Sara Hewitt: Scandinavia Update #2

North of the Arctic Circle.

Our last three competitions have been north right along the border between Sweden and Finland. We competed in three different locations, Tornio, Pello, and Yllas. The first two were skate races and the last was a classic, each 5km long.

The first day was a fast rolly course. With over 600 competitors (including every age class) our category did not start until late in the afternoon, and by that time the track was completely glazed almost like ice. It was a tough race. You had to push on every single inch of that course, while being powerful and strong. I felt pretty good. My result wasn’t great as I was almost 1.5 minutes back, but I learned a lot and think I know where I needed to improve. Brooke, on the other hand had a pretty good race. She was only 23sec off the winner putting her in 5th place for the day.

Next up was the race in Pello. It was an awesome course with lots of climbing through trees and fast downhills and corners. My legs weren’t quite up to par that day and about 20m off the start line they started to burn. Never the less, I fought my way through the rest of the course, finishing again in almost 1.5 minutes back. Brooke placed 6th that day, 33sec back.

Easter Sunday was in Yllas. To our surprise some of the best racers in the world decided to show up to this race. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, who was a medalist at world champs this year was among them. I pushed as hard as I could. We had awesome grip, but I think were a little slow on the glide. I finished 3.5 minutes back, followed closely by Brooke. We essentially raced the best in the world after completing two races beforehand, so I don’t think we can be too hard on ourselves.

Its been a lot of travel and racing, but I am still enjoying every minute of it. Every race is like a battle where you are fighting for every second. I am really learning how to push my body to the max, and I think by continuing to do that it will get me closer to reaching my goals.

Tomorrow we have a long drive to Bruksvalarna, where we have our final two races. These races should be well attended and sounds like a lot of fun too, so stay tuned.

I’ll wrap it up with some pics and thoughts of Finland.

Gord, skiing through the lap lane on Saturday