There is no race on the ski calendar that’s more about the love of the game than Sharkfest.
Originally forged on Mount Shark trails before moving to the Canmore Nordic Centre, the race always falls at the very end of the season, when most skiers have traded in their skinny skis for powder dreams or surf vacations. Only diehards dare strap on their skis for one final weekend of hurt, with nothing on the line but bragging rights.
So when Paralympic champion Brian McKeever and two-time Olympian Brittany Webster won the two-day event on Sunday (March 30), it was purely for the love of ski racing.
“We’re racing because we like racing. We’re having fun, enjoying the blue skies. There’s no stress and we can all have fun making ourselves hurt,” McKeever said.
The multiple para-medallist won the 10-kilometre classic race in 29:45 as he double-poled the entire course, finishing 28 seconds ahead of Erik Carleton, his regular guide on the ParaNordic World Cup. Michael Somppi finished third.
On Day 2 in the pursuit skate race, biathlete Nathan Smith moved up from seventh to first, beating out Somppi for the win, while McKeever hung on to third. Smith made up three minutes in the pursuit to finish his season in style, but McKeever had the best aggregate time over both races. Somppi was second and Smith grabbed the bronze.
Relying only on his core and upper body to provide the power for victory while passing on the grip wax has become his favourite method for classic race victories. Although he loses time on the climbs, his fast skis make up for it on the flats and descents.
“It was a bit of a tougher waxing day. (Double poling) is kinda what I do these days and if I’m training for loppets, double poling makes a lot of sense, since they tend to be on flat courses,” McKeever said.
The visually-impaired skier skipped Canadian Ski Nationals this year to recharge his batteries, and has spent some time in Delirium Dive (at Sunshine) with his brother and nephew before embarking on another year of training. The medals have given him a higher profile, as his autograph was in demand from the younger skiers at Sharkfest.
“A few more kids are getting autographs on their toque. It’s great they’re paying attention and having fun,” McKeever said.
Webster edged Banff’s Heidi Widmer and said Sharkfest was a cap on a dream year, which saw her regain her form and reach the 2014 Winter Olympics.
“It’s a fun atmosphere where we race for the sake of racing and can just focus on going hard,” Webster said. “It’s also an Alberta Cup race, so it’s nice to see the younger girls out here.”
After several years of training as an independent skier, Webster’s committed to building on her success in 2014 and plans to apply to the Alberta World Cup Academy – right after finishing a three-week yoga teacher trainer course in Baja, Mexico.
“I’d like to work and ski, and yoga teaching is one of those jobs where you can do both. It’s also about time I raced with a team,” Webster said.
Dahria Beatty was the top junior woman competitor (and the third fastest woman in the two-day race), where she finished ahead of Maya MacIsaac-Jones and Kirsten Gillett. She’s coming off her most consistent season to date and the national team has high hopes for the young skier. Beatty won the junior women’s title at Ski Nationals and will jump into the senior division next year.
“It’s nice to be included in the plan, but there’s a big group of girls who are the future. I hope we can have a good women’s program that continues long into the future,” Beatty said.
Megan Bankes was the fastest athlete in the junior girl’s division, finishing ahead of Morgan Rogers and Lauren Turcot.
Lukas Mark won the junior men’s overall category over Matt Strum and Nate Gerwing, while Tate Macdonald took the junior boys race ahead of Pearce Hanna and Michael MacIsaac-Jones.
