn’t the same as making a team, but it does give me some small amount of solace.

My peak fitness in August 2016. 28 minutes walking was all I could muster. 

Looking ahead I will be staying close to home, working, and skiing as much as I can. I may participate in a North American Cup in February and, if I can, race at the US Biathlon Nationals in the end of March in Utah, but my season is essentially over.  

I would like to wish everyone racing in Europe good luck, and once again thank my family, friends and supporters.  

Thanks

My sincere thanks to everyone who has helped me on my way through the Nordic World. 

You made my journey possible. 

IBU Cup Trials

The IBU Cup Trials was the focal point of my season. These competitions offered a chance to race in Europe and qualify for the 2018 US Olympic Team. The IBU Cup Trials always take place in Coleraine, Minnesota. Coleraine is one of the venues I have raced at the most in my life. I have raced at this venue every December (with a 2-year hiatus for college) since I was 13 years old (13 years ago!)

The series consisted of 4 races, (3 Sprint races and 1 Mass Start) over the course of 5 days. After 3 weeks of quality training in Canmore and a nice rest at home I was optimistic about my potential for success. My goal for the series was to be one of the top 2 athletes overall and move on to the final phase of Olympic selection in Europe.

The first race was a sprint, with 2 shooting stages of 5 shots each in a 10-kilometer race. I skied well, but missed 3 targets. This performance left me about 1min behind the winner in 6^th place. This was my best performance of the year, and left me with renewed confidence and optimism for improvement in the coming 3 races.

The second race was the same format as the first, and my performance was incrementally better. I missed 2 targets, and maintained good ski form. Again, I was 6^th, about 1 minute behind, and just outside the level of the best athletes.

The 3^rd day of racing was a Mass Start race. The whole field raced head to head over 15km with 4 shooting stages. I picked the wrong skis, rushed my shooting, and let my emotions get the best of me. I had hoped to make my bid for the team in this competition, but I finished well behind in 10^th place.

After an off day, I was eager to put together a race which showed my true quality. The final sprint race was my best biathlon performance in years. I missed 2 targets on a very windy day and fought off some serious fatigue to post a respectable ski time. I finished in second place. As my former coach Vladimir put it, “Good race, Raleigh, a little too late thought.”

Shooting with some of my favorite Minnesota biathlon friends. Right before it all went wrong in the Mass Start 

I finished the series in 5^th or 6^th place, depending on which selection criteria you used. In one set of selection guidelines, US Biathlon declared that the best 2 of the 4 races would be used in the final ranking. In a second set of selection criteria, 3 of 4 races where to be used. Thankfully, the top two positions where not effected by this oversight, and the top ranked athletes where selected.

I had hoped to gain perspective on what my path forward should be from the results of these Trials. Resounding success or crushing defeat would have left me with a clear path forward, instead I am left tantalizingly close to excellence, with a podium to prove I have the potential to be among the best. 

Pushing for the Podium! 

My final ranking left me in 10^th or 11^th in the US, after all the trials races. Far from a top 5 Olympic-Team ranking, but in the mix with the athletes tipped to be the next National A Team stars.

In the coming weeks there are more selection races which could qualify for to race at the European Championships and on the IBU Cup. Attending the trials races and funding a potential European race trip present financial hurdles I could have to overcome, but neither are out of the realm of possibility.

For now, I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my family for the Holidays and entering 2018 as happy and healthy as possible.       

This is the face you make when you podium, but don't know what to do next. 

Photos by Karen Brown and Gregory Haugen