After skipping the 2025 edition (not enough snow and the event was canceled), I signed up not long after the registration opened up. For a vast majority of my cross country skiing Winters, Noquemanon has served as the second family reunion and the second real race atmosphere to put to test newly acquired skills, get a measure of improvements since the SISU Ski Fest and continue taking stock of things that need to be worked on. It was no different this time around … in spite of frigid temperatures.

da Preparation

National Weather Service folks had indicated that the weekend temperature would be on the colder side of the spectrum. How cold, you ask? Cold enough for Bosons to lose their individual identity and act like a single, unified quantum entity … da Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC), the 5th state of matter alongside solid, liquid, gas and plasma … creation of which in 1995 had won a group of Colorado Physicists the 2001 Nobel Prize. Unnecessary Physics reference aside, it meant layering up to protect the body parts better than Remi Lindholm did in 2022 Beijing Olympics and not needing Klister or Klister cover for the skis.

Since (and including the SISU Ski Fest), I had two more weeks of consistent training and with it, a little more exposure to the metallic taste that’s a tell-tale sign of harder efforts. I believed I could hold SISU-like effort – almost 16 km in about 80 minutes (i.e., 5:00 min/km) – for about 2 hours while focusing on good form (e.g., lean from the ankle, engaging the core, arm follow through and recovery, etc.) and the terrain-appropriate technique (e.g., double pole, kick double pole, pole plant, knee drive, etc.). Buffering about 15 minutes for the potential extreme cold weather, 2:14:59 became the time goal for this event.

I was once again sufficiently disciplined throughout the week and stayed true to the script. A couple Winters ago, MikeY had suggested that I write my own waxing protocol as homework ahead of at least local events, and then verify it when Toko publishes the official recommendation. Though I had done such work a few times before, I hadn’t taken the next step of submitting the assignment ahead of time. After some discussions and deliberations with Shannon, I did take that next step and submitted my recipe to MikeY on Monday night. Toko’s recommendation – released on Thursday and written by MikeY – was not only a big boost of confidence but also a good reminder to pay closer attention to structural details.

Michigan Tech was closed on Friday due to prevailing weather conditions, and I spent a portion the morning wrapping up ski preparation and packing. A very slow but safe drive (about 100 minutes for the first 65 miles and about 50 minutes for the final 35 miles) brought me to Marquette around 3:45 pm. A quick check-in ensued at the housing for the weekend, and quicker stops were made at Sports Rack and Queen City Running Company to acquire essential apparel. Getting into the Superior Dome a few minutes ahead of the 5 pm expo start time was a brilliant move, if I say so myself. I was able to pickup the race packets before the rush hour and spend the time so saved to catch up with friends – Erich, Greg, Jason, Kellie, Kevin, Krista, Lori, Nick, Sam, Sammy, Scott, Spencer, Sue, Tryg and more – I hadn’t seen in quite a while. One too many rounds of Midwestern Goodbyes around the Superior Dome (I don’t regret any of them!) inexplicably led to being interviewed live for WLUC-TV (or better known as TV6) News Tonight … about my preparations – physical and mental – for the next day’s event. Dinner at the Thai House Kitchen was later than usual but quick and hearty, and I called it a night shortly before 10 pm.

da Event

A fairly good night of sleep and 11:45 am start time for my 24k Classic event led to a pretty relaxed Saturday morning. I had sufficient time to (re)pack everything I needed for the day – to ski and then to stay warm. Getting a pre-event meal at Third Street Bagel about 3 hours before the start time was planned but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the company of and conversations with the same group of locals as I had done 2 years ago! Finding a parking spot near the Superior Dome was not difficult and neither was finding a quiet spot inside to relax. Not wanting to be out and about in the cold any longer than I needed to, I waited till the last possible moment to board the communal bus around 10:45 am.

I used the same rationale as prior seasons to not test my skis: (a) I am a commoner and had traveled solo with one pair of skis; (b) There was no place to leave a second (or third) pair of skis at the start and have them transported to the finish line; (c) I needed to continue to have faith in my preparation according to Toko’s official recommendation. Given that this particular preparation was part of the homework, I had a bit more ownership of my preparation and had made up my mind once again to make the skis work without DNFing. So, I used the luxury of the designated warming bus to stay calm (and warm) before leaving for the start line.

