Last Updated: 16.Jan.2015

This past weekend on January 10th the Craftsbury Outdoor Center teamed up with Baxter Outdoors, the outdoor adventure arm of Baxter Brewing Company from Lewiston, Maine to put on the inaugural Baxter Winter Triathlon. This event is part of the 2015 Packed Powder Series and brought people from all over to compete in a 5k Snowrun and 15k winter tri. While Craftsbury is no stranger to winter triathlons thanks to the efforts of Keith Woodward, this event brought a bigger crowd than normal of people ready to enjoy some of the Center's beautiful terrain. The 15k winter triathlon consisted of a 5k snowrun on the packed ski trails, transitioning to a 5k snowshoe on the singletrack that winds its way around the center before finishing with a 5k freestyle ski on the homologated race loop. While temperatures were just barely above 0 degrees Fahrenheit people still got a chance to enjoy the great snow and beautiful scenery that the Outdoor Center has to offer.

Liz Gleason was the winner of the 5k snowrun with a time of 21:54, with Hillary McAllister in second place and Greg Bove in third. The 15k was an extremely challenging course that tested endurance as well as speed, bringing 16 competitors together to prove their fitness. Craftsbury’s Green Racing Project took the top two spots in this event, with rower John Graves winning in a time of 1:11:16. Rower Phil Grisdela was next, ahead of COC’s own master of the winter triathlon Keith Woodward in 3rd place. The GRP’s Maggie Fellows was the first woman to finish in a time of 1:27:51, with Emma Duffany in 2nd and Marianna Wingwood in 3rd. For the team event Team Jenkins took the top spot in a time of 1:33:57, with Team Anti in 2nd place and Team Rylands in 3rd. 

The victors were richly rewarded with trophies of Baxter beer and all competitors refueled with a delicious lunch at the Outdoor Center. Find full results here and we'll hopefully see you here for some more of the awesome racing that the Center has to offer!