Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Team senior Shane Lindemer is quick to get out in front of the 10K mass start. Lindemer placed third with a time of 29:50.
3K racers Sandpoint's Simon Dussault (left) pulls ahead of Seeley Lake's Macy Williams (right) in the final stretch with 5K racer Erica Burguiere hot on their heels. Williams finished first for the girls in the 3K with a time of 12:12.
Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Team 10K racer Cullen Bertsch (left) kicks it in gear passing 3K racer Aspen Derry and never letting Owen Hoag (right) out of his sight. They crossed the finish line together with a time of 34:39.
The youngest racer three-year-old Emiliana Dussault from Sandpoint proudly skied to the finish line and stopped. She finished the 1K in 26:04.
SEELEY LAKE – SLE Outside hosted their fifth annual Skiesta Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Seeley Lake Nordic Trails. This year 40 racers from Seeley Lake, Missoula, Sandpoint and Whitefish youth ski clubs participated in the 1 kilometer (K), 3K, 5K and 10K races.
First, second and third places were awarded for five different age groups split by boys and girls. Very few racers did not receive a ribbon for their efforts and a few lucky ones received a door prize for participating.
"I think it was really cool that Sandpoint came for the first time," said Race Coordinator and SLE Outdoor Education Coordinator Bridget Laird. "It was nice to get such high quality athletes from so far away."
The 10K had nine racers. Top finishers posted times 20 minutes faster than last year's 10K winners.
Missoula's Zootown Area Nordic Youth (ZANY) skiers Lukas Haresji and Adian Duffield took the top two spots in the 10K race with time of 20:21 and 28:42. Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Team (SLNS)'s Shane Lindemer took third with a time of 29:50.
Sandpoint's Emerson Kanning was the only girl in the 10K. She finished in 33:29.
The 5K sported 14 racers with winners crossing the finish line five minutes faster than last year's winners.
Sandpoint Nordic skiers took the top spots in the boys and girls 5K. Tabor Dussault won with a time of 15:25 and Annaby Kanning crossed the finish line in 17:05.
SLNS's Will Batchelder aced out his teammate Klayton Kovatch for the silver crossing the finish line one second sooner with a time of 16:57.
In the girls' 5K, SLNS's Sadie Smith took second overall with a time of 19:39. Maeve Ingelfinger with ZANY came in third with a time of 20:08.
SLNS took the top two spots in the boys' 3K. Eric Lorentz finished the race in 10:27 followed by the youngest racer in the event Noah Stone with a time of 11:42. Henry Bennett of Whitefish finished third.
SLNS swept the overall top three spots in the girls' 3K race. Macy Williams crossed the line first with a time of 12:12. She was followed by Clara Treser, 12:58 and Hattie Batchelder, 13:40.
The 1K race had five participants with the youngest being three and the oldest being seven-years-old. The finish order followed their ages with the oldest Isabel Burguiere finished in 7:30. Burguiere was followed by Anselm Dussault, 9:33 and Seeley Lake's Kimber Hanson, 15:46.
The racers and spectators enjoyed hot soups and chili along with a movie at SLE Outside following the race.
SLNS Results: Name, Age Group, Place in Age Group, Time
10K Boys: Shane Lindemer, U18, 1st, 29:50; Owen Hoag, U14, 1st, 34:39; Cullen Bertsch, U12, 1st, 34:39
5K Boys: Will Batchelder, U14, 1st, 16:57; Klayton Kovatch, U14, 2nd, 16:58; Wyatt Stout, U12, 2nd, 20:30; Johnnie Stout, U12, 3rd, 22:01
5K Girls: Sadie Smith, U14, 2nd, 19:39; Cora Stone, U12, 3rd, 23:01
3K Boys: Eric Lorentz, U16, 1st, 10:27; Noah Stone, U10, 1st, 11:42;
3K Girls: Macy Williams, U14, 1st, 12:12; Clara Treser, U14, 2nd, 12:58; Hattie Batchelder, U12, 1st, 13:40; Bethany Hoag, U14, 3rd, 14:11; Korinne Treser, U16, 1st, 14:32; Aspen Derry, U16, 2nd, 14:48; Mia Nicholas, U10, 1st, 14:57; Kilty Hanson, U10, 2nd, 15:19
1K Boys: Kimber Hanson, U6, 1st, 15:46
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