Alberta biathletes baked under an intense sun during the first roller ski biathlon race of the season, last weekend (Sept. 10-11) at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
Canadian national team members Brendan Green and Megan Imrie took top spots in men’s and women’s pursuit races respectively, conquering both the heat and competition from the best athletes in the province.
Green finished 34 seconds ahead of Scott Perras to win the 12.5 km pursuit. Dusan Simocko of Slovakia finished third, Sunday.
“Yesterday the sprint was pretty hot, but I was able to refocus and get my shooting together,” Green said. He only missed three targets, which allowed him to pull away from Perras and Simocko.
“It’s good to have a performance like that at the end of a training week.”
Green’s dedication to training has been high this summer. Other than a 10-day stint back home in the Northwest Territories, he’s dedicated himself to his regime, which showed in his fitness levels.
Scott Perras also struggled with the warm temperatures, which hovered around 27 C – a far cry from the sub zero climes of his usual race track.
“The hardest isn’t so much the competition, but the heat. We’re not used to the sensations of racing in the heat… It feels like everything is burning,” Perras said.
Because of the weather, his strategy was to draft off Green and stick with his shooting.
“I just wanted to get behind him and get a couple of laps in. His fitness is a little better than mine, so I hoped to hold on in the shooting.”
Perras missed four targets, but lost Green on the last lap. The national team member spent more time on shooting this summer, working with a French coach in the spring. Perras said he won’t know if new techniques will really work until winter.
“In summer, the shooting should be easier. You have better feeling in your hands and less clothing on your body,” Perras said.
Imrie’s prone shooting and sheer speed on the roller skis led her to a 24-second win in the 10 km pursuit. The plucky sharpshooter appears to have increased her strength in the off-season, cranking up her double poling power. She shot clean prone, but missed five targets standing.
But the heat drained her Saturday and Sunday.
“I had a brutal day yesterday. I felt like a kettle and boiled my insides. Today I was able to go harder off the start, which is normal for me,” Imrie said. “I was very focused on my prone shooting. Standing, there are still a few kinks I’m working out,” Imrie said.
She’s feeling good going into a rest week and will leave for Austria in a week’s time.
“This was the last testing week before winter starts. I made pretty drastic improvements on the physical side.”
Melanie Schultz shot incredibly well to finish second. She and Zina Kocher (who finished third after a rough day on the range where she missed nine shots) have been training with the Alberta Biathlon Training Centre under Richard Boruta.
“Shooting was my strong point today. It’s one of those weekends where shooting feels so easy,” Schultz said after only missing two targets.
She used the competition to gauge her progress and is happy to see she’s much faster than last year.
“I wasn’t sure where I was at, but I’m sure (the races) were personal bests for myself,” Schultz said.
After struggling with hypoglycemia last season, she’s improved her diet and is currently reaping the rewards.
“My recovery is much better,” she said.
National team athletes will have a rest week before heading to Austria for a training camp. Team trials won’t be held until November.
