The 29th annual Reino Keski-Salmi Loppet was a great success – for the skiers and for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Some 250 volunteers organized the event for the 464 Nordic skiers who came from throughout Alberta, B.C. and from as far away as Kenora, Ont. to take part.
Snow conditions at Larch Hills were ideal for the multi-generational event that had a remarkable 80-year age span.
The youngest skier was two-year old Yana Bonthuys and the eldest, 82 years young Larry Boersma. Local ski ambassador Gullan Hansen maintained her remarkable, unbroken record of 29 consecutive Reino Keski-Salmi loppets.
The event was also supported by local sponsors that provided pre-race organization, trail food and drinks, safety and encouragement.
Post-loppet celebrations included the traditional hot lunch and camaraderie on the hill, followed by a rec centre swim, a wine and cheese gathering and a banquet and dance.
Winners of the 36 kilometre race were:
• Overall Women: Abbigail May of Larch Hills was first with a time of 2:06:59.1. Rocky Mountain Racer Karen Messenger took second at 2:12:08.8 and from Larch Hills, Randi Ostby was third with a time of 2:13:16.2.
• Overall Male: Olympian Brian McKeever was first with a time of 1:43:05. Rocky Mountain Racer Erik Carlton claimed second at 1:47:52.7 and Skeets Morel, with the Sovereign Lake team, was third with a time of 1:48:27.9.
Winners of the 18-km junior races were:
• Junior Female: Revelstoke Nordics Club’s Megan Evans was first at 1:05:04.7. Gina Cinelli of Larch Hills took second at 1:07:21.1, and Sovereign Lake’s Hannah Mehain was third with a time of 1:07:40.2.
• Junior Male: Larch Hills skiers took the top three spots – Thomas Hardy was first with a time of 0:51:38.8. Kyle Flatman took second in 0:53:00.9 and Judah Bucher was third with a time of 0:54:37.6.
Top local females were Abbi May, Randi Ostby and Sheila Corbett at 2:36:39.8. Top local males were John Connor at 1:50:33.1, Brian May at 1:52:32.9 and George Jackson at 2:05:25.4.
Other top junior category finishers were:
• Four and under – Kiera Cadden, Romy Hansen, Paige Hughes, Ben Bonthuys, Walter Bullen and Kian Smith.
• Ages 5 to 7 – Hilary Vukadinovic, Emily Carelse, Tessa Elliot, Eric Moore, Mitchel Bond and Nate Hardy.
• Ages 8 to 10 – Julianne Moore, Keeya Corbett, Maggie Beckner, Stephen Moore, Trond May and Calvin Hepburn.
• Ages 11 to 13 – Annika Ackermann, Aria Izik-Dzurko, Chantel Jeffrey, Ian Williams, Konrad van Varseveld and David Bakker.
• Sit-ski 17 and under – Emily Suchy.
Find full race results at www.skilarchhills.ca and follow the link to Reino Keski-Salmi Loppet.
The popular event raised $10,275 for the Heart and Stroke foundation.
