Mesa Meltdown
Grand Mesa Nordic Race #4
March 13, 2010
Skyway, Grand Mesa 

What was forecast to be a warm sunny day turned out to be somewhat overcast and breezy for the final GMNC race of the season. The snow temperature on the course remained fairly cool but times were fast on the well-groomed hard surface. The bulk of the course was protected from the wind but we threw in a little hill into a stiff headwind at the end to get to the finish just so everyone was convinced they had earned their hot cup of chile and Clif Bars afterwards. 

The 5K had a diversity of racers from 8 to 86 and it was the women’s day to rule. The first four places went to women led by Mesa State College racer Amanda Moore. Rich Cardwell and Tom Jones tied for the men’s win and appeared to be having a very good time skiing together. Kudos to Baxter Waltermire who hung in and skied the full 5K, a daunting distance on a hilly course for an 8-year old. 

Dave Aschwanden took just a hair over an hour to fly around the 20K course for the win in that race. That completed a perfect season for Dave who won all three of the races he entered. Also notching another win and ending perfect on the season was Christie Aschwanden, the women’s 20K winner and an impressive third place overall. Mesa State racer Tre Anastasia skied hard to come in second bewtween Dave and Christie. Cynthia Malleck captured second for the women. 

Thanks to all of the racers for a great season of competition in far less than ideal weather. The funds raised from entry fees will buy a lot of hours of grooming next year. Of course, these races would never have happened without our dedicated volunteers, Tom Fanticone, Shirley Ela, Penny Heuscher and clean-up specialist Bill Ela. Clif Bar generously provided an array of their products to keep everyone well-fueled at each race and REI, Ela Family Farms, Slice of Life Bakery and the Rockslide Brewery provided prizes for those either fast or lucky. Thanks! 

5K FREESTYLE

20K FREESTYLE