The Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival returns! The classic races take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023 and the freestyle competitions are on Sunday, January 29, 2023. We are planning on running the 25k-ish loop from 2022 before it was rained out.
The Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival returns in person for 2022 with newly rescheduled dates! The classic races take place on Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 and the freestyle competitions are on Sunday, Feb 27, 2022. We are still working on a new course for 2022 with a goal of finding a 25k-ish loop.
Register:
Classic Marathon- Saturday, Feb 1, 2020
Freestyle Marathon- Sunday, Feb 2, 2020
Brodhead Challenge (racing both 50k classic & 33k freestyle)
Discounted Fee Deadline: Tuesday, Dec 31, 2019 at 12:01 AM ET
Online Registration Deadline: Thursday, Jan 30, 2020 at 9:00 PM ET
Event Notes:
The AXCS National Masters Championships are returning to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center with help from our friends at Boulder Nordic Sport! We are welcoming masters racers from across the country to contest two fun, fast days of racing.
Day one sees the 39th running of the Craftsbury Marathon 50k and 33k classic races. Masters in age groups M1-M6 will race for both National Masters Championships and Zak Cup points in the 50k, while M7 and up competitors will compete in the 33k.
Day two brings another round of National Masters Championships, with M1-M6 competitors vying for titles in the 33k skate, while M7 and up race 16k. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers of each gender in each category, as well as the male and female winners of each age class.
2020 will also see the return of the Brodhead Challenge, named in honor of Marathon founder and longtime Director of Skiing at the Outdoor Center, John Brodhead. Brodhead Challenge competitors are those who race both the 50k classic and 33k skate, with the fastest man and woman getting their names emblazoned on the Brodhead Challenge trophy hanging in our touring center.
Whether you choose to compete or to volunteer, we believe you'll find that the marathon is an event with something for everyone! Hope you'll join us!
Important Dates for the Marathon
Tuesday, Oct. 1 - Online registration opens.
Monday, Jan. 1 - Marathon price increases to $85.
Thursday, Jan. 30 - Online Registration closes for the Marathon Ski Festival.
Saturday, Feb. 1 - 39th Annual Craftsbury Marathon, 33k & 50k classic races (16k available for VPA high school and BKL skiers/chaperones). Day one of the AXCS National Masters Championships presented by Boulder Nordic Sport. Post-race meal and awards following the race.
Sunday, Feb. 2 - 16k & 33k Craftsbury Freestyle Marathon. Day two of the AXCS National Masters Championships, presented by Boulder Nordic Sport. Post-race meal and awards following the race.
Race Information
This event is a paraffin wax only event. No fluorinated waxes are permitted - read our fluoro-policy. Please help us regulate the amount of PFAS we put into the environment by sticking to paraffin waxes only. This means liquid, powder, or block PARAFFIN only. The Outdoor Center crew trusts the racing community to honor this effort to improve our public health and environmental stewardship. However, those found to be in violation of this rule will be disqualified.
The 50k and 33k classic and 33k and 16k freestyle races races offer competitors a mass start, timed challenge over a beautiful, PistenBully groomed courses. Feed stations dot the route every 4 to 7 kilometers. After the finish, all participants are treated to a hearty post race meal and awards.
For Zak Cup racers, the NENSA masters committee has decided that this year's 50k classic will be the Zak Cup points race for racers in the M1-M6 age classes. M7 and up will be scored off results in the 33k classic.
BKL skiers must be accompanied by a chaperone. That chaperone can register in the BKL race category and must ski the race with or behind their child. Chaperones can accompany up to four BKL racers.
Another exciting development for 2020 is that the Marathon Ski Festival is moving to near-zero waste. This means that we will not be using single-serve feeds or disposable cups at our feed stations. Organizer-provided feeds will consist of bananas, energy bars, and a homemade electrolyte drink or water. Our feed in the stadium (passed twice per lap) will have reusable cups, while the Ruthie's feed at 8k will only have coolers from which to refill bottles. We hope that competitors will help us in our commitment to reducing race-related waste by carrying a refillable bottle for their hydration needs.
Day of race registration will be available in the Activity Center starting at 7:00am. Price will be $100 for ages 15 & up, $25 for ages 14 and below.
Note: raffle prizes will only be awarded to pre-registered racers. Day of race registrants will not be eligible for raffle prizes (so register ahead of time!).
Check out the 2018 Marathon race course map. We hope to have similar courses in 2020.
Registration: HERE. Closes on Friday, Dec. 13 at 8:30pm ET.
***NOTE: Due to anticipated weather, the freestyle sprint originally scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14 has been moved to Sunday, Dec. 15, and the 7.5k individual classic race originally scheduled for Sunday has been canceled. Sunday's BKL Race has been canceled.***
On Sunday we are running "knock in" style freestyle sprints on our 1.5k homologated race course (the same course we will run for the SuperTour/Eastern Cup in January). Athletes will race a qualifier and then get seeded into "knock-in" heats based on qualifying time. (Both genders will be seeded together.) The "knock in" format means that the top two finishers in a heat will "move up" to the next fastest heat, places three and four will remain in the same heat, and places five and six will "move down" to the next slower heat. We will run two rounds for all racers and then an additional round for the top 10 heats (top 60 racers). Awards will go to the top man, woman, U20 boy, U20 girl, U14 boy, and U14 girl.
Note: Because a sprint day requires a qualifier followed by heats, setting the schedule requires knowing how many competitors we have racing in advance of race day. Thus, we cannot allow day-of-race registration for the sprint.
This event is a non-fluorinated event. No fluorinated waxes are permitted. Please help us regulate the amount of PFAS we put into the environment by sticking to paraffin waxes only. This means non-fluorinated wax only. The Outdoor Center crew trusts the racing community to honor this effort to improve our public health and environmental stewardship. However, those found to be in violation of this rule will be disqualified. Read our fluoro policy for the full scoop and more background.
