Colorado native Noah Hoffman, 25, had a slippery start to his 2014-15 competitive season last fall. He also had a slippery start to last Thursday’s U.S. National Championship 50-kilometer freestyle mass start race at Galena Lodge.
Yet the seventh-year U.S. Nordic Ski Team racer, considered America’s best at long-distances, persevered and eventually came out on top to wrap up a challenging season.
Aspen’s Hoffman broke a bone in his left leg above the ankle after a hard crash on a descent in the first World Cup race of the season back in Nov. 2014 at Kuusano, Finland. He used up a bunch of frequent flier miles just to come home for surgery in Colorado.
Hoffman rehabilitated his ankle, won the Aspen Gold Rush 10k skate race in February and achieved an unlikely goal by competing for the U.S. at the 2015 World FIS Championships in Falun, Sweden.
Competing for Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Hoffman emerged as the top American in 31st place of the 50k classic world championship race March 1. He was just five seconds behind Canada’s Ivan Babikov. Hoffman also placed 34th, again the top Yank, in the world 15k skate at Falun.
Last Thursday, Hoffman was at the Galena Lodge starting line of the national championship 50k skate—and he ended up as the top American in third place overall. Since the two skiers ahead of him were foreign-born, including race winner Babikov, Hoffman earned his third national championship title.
Hoffman (26th in the 50k skate at the 2014 Olympics, 27th in 50k classic at 2013 worlds) had placed second and was the top American in last year’s U.S. National 50k classic mass start at Anchorage, Ak., 0.09 seconds behind native Finn Aku Nikander of the University of New Mexico.
The other national title for Hoffman came in the 30k classic at Rumford, Me. in 2012.
Nothing about the winter was easy—from Hoffman’s early-season injury, to Thursday’s rock-solid ice conditions for the 62 male skaters that caused difficult traction on the nine-lap, 50k course, and to the sprint finish between four skiers for second place.
On his March 30 blog post, Hoffman wrote, “Sprint finishes have been tough for me, but I produced my best one ever on Thursday. My energy was still very good, and I used that to my advantage on the long gradual uphill.
“I was happy with the way I skied in the race on difficult snow. It was not easy conditions for me, and I believe I put together the best race I possibly could. It was a positive way to end a disappointing season.”
Russian-born two-time Canadian Olympian Babikov, 34, won Thursday’s 50k by a full 52 seconds in 1.57:06. Native Norwegian Rune Oedegaard, 25, of the University of Colorado was second in 1.57:58.1, just ahead of Hoffman (1.57:58.6). Last year’s champion Nikander finished seventh (1.58:20).
In the women’s 30k national freestyle mass start event, 34-year-old Caitlin Gregg of Minneapolis won her sixth national title and second of 2015 by nearly three minutes over Liz Stephen of Burke Mountain Academy. Gregg, last year’s 20k skate national winner, also took this year’s 10k skate win.
The women’s course turned into brutal slush, since the race was staged after the men Thursday morning and the snow softened quite a bit. Temperatures were very warm and the conditions were very slow. Gregg’s time was 1.42:46.
Results from Thursday follow for top skiers and locals:
Men’s 50k freestyle mass start: 1—Ivan Babikov (Canada) 1.57:06.2. 2—Rune Oedegaard (Norway/Univ. of Co.) 1.57:58.1. 3—Noah Hoffman (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) 1.57:58.6. 4—Erik Bjornsen (Alaska Pacific) 1.57:59.0. 14—Matt Gelso (SVSEF) 2.02:19. 16—Miles Havlick (SVSEF) 2.02:46. 23—Ben Lustgarten (SVSEF) 2.04:52. 58—Peter Wolter (SVSEF) 2.25:18 (62 starters, 59 finishers).
Junior men’s 25k freestyle: 1—Karsten Hokanson (Wasatch Nordic) 1.08:29. 2—Thomas O’Harra (Alaska Pacific) 1.09:38. 4—Braden Becker (SVSEF) 1.10:24. 5—Sam Wood (SVSEF) 1.10:46. 12—Eli Jensen (SVSEF) 1.14:17. 17—Danny Graves (SVSEF) 1.16:39. 18—Henry Raff (SVSEF) 1.17:23. 19—Max Polito (SVSEF) 1.17:33. 23—Carter Ros (SVSEF) 1.20:59 (24 finishers).
Women’s 30k freestyle mass start: 1—Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg) 1.42:46. 2—Liz Stephen (Burke Mt.) 1.45:27. 3—Sadie Bjornsen (Alaska Pacific) 1.46:40. 14—Mary Rose (SVSEF) 1.54:56. 37—Elizabeth Youngman (Sun Valley/Vamps) 2.10:14. 42—Casey Wright (SVSEF) 2.19:20 (47 starters, 44 finishers)
Junior women’s 15k: 1—Sophie McDonald (Park City) 56:16. 5—Katerina Paul (SVSEF) 59:53. 11—Kristin Helland-Hansen (SVSEF) 1.03:35. 12—Annika Landis (SVSEF) 1.04:02 (13 starters).
U-16 boys’ 5k: 1—Cooper Roquet (SVSEF) 17:24.
U-14 boys’ 5k: 1—Johnny Hagenbuch (SVSEF) 17:23.
U-16 girls’ 5k: 1—Jenae Rasmussen (Wasatch Nordic) 21:06. 2—Kirsys Campbell (SVSEF) 21:35. 3—Ellie Polk (SVSEF) 25:05.
U-14 girls’ 5k: 1—Ella Wolter (SVSEF) 21:10.
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