The North American Biathlon Championships (NABC) invaded the Callaghan Valley for the first time this past weekend, attracting 15 of North America's best biathletes to compete in the three-day International Biathlon Union sanctioned event.
Squamish-based biathlete Matt Neumann had a memorable weekend, winning the sprint race on Friday (April 1) and the pursuit race on Saturday (April 2). According to Neumann, the warmer conditions in Whistler led to a more challenging race for everyone involved.
"The snow was really, really soft out there," he said after his victory on Saturday. "It was punishing for everyone out there and it was almost a matter of who wants to hurt themselves the most to win."
Neumann added that the course at Whistler Olympic Park doesn't feature a lot of downhill sections, which forces racers to rely on pure strength and endurance.
He faced a challenge on both days from youth men's racer Casey Smith. The Winthrop, Wash., native may be racing a shorter distance than Neumann, but the two seemed to be motivating each other with their respective swift pace. Smith posted a time of 22 minutes, 35.7 seconds in his 7.5-kilometre race on Friday, while Neumann blazed through his 10 km race in 30:15.2. Neumann acknowledged it's good to have someone to battle.
"It was really good to have the presence out there," he said of Smith. "It's always good to have someone out there to keep you on your toes. He might have been racing a shorter race but he was going pretty fast out there."
Saturday saw more of the same battling between the two, with Neumann finishing his 12.5 km race in 40:14.9 and Smith taking 36:57.9 to complete his 10 km.
On both Friday and Saturday, Beau Thompson and Aaron Neumann, Matt's brother, placed second and third, respectively, behind Matt Neumann. On Sunday (April 3), Thompson took home first in the zeroing-class mass-start event.
Several Callaghan Winter Sports Club (CWSC) biathletes also had good weekends, placing high on Friday and Saturday's races. The CWSC's Karen Ogilvie won the master women's six km race on Friday and placed second in the 7.5 km version on Saturday. Phillip Douglas and Carl Hofbauer finished fourth on both Friday and Saturday in the men's masters division. Youngster Cody Wolfe also represented the CWSC, placing second in both days' juvenile races. Saturday also saw a banquet and awards ceremony take place at Quest University. The top three finishers in every category were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals for their efforts.
Max Saenger, the chief of competition for the event, said it was a nice debut in the Sea to Sky Corridor for the event.
"The three days were really great and there was a good local turnout, especially from our masters division," he said.
Saenger said the athletes competing in the North American division were impressed with the track and also the knowledge of the volunteers.
"The athletes were pleased with how well things were run and the condition of the trails," he said. "And one interesting comment I got was how high the capacity was for our group of volunteers. It's a real legacy from the Olympic Games and I think that we've hosted so many events and competitions here that everyone involved knew how to get it done.
"This wasn't like the Olympics or the World Cup where they bring in their own people to help the event run smoothly. This was entirely run by locals and they did a great job."
Saenger pointed out that the NABC switches between Canada and the United States each year. When it's in Canada, it usually alternates between east and west. He also hinted that the event might be worked into the same weekend as the Biathlon Nationals, which this year took place from March 21 to 27 in New Brunswick. He said that more biathletes would be willing to take part in the NABC event if the two events were combined.
For full results from the races, visit www.biathloncanada.ca.
