Photo by Morris Prokop
GOING BANANAS 鈥 Racers in the 12 km distance of the Yukon Ski Marathon ski off at the start of their race at McLean Lake gravel pits Saturday.
Photo by Morris Prokop
GOING BANANAS 鈥 Racers in the 12 km distance of the Yukon Ski Marathon ski off at the start of their race at McLean Lake gravel pits Saturday.
Photo by Morris Prokop
COMIN鈥 IN HARD 鈥 Junior skier Leon Borlase, left, pushes to the finish line along with senior skier Jimmy Kennedy (134). Borlase was fifth and Kennedy sixth in the 12 km.
Photo by Morris Prokop
ICY EYELASHES 鈥 Anett Kralisch accompanied her son Oliver Kralisch-Seguin and daughter Emily Kralisch-Seguin.
Photo by Morris Prokop
FROSTY FINISH 鈥 Sam Angel, left and Tommy O鈥橬eil Sanger skied in the 32 km.
Cold temperatures forced changes to the 2024 Yukon Ski Marathon Saturday.
Cold temperatures forced changes to the 2024 Yukon Ski Marathon Saturday.
The Marathon was supposed to start at Fish Lake with longer distances of 45 and 27 km, but the start got moved to McLean Lake gravel pits.
The distances became 32, 25 and the original 12 km.
All three distances finished at the stadium at Mount McIntyre.
Youth skiers registered in the Junior 27 km course were moved to the 12 km course.
The temperature at the longer distance start was -22.5潞 C.
V茅ronique Th茅riault finished second behind Jasper Kohut in the 25 km.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really frosty but it鈥檚 OK. The snow is not as slow as I thought it would be. It鈥檚 not that bad, but it鈥檚 definitely chilly.鈥
Th茅riault said her race went well.
鈥淭his course, I feel, is really hard at the end. The Raven is just like, uphill. Finishing the last five 5 km straight up is not easy but other than that, it鈥檚 sunny and it鈥檚 nice. It was fun.鈥
Th茅riault added, 鈥淭hanks to the volunteers who stayed up there and gave us some warm drinks.鈥
Lois Johnston finished ninth in the 12 km.
Johnston said her race was 鈥済ood.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cold. You can鈥檛 go full out. Breathing is a little tricky if you try to push it. But I was warming up. I took off a layer before I started because I thought, 鈥楴o, I don鈥檛 want to be all bundled up.鈥
鈥淭he trail was fabulous. Volunteers were fabulous and the organization was great.鈥
Johnston said the 12 km was right for her.
鈥淚 have a sore shoulder so I haven鈥檛 been racing long (distances) this year.鈥
Johnston added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see so many people out here and for people to just not be afraid to go out and push themselves a little and not feel intimidated, is really great. It鈥檚 what it should be.鈥
Anett Kralisch accompanied her son Oliver Kralisch-Seguin, 11, in the 12 km and finished 13th, right behind her son.
鈥淚t was actually surprisingly beautiful. I had feared the worst but the sun made up for it. As long as you had a buff and some hand warmers it was beautiful.
鈥淭he trails were in really good condition so it was much more fun than we were expecting.
鈥淭he temperatures were too cold to make it a race, so we tried to take it easy as much as you can. We didn鈥檛 push it. We just enjoyed the sun and the trail.鈥
Kralisch鈥檚 daughter Emily Kralisch-Seguin, 13, was also in the 12 km and finished seventh.
Kralisch added a 鈥渂ig thank you to the organizers. I鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 a lot of work to organize it with the buses and the shuttles but also I know it was a lot of stress yesterday and during the week, given the cold forecast, and they pulled it off and I鈥檓 so thankful.鈥
Eric Bardin accompanied his son Louis, 8, in the 12 km, along with his wife, Merran Smith.
鈥淚t was cold, but it was good,鈥 related Bardin. 鈥淭he trail was really nice. It was great. In the forest, there was no wind, like at the finishing line.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great event and I thank all the people who organized it. For us, it鈥檚 a nice way to spend a cold day outside, even if it鈥檚 windy and now we鈥檙e all set for the rest of the day.鈥
It was Smith鈥檚 first time doing a race.
鈥淚 really enjoyed it. It was fun.鈥
Smith said she would definitely do it again.
鈥淢aybe in skate skis next time.鈥
Smith said only one of them had to accompany Louis.
鈥淏ut I had no idea if I would be ahead of them or behind them and it ended up my goal was to try to stick with them.鈥
Louis finished 14th, Bardin was 15th and Smith came in 16th.
Smith added, 鈥淚鈥檓 really glad the sun came out today. It definitely made it a nicer journey.鈥
Stephanie Peacock came in third in the 25 km. It was her first time doing the Marathon.
鈥淚t was beautiful. Beautiful day. Harder for the volunteers than the skiers I think, when it鈥檚 this cold. So we appreciate their efforts.鈥
Peacock said the conditions were 鈥渁 little cold at the start but the trails were beautiful and it was not as slow I thought.
鈥淟ots of fun, lots of smiling faces on the trails.鈥
Peacock added, 鈥渁 big thanks to all the volunteers and the people who made this happen.鈥
35 racers started the 32 km. Of those, 23 finished with a registered time.
To no one鈥檚 surprize, Graham Nishikawa finished first in the 32 km.
31 skiers started the 25 km, with 27 finishing.
All 36 athletes finished the 12 km,.
Junior Peter Embacher finished first in the 12 km.
Results for the race can be found at
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