Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Local skiers Carl and Enni Gregas of Bessemer and Judi Yatchek of Ironwood pause after completing their virtual Sisu Ski Fest event on the Iron Belle Trail earlier this month.
By CHARITY SMITH
Ironwood - COVID restrictions did not prevent cross-country ski lovers from participating in the 2020 Sisu Ski Fest, as it was held virtually this year.
In all, 386 people participated in the event which marked its 12th year.
The number of participants was down by nearly 50%, but race director Jackie Powers said that was to be expected because of the pandemic and the change in format. She said because of the pandemic, those already registered for this year's event were given the opportunity to race next year instead. Powers said that 49 people decided to take advantage of that offer.
"We were real happy with those numbers," she said.
The 2020 Sisu had racers complete either a 15k (9 mile) or 30k (19 mile) route of their choosing, between Jan. 4 and 17.
Powers said for those who were looking to win, there was strategy involved.
"If you wanted to win you had to think about where were you going to do it and on which day for the best conditions," she said. "There were a lot of factors that went into the whole thing."
Participants tracked their time and location through either a GPS, heart monitor or phone app. By using one of these devices race officials were able to confirm that participants actually completed the event in the amount of time they claimed, Powers said. She said 80% of those who registered posted times.
In order to choose winners this year the racing committee implemented an "age-group equalizer" system." The system, which Powers and her husband created, provides a way for the event coordinators to consider age as a factor for time completion, she said.
The Age Group Equalizer, or A-G-E for short, took prior results into account to come up with "what I would call head starts for different age groups," Powers said. "We looked at how far is every age group behind the winner normally and we gave them that much of a head start to try and equalize the differences."
This year, racers were able to complete the race twice during the event, Powers said. She said racers could see the times of other participants online and often would attempt the race a second time in order to get a better time.
"If you thought you could get a better performance, you could go out and do it again and a lot of people did," Powers said.
In order to encourage event participation, a daily prize was given out every day.
Twenty-five skiers earned cash and other prizes by earning top places in their races based on their A-G-E-factored time.
Powers said those who participated liked the virtual format and "were pleasantly surprised."
Early registration for next year's Sisu Ski Fest set for Jan. 8, 2022, ends on Sunday. Those who register early get a nearly 50% discount. Regular registration will start in October, said Powers. Registration fees are non-refundable.
For more information, visit sisuskifest.com.
2020 Sisu Ski Fest
30K Freestyle
Top 10 Finishers
1. Nick Ross, St. Paul, Minnesota, M30-34, 1:20:51
2. John Bauer, Hayward, Wisconsin, M50-54, 1:22.53
3. Mary Beth Tuttle, Pine Springs, Minnesota, F55-59, 1:25:44
4. Zachary Nelson, St. Paul, M25-29, 1:25:45
5. David Andresen, Ironwood, M30-34, 1:28:16
6. Erin Matula, Mellen, Wisconsin, F18-24, 1:29:02*
7. Brian Koeneman, Minneapolis, M50-54, 1:29:35*
8. Dan Meyer, Lake Elmo, Minnesota, M70-74, 1:30:49*
9. Carolyn Warren, Ironwood, F30-34, 1:32:15*
10. Cara Battles, Minneapolis, F40-44, 1:32:15*
*Moved up one place due to DQ'd racer.
30K Classic
Top 5 Finishers
1. Chris Pappathopoulos, Sun Prarie, Wisconsin, M40-44, 1:10:35
2. Adam Himes, Plymouth, Minnesota, M45-49, 1:14:22
3. Will Andresen, Ironwood, M60-64, 1:23:28
4. Jan-Petter Lovald, Hopkins, Minnesota, M60-64, 1:27:30
5. Sue Schroeder, Minneapolis, F55-59, 1:32:26
Heikki Lunta 15K Freestyle
Top 5 Finishers
1. Hugh Pritchard, Montpelier, Vermont, M50-54, 38:49
2. Nick Niemi, Hancock, M19-24, 40:10
3. Jennifer Ryan, Marquette, F50-54, 43:30
4. Gabriel Ehlers-Nelson, Duluth, Minnesota, M19-24, 44:43
5. Devon Byers, Ironwood, M19-24, 47:32
Heikki Lunta 15K Classic
Top 5 Finishers
1. John Garrett, Hayward, M65-69, 44:45
2. Kevin Johnson, St. Paul, Minnesota, M40-44, 45:41
3. Anneliese Bauer, Hayward, F14-18, 49:39
4. Mike Ivey, Madison, Wisconsin, M60-64, 52:07
5. Jonathon Rulseh, Ironwood, M35-39, 52:16
