Fueled by years of winning running races on the track and on the cross country trails, Alex Nemethy's 17-year-old engine rocketed him to the top of the heap in Sunday's Prince George Integris Iceman.
The kid from Vanderhoof took advantage of fast snow conditions on the trails at Otway Nordic Centre to set the tone with a blistering 10-minute first lap and never looked back, winning the weather-shortened race in 1:35:17.
"It's pretty neat to win, it's my first time doing it and it's nice to see how I compare against the older guys who have done it a couple times before," said Nemethy. "I thought I had a shot at winning because I'm very good at skiing, I've been doing that almost as long as I've been running. I run a lot, which is a big portion of the race, so I knew if I could get a lead like I did I'd probably be able to hang on."
The temperature at race time was 1 C but it climbed a few degrees before it was over. Warm moist air from the south the past week melted much of the ice on the outdoor oval at Exhibition Park, forcing cancellation of the 5 km skating leg, which meant a non-stop 15km run from Otway to the Aquatic Centre. That played to Nemethy's strength as a runner, but he was disappointed he didn't get to go for a skate.
"It was really fast, the running was great, a bit icy and slippery in a couple spots, but otherwise great conditions," said Nemethy, an aspiring civil engineeer who will attend UVic starting in the fall. "I was hoping for a little break [after the 10km run] just because I know I'm fast on the shorter stuff too, but it worked out quite well for me and I ran a solid 15K."
Michael Buchanan (1:38:56) and Peter Krause of Smithers (1:40:11) were second and third overall among the men.
In the women's race, 25-year-old Kelsey Knoll of Prince George turned on the jets in the pool and passed Angela Wheeler of Vanderhoof 200 metres into the 800m event and held that lead to the finish for her first Icewoman championship title. Knoll won in 1:53:37.
Knoll, 25, grew up in Prince George but has lived on Vancouver Island for the past six years. She's unemployed now after working as a vegetable farmer but she's obviously no couch potato. She runs trails regularly and for past month has been familiarizing herself with wintertime activities close to home at Otway and the ice oval.
"It was really fun, the only dodgey part was the icy part at the five kilometre transition, I just had to go really slow there," said Knoll, who finished seventh in the open class in her only other Iceman experience five years ago.
Carolyn Bax also passed Wheeler in the water to finish second overall in 1:54:26, with Wheeler ending up third (1:56:34). Knoll didn't realize she was passing the race leader when she came up behind Wheeler.
"I thought she was a junior because she's so petite," said Knoll. "I didn't think I had a chance of winning because there's usually some ringers from out of town. I was anticipating doing the speed skate, and that would be my weakest leg. I hadn't been on speed skates this year. I've had a lot of time to get fit for this so it was a nice goal to have."
Pat Turner, a two-time Iceman champion, was feeling totally relaxed at poolside after completing the race in the open mixed relay on the P.G. Old Dogs team. Turner, 53, ran the 10km route after getting tagged by skier Scott Forrest. Turner's wife Nadine Caron ran the 5km leg while Forrest's wife Barb Kane finished up with the swim. Forrest and Turner tuned up for Iceman by racing in the Hallis Lake Loppet 30km classic ski race Saturday in Quesnel.
"There was no pressure, I was just ready for fun," said Turner. "This is such a great event. I did find a couple extra hills on Foothills [Boulevard] that I didn't know were there. I must be getting old. Kudos to Karen Seland and the organizers who kept it going after last year, when it was too cold for the Iceman."
The husband-and-wife MAC Attack team of Mike Smith and Anita O'Brien, both former solo Iceman champions, won the open mixed team relay in 1:41:13. The Old Dogs finished sixth in 1:50:37.
The transition area near the oval was slick with water on top of ice for about a 75m stretch and it was like running on ball bearings.
"We got our skate in on that last little bit," quipped Turner.
"It was an interesting place for spectators," added Caron. 'They did have lots of volunteers to warn the runners. It's all part of it. You can't have the Iceman without ice."
