A 4 x 1.6k relay event at St. Mary's University.
44 skiers from the RNST braved the cold 5 degree temperatures to enjoy the Winona Relays at the St. Mary's University trails. Hand and toe warmers were out in force. The coaches standing at the finish line and the photographer really appreciated the warmers also!
Skiers were placed on 4-person teams with each individual skiing a 1.6 K loop. The 1.6 K loop was pretty much uphill (uffda!) for the first half and then downhill or flat in the second half (with a small uphill bump for good measure). The groomers did a nice job breaking up the icy/hardpack conditions. A volunteer was even shoveling snow back onto a sharp downhill turn where skiers were scraping the snow off. The relay format along with the shorter distance provided a different experience than the typical 5K ski races. I'm sure the 1.6 K "sprint" suited some people better than a 5K race.
The girls race was first with 8 teams (4 from Rochester and 4 from Winona). The boys race followed with 12 teams (7 from Rochester and 5 from Winona). Both races began with mass starts from the first skier of each team. This was also a new experience since the 5K races use interval starts. We attempted to equalize the teams so in theory they would finish together. Of course, this is an impossible task, but the teams did stay somewhat close together. The Rochester girls teams finished in (30:00, 32:22, 32:41, and 33:39) with the boys teams finishing in (24:15, 24:35, 24:37, 24:55, 25:09, 25:51, 26:01)
Individual lap times are posted on the RNST web site (both Rochester and overall). Remember that split times in relay races are not completely accurate, but give you an idea of how you raced.