Given that this is a Classic-oriented race (one of the very few that I know of in our country) and given that I wasn’t racing, I put myself near the end of the wave. The National Anthem played and as the starter gave us a count down, I started my Garmin a few seconds earlier to avoid potential false/delayed start (or a start line entanglement). Familiarity with the wider course from the CR-510 Trailhead through Forestville gained by prior outings and exquisite grooming helped stay confidently aggressive – tucking in on downhills and step-turning at speed around most corners. With enough layers, I was sufficiently warm and wasn’t in danger of freezing any body part but I couldn’t easily check the splits as the kilometers ticked by. With the skis kicking and gliding as expected, I focused on what felt like steady effort, good form and terrain-appropriate technique … often mimicking those of a good / experienced skier ahead of me. Not needing to leave the tracks when cresting ascents – except when there were no tracks – and doing so without any slippage was a good boost of confidence!

Somewhere after the first aid station (aid station #5: 17k – Bismark Creek in the race guide), an inadvertent gap in the ski goggle lining caused freezing up from the inside. It was quite useless by the time I reached the second aid station (aid station #6: Forestville). But the Sun was shining and winds were nearly non-existent. Feeling the warmth, an impromptu decision was made to ditch the less than useful ski goggle. One of the spectators (and an employee of a local shop) graciously agreed to find ways to get it back to me! 

Lack of familiarity with the narrow and winding course between Forestville and Superior Dome kept me cautiously aggressive – I snowplowed downhills, step-turned at reduced speed around most corners and charged up ascents to stay true to the planned effort level. Even with all the tree droppings along the course, the tracks and skate deck were holding their shape reasonably well and the skis continued to kick and glide really well. I could count the total number of slippages with one hand – almost all of which were a result of improper weight transfer.

With time of the day information from a road crossing volunteer, and unexpected support from friends – Anna, Aubrey, Nick and more … all in Ninja mode – along the course, I knew I was well under the planned 2:14:59 goal and the elusive to me sub-2 hour goal felt within reach. Subtle pickup in the effort the rest of the way brought me pretty close but a sub-2 hour finish on this course remained elusive. The official finish time was 2:00:07 – good for 66th overall, 46th amongst males and 3rd in my age group. The result was made possible by a combination of what was undoubtedly the best grooming in my recollection at this event and the kindness of volunteers at every aid station and road crossing on what was undeniably a very miserable day to be just standing around for hours on end. The materialistic memorabilia commemorating my best Noquemanon to date, Moen Cowbell, wasn’t as big as it was in 2024 but was just as shiny!

A hot shower in a facility adjacent to Superior Dome was quite heavenly – I am not sure how they managed to supply hot water for that many folks at about the same time. I got to catch up with more friends – Allison and Adam, Chelsey and Nick, Greg, Hanna and Sam, Jason, Jenna and Zach, Krista, Lianna, Kurt, and more – while waiting for and through the awards ceremony. The Graci family (of Superior Timing fame) graciously had me over at their home for a hearty and home-cooked meal. The night ended around 10 pm – shortly after a brief double-fisting (don’t worry, it was just water) session w/ Avery, Caroline and Justus, Hanna and Sam, and Liam (all of the WURD fame) at the Ore Dock Brewing Company.

da Day After

After a fairly decent night of sleep, I fueled at Third Street Bagel and was fortunate enough to get the first track for a vast majority of the recovery outing at Forestville. For the second day in a row … the grooming was exquisite, mercury (not the planet) was well below zero, the Sun was shining and winds were non-existent. Getting to catch up with Lori, Mitchell and Tryg before/after the outing was a bonus. Folks in charge of housing were kind enough to grant me a generously late checkout. I left Marquette after cleaning up and a safe drive on mostly non-snowy roads – thinking about more things I need to work on to get better – brought me back to Houghton.

Carpe Skiem!

Thanks be to

the rejections and opportunities life has brought my way, event folks (organizers, sponsors, volunteers, timers, law enforcement officials, photographers, fellow participants and spectators) and my family of good friends, mentors and coaches in and outside of my community for all the unexpected, undeserved and unrewarded acts of kindness and constant encouragement as well as offerings of constructive criticism to improve myself as a human and an athlete. I am eternally grateful to all those who let me train with them, who shared their meals and experiences with me, who helped keep me in good health, who helped me stay the course, and who cheered me on from home or along the course.