2026: Great Bear Chase
I have had the privilege of being a part of this event – as a racer from 2014 through 2021 and as a part of the race organization since 2022 – for a while. Getting to learn, first hand and…
Category Calumet
2021-22: Ski The Keweenaw
Similar to most events/projects that began in a pre-pandemic era, Ski The Keweenaw too had a break during 2020-21 winter after its maiden edition in 2019-20 winter. Unlike other events, it wasn’t COVID-19 but very poor planning on my part…
2021: Great Bear Chase
Being a hometown event and the last officially timed nordic skiing race for each winter, this was an event that I wouldn’t miss – pandemic or not. The organizing committee did an excellent job of staying ahead of the game…
2020: (Virtual) Illinois and Grandma’s Marathons
If not for the ongoing global pandemic, COVID-19, the Illinois Marathon would have happened on 25th April 2020 and the Grandma’s Marathon would be happening on 20th June 2020. Organizers of the Grandma’s Marathon had sent out the cancellation notice…
2019-20: Ski The Keweenaw
Some winters ago, in a conversation with my buddy Adam Griffis (he took up social media distancing well before the social distancing became a thing in recent times) that most certainly involved good food and a fine beverage, we had an…
2020: Great Bear Chase
Being a hometown event and the last officially timed Nordic skiing race for the 2019-20 winter, this was an event that I could ill afford to miss. Given that it’s week #13 of a 20-week training plan towards a Spring…
2019: Great Bear Chase
This too was an event I had deemed I am not going to race during 2018-19 winter but much like Birkie two weekends ago, things changed and changed in a hurry. The last of the officially timed ski event for…
2017: Great Bear Chase
In all seriousness and retrospect, this should have been my fourth ski race/event of the 2016-17 season. But owing to many reasons beyond the scope of this journal entry (read: excuses for not making time to train consistently in any…
2016: Great Bear Chase
In all seriousness and retrospect, this should have been my only ski race of the 2015-16 season. For, in all the same seriousness and retrospect, Great Bear Chase has become the final test of my skiing talents each season —…
2015: Swedetown Trail Run
All of my familiarity with the Swedetown Tails, at least until the beginning of this Summer, had to do with cross country skiing as part of the The Great Bear Chase festivities. And by skiing, I mean my desperate attempts…
2015: Great Bear Chase
The past year since the last edition of this home area event, except for the month of December 2014, has seen me ski at least a few kilometers every month we have had moderate to really good or excellent trail…
2014: Great Bear Chase
Having taken my skiing talents (or lack thereof) to the trails only three times, having already signed up to do the Book Across The Bay (thanks to peer pressure from dear friend, Bryant Weathers), my understanding — in late January…