In the first-ever summer cross-country roller ski race held in Prince George, just 3.4 seconds was all that separated Adam Runnalls from fellow Calgarian Haldan Borglum in the men’s time trial on Saturday, July 26 at Otway Nordic Centre.
Runnalls, a 26-year-old senior national biathlon team member who helped the Canadian men post a country-best sixth-place result in the relay at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, completed the Otway course in 19:07.8, just ahead of Borgland (19:11.2) who races with Foothills Nordic of Calgary.
Malcolm McCulloch of the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre was third (19:48.8).
Some of the country’s best cross-country skiers and biathletes converged on the asphalt track Otway for a six-day training camp that culminated in two days of racing time trials. Saturday’s cross-country time trials were followed Sunday by biathlon time trials.
A pair of World Cup veteran biathletes went head-to-head in the women’s six-kilometre cross-country time trial Saturday. Benita Peiffer of Whistler won it in 11:28.9, 24.3 seconds ahead of Nadia Moser of Whitehorse, also a senior national biathlon team member.
In the men’s six-km cross-country, Sebastian Rossa of Foothills Nordic won another close race, stopping the clock in 11:19.8, 6.6 seconds quicker than Oscar Nelson of Prince George, competing for the host Caledonia Nordic Ski Club.
The shooting range at Otway was the focal point of the biathlon time trials on Sunday (July 27).
Runnalls took the men’s 7.5 km carry (rifle) event, finishing the course and two rounds of shooting in 22:14.1. Borglum finished second (22:39.9).
Moser won the women’s six-km carry biathlon time trial in 14:49.8. edging Moira Green of Caledonia (15:06.2) and Emily Dickson of Omineca Ski Club of Burns Lake (15:13.9).
Prince George biathlete Oscar Nelson and Caledonia club member captured the men’s six-km non-carry event, stopping the clock in 14:30.6, ahead of second -place Gabriel Janz of Nelson Nordic (15:33.1) and Colton Rostoker of Foothills Nordic (15:34.2).
In the non-carry six-km biathlon, Emily Lane of Sovereign Lake Nordic Club played the spoiler over two Caledonia club members. Lane finished in 17:37.1, ahead of Maisie Hoehn (17:49.4) and Skye Cadell (18:03.9), both of Prince George.
Sixty-eight cross-country skiers and 48 biathletes competed in the time trials.
