Ski racing is a sport of ups and downs. I said for years that no one other than Klæbo hits the podium in every race they enter, but even he has looked mortal at times this season after struggling with first Covid and then the flu. The downs come for everyone, eventually.
But there can also be ups out there, too. “US Nationals brought a mixed bag of emotions,” SMS skier Alayna Sonnesyn wrote in an Instagram post a week-plus ago following four days of, well, up-and-down racing in Soho. “So stoked to snag a national championship title in the skate sprint and equally as devastated about some disappointing distance racing.”
Sunday morning, in the 10-kilometer mass start classic that wrapped up a weekend of racing in Lake Placid for the 2023/2024 SuperTour, Sonnesyn was back on top in a distance race. Leading out the mass start chevron at the head of a field of 123 starters, Sonnesyn ultimately ensured that her finish position matched her start position. She skied with a lead pack through the second of two 3.3km laps, pulled away along with Alex Lawson and Margie Freed of Craftsbury over lap three, and then outsprinted the two green suits by the finish.
Sonnesyn’s winning time was 29:30.2. Lawson and Freed were close behind in 29:31.0 and 29:31.6, respectively. There was a gap of roughly 20 seconds to fourth, where Mariah Bredal (Sun Valley) came in nine seconds up on Lauren Jortberg (SMS). Hannah Rudd (BSF) in sixth rounded out the full SuperTour podium.
A similar story played out in the men’s race, except that this time there were five athletes in the lead pack heading out into the final lap, and three of them skied for APU. (Disclosure, I train and race with APU Masters, although on a daily basis I have nothing to do with the APU Elite Team athletes discussed here.)
Two-thirds of the way into the race, per split times, it was Hunter Wonders (APU) in the lead, with Michael Earnhart (USST/APU), Luke Jager (USST/APU), Reid Goble (BSF), and David Norris (Team Birkie) all within two seconds of him. Sixth place at this point, Graham Houtsma (BSF), was leading a chase pack seven seconds back.
3.3 kilometers later, Luke Jager had steadily pulled away to take the win. Jager has been the strongest classic sprinter in the country this season, but he didn’t let it come down to a sprint. He took the win in 24:32.3, nearly 14 seconds up on Earnhart. Wonders was third, 17.9 seconds back. Norris, whom APU would like to remind you used to ski for them, was fourth, 23.3 seconds back. Houtsma likely had to dig deep over the final lap, but held on for fifth, 0.9 seconds ahead of BSF teammate Reid Goble in sixth.
“It was good!” said Jager of his day in written comments to Nordic Insights. “Cool to see so many people out here racing, absolutely massive field which was sweet, and the sun even came out for us.”
Jager added, regarding the second consecutive podium sweep for the APU men, that it was “Fun to have the team skiing so well! We had great skis and were all feeling good. Especially fun to see Michael skiing at a new level and Hunter finding his old form after giving us all a scare with his retirement for a few months there.”
“The rest of the team is coming up and just getting better and better,” Jager wrote. “It’s really fun to just be on the wholesome homegrown feel of the SuperTour and I have been really grateful for my time back on the SuperTour.”
Jager will have another chance at this next weekend in Craftsbury, where Friday brings a skate sprint and Sunday brings a 25km skate held in conjunction with the Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival.
— Gavin Kentch
