Last Updated: 02.Dec.2013

Sunday’s skate distance race was a battle of the Caitlins, with GRP skier Caitlin Patterson and Team Gregg’s Caitlin Gregg duking it out for 1st and 2nd in the 10k individual start. Ultimately Gregg took the victory, but Patterson fought hard until the end to hold off APU skier Kate Fitzgerald and secure the second podium position. Patterson’s 2nd place was the top result for the Green Team in their first SuperTour weekend, but it was backed by solid finishes from the other GRP members. Liz Guiney was 12th in the same race, and she ended up in the middle of a large group of women that all finished within 30 seconds of each other. In the men’s race Andrew Dougherty took 14th place, 1:42 behind race winner Mads Strøem from Colorado University. Not far behind, Pete Hegman and Gordon Vermeer finished in 33rd and 34th.

Patterson also led the GRP team the previous day in the skate sprints. She and teammate Liz Guiney qualified in 4th and 7th place, which placed them in the same quarterfinal heat, meaning the two would have to compete against each other for a top two position and automatic advancement to the semifinals. The two GRP women held 1st and 2nd position in their quarterfinal up until the final stretch, when a University of New Mexico skier came on strong to pass Guiney. Patterson was able to hold on and cross the line first, but Guiney just missed out on a lucky loser spot that would have advanced her to the semifinal round and ended up 13th overall. Patterson took 2nd in her semifinal heat behind Caitlin Gregg and advanced to the A Final. She skied a strong race in the final, but was boxed in for most of the heat and crossed the line in 5th.

The GRP men had 3 men qualify for the heats, with Gordon Vermeer 8th, Alex Schulz 19th, and Patrick O’Brien just squeaking into the rounds with a 30th. Both Schulz and O’Brien moved on to the semifinal round; Schulz won his quarterfinal heat and O’Brien placed 4th in his heat but snagged a lucky loser spot. The finish of Schulz and O’Brien’s semifinal may have been one of the most rousing of the day. Schulz finished cleanly in 3rd place, but it wasn’t enough to advance him to the A Final. O’Brien was making a strong move in the finishing lanes when he tangled with a University of Utah skier and went down before the line. Although Schulz and O’Brien both missed the final, it was a strong sprint showing for the Green Team men. The sprint races on the day were characterized by very little separation over the 1.5k course. Often all 6 racers in the heat were in the mix for the final sprint, resulting in more than a few photo finishes and a lot of excitement for onlookers.

Next weekend the GRP contingent will strap on their classic boards for a classic sprint and mass start classic 10/15k in Bozeman, MT on December 7th and 8th. Stayed tuned for a race preview and report from the chilly north!

Check out race results from the West Yellowstone weekend here: