By Rebecca Davis, Team OAM Now Nordic Skier
The Forbush Freestyle 17k is always one of the toughest races on my schedule. It isn’t the longest, or the biggest, but the course is incredibly technical- constant turning, and short, hard climbs. On top of that, the trail conditions usually seem to be a bit soft, which adds to the challenge. This year was no exception, and even though I have more training than I do most years, this race was still humbling for me.
The men and women started separate at this race; typically, in those situations, I take an early lead and hold on for as long as possible. This time, I decided to fall into the pack right away and take advantage of watching the better women skiers on the technical course. I realized that I can keep up fairly easily for about 4km, and then my legs started to tire from the constant climbing and turning, causing me to fall off the pack. I know where I need to focus my training for next year! After falling off of the leader, I was able to hang on to finish second place in the women’s race. It was one of my better standings for the year, but definitely not my strongest race.
Dan Yankus managed to hang on the lead pack for a 3rd place finish after realizing that his skis weren’t as fast as the first 2 finishers. Mike Davis had a tough fall on one of the hills near the end of the race putting him at the back of his pack, but still managed to finish 21st place.
Despite a tough race, and only a few team members competing, Team OAM Now certainly had a strong finish.
