The 19th running of Leif's Race brought 24 adults and 11 junior skiers out to Bald Mountain's Cozy run and Sun Valley Nordic Center's Trail Creek Loop on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Skiers ages eight through 69 combined their alpine and cross-country talents on Valentine's Day in an event that remembers the late Nordic ski pioneer Leif Odmark, a longtime Sun Valley ski instructor and national team coach.
Mild temperatures and perfect snow conditions prevailed. John Campbell, 2008's overall winner, again topped the men's field, while Wood River Valley native Liz Pendl Roquet held off stiff competition to take the women's combined category.
Dave Bingham put together the fastest snowboard/Nordic effort, and Greg Thomas freed his heel at both venues to assemble the winning telemark/ Nordic time.
Ellen Gillespie and Ned Lumpkin were the day's only old-schoolers using classic cross-country technique. Race organizer Jeremy Fryberger said John Summers employed a new twist by skating five kilometers in alpine touring gear—with his heels locked down!
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Results by adult and youth classes, with giant slalom time followed by Nordic clocking and placings in age classes:
Alpine men (5k Nordic): 1—John Campbell 25.89/16:14 (1st). 2—Jim DeWolfe 28.73/16:16 (1st). 3—Peter Watkins 31.31/15:19 (2nd). 4—Ken Dreyer 28.24/17:24 (2nd). 5—Scott Danielson 30.99/16:14 (3rd). 6—Lee Roquet 33.41/16:16 (1st). 7—Edgar Fenwick 29.05/19:29 (1st). 8—Dan Daigh 37.81/15:52 (4th). 9—John Summers 27.38/23:23 (5th). 10—Harry Griffith 30.33/23:49 (6th). 11—Thomas Gillespie 33.00/24:56 (1st). 12—Sam East 51.38/19:47 (2nd). 13—Andy Jones-Wilkins 43.49/24:29 (3rd). 14—Ned Lumpkin 33.41/38:38 (3rd).
Alpine women (5k Nordic): 1—Liz Roquet 34.37/17:40 (1st). 2—Nancy Dreyer 32.14/20:16 (1st). 3—Nancy Auseklis 30.48/23:50 (1st). 4—Joanne Davis 39.10/23:06 (1st). 5—Cheyanne Stopol 38.33/24:57 (1st). 6—Grace Gorham 38.96/26:12 (2nd). 7—Ellen Gillespie 42.07/28:49 (2nd).
Telemark men (5k Nordic): 1—Greg Thomas 36.20/17:00 (1st). 2—David Grundy 46.05/15:43 (1st).
Snowboard men (5k Nordic): 1—Dave Bingham 49.43/14:52 (1st). 2—Pat Schott 48.53/20:20 (1st).
Youth boys (2.5k Nordic): 1—Kristian DeWolfe 30.64/10:11. 2—Lukas DeWolfe 32.67/11:00. 3—Carter Ros 39.25/9:38. 4—Taylor Koth 38.34/10:23. 5—Cooper Roquet 42.72/10:24. 6—Hayden Cowden 34.15/15:55. 7—Logan Jones-Wilkins 39.26/13:55. 8—Ike Buxton 46.26/13:00.
This year’s Leif Combined overall winners were Liz Pendl Roquet and John Campbell. Courtesy photo by Joan Clark.
