WCS Race #3

By a Team SoHo Athlete Contributor

On a bright and sunny Saturday at Soldier Hollow, racers met to compete at yet another Wasatch Citizen Series Race. The original race was scheduled to be at Mountain Dell Golf Course between Salt Lake and Park City, but was moved to Soldier Hollow due to snow conditions. The week was unusually warm, repeatedly reaching the 40◦ mark, and melted the majority of the snow at Mountain Dell, but did not melt the man-made snow at Soldier Hollow.

The race was a classic distance race, the farthest distance being 10K (6.2 miles), with shorter distances for younger skiers and novice skiers. These races would introduce new leaders, as the majority of the skiers who usually attend were gone to the Junior National Qualifier race in West Yellowstone, Montana. 

The earliest of the races was the U12 (under 12) category, boys first then girls, on a challenging 2K course. Reed Chamberlain (Soho) took the lead by almost 1.5 minutes, followed by Kenyon Bethke (Soho) and Drew Sullivan (Soho) right behind, the first podium sweep by Soho of the day. “The race went really well, the wax was good, and the course was fun,” said Reed Chamberlain.  In the U12 girls race Grace Ping (TUNA) took the win, followed Sophia Burkemo (Soho) and then Sara Livingstone (Soho). These racers were followed by the sit skiers, who demonstrated an amazing level of fitness as they raced without the aid of their legs. They were followed by the open category, which was everyone ages 18-44.

The racers were organized by age groups after the race. The open category was followed by the U14 and the U16 racers (ages 12-13 and ages 14-15). U14 races 3K, and the U16 racers race 5K. In the U14 boys, Logan Chamberlain (Soho) took his first ever Citizen Series win, followed closely by Mason Heimburger (Soho) who was only 5 seconds back. They were followed Joshua Livingstone (Soho) for the second podium sweep by Soldier Hollow of the day. “Mason and I were right on each other the entire race, and it really only came down to the last hill. Great race,” said Logan Chamberlain. 

In the U10 and U8 boys categories, Team Soldier Hollow swept both podiums! In the U10 race, Phillip Radu, Kaleb Schaffer, and Maddux Leonard took spots 1-3. In the U8 competition, Finnian Schaffer, Martin Radu, and John McGinn added yet another 1,2,3 podium sweep!

On the girls side, Montanna Leonard finished 1st in the U8 category to make it two wins in a row!

Overall, it was a great day of racing at Soldier Hollow! Next weekend is the 4th of 5 Wasatch Citizen Series races and is a Freestyle (most people skate) race at Soldier Hollow. You can pre-register online at www.utahnordic.com.