Fourth annual Nordic Ski Race complete success
The 4th Annual Black Mountain Nordic Classic ski race attracted 92 participants on Saturday. Race Director Denny Paull of Cheboygan said the 31.8-kilometer (20 mile) course was in good condition due to last minute grooming by the DNR personnel from the Onaway office.
THE MAIN race had 75 contestants while the 10 km tour had 17 skiers. Paull said he was pleased to see the tour numbers increase from only five participants last year. ?A week ago the course was like concrete, and it looked like we were going to have a pretty rough time, but that all changed with the snowstorms we got,? Paull said. ?We appreciate what the DNR folks did at the last minute to make this race a success. A lot of wet, heavy snow fell Thursday and Friday and the DNR crew out of Onaway did a great job getting the course ready for the race.? The race was dedicated to the memory of two skiers, Marvin Mendyk and John Hardin, who passed away unexpectedly last year. Mendyk, 63, died as a result of a tragic fall from a tree while out scouting deer on November 1, 2006. He had been an avid skier and outdoorsman since moving to Harbor Springs in 1999.
Hardin moved to Cheboygan after graduating from U of M School of Dentistry in 1980. He passed away on April 15, 2006 while mountain biking at Black Mountain.
A MEMORIAL plaque for Hardin was placed on the Black Mountain trail. Family and friends of both men donated $6,000 to the Thunder Bay Trails Association for the maintenance of the trails at Black Mountain. Hardin?s wife, Tracy, won the overall women?s division on Saturday. Paull noted that more women participated this year than previously and they had three racers under 18 years of age. He is keen to use some of the proceeds of the race to encourage more young people to get involved in the sport. A 12 km portion of the cross-country course is considered by many skiers to be the best-groomed trail in the area. Skiers can access this trail from the DNR parking lot o
Bob Eifler of Traverse City has participated in all of the Black Mountain races and considers it to be his favorite course. ?This is a nice course and the people are great,? said Eifler. ?I was slipping and sliding early in the race because my wax was not gripping. At the top of the first long climb, I asked one of the volunteers if he had any wax. He opened his jacket, which was full of all kinds of things. I threw up a ski, he corked and waxed it, I threw up the other ski and I then I was on my way all in about ten seconds.?
A number of the skiers praised the excellent buffet meal put on by the Chateau North restaurant. Additional photographs of the race can be viewed on the Thunder Bay Trails Association website www.thunderbaytrails.org and other information is available from www.nordicskiracer.com website.