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Snowflake Biathlon

By: Laura Kennedy
lkennedy@wdio.com

With snow still several weeks away, racers left their cross country skis at home and took to their mountain bikes instead.

“I was originally a cross country skiier but then I studied abroad in Europe and biathlon is much bigger over there,” said Corrine Malcolm of Hayward, Wisconsin.

“I haven’t done a mountain bike biathlon before but I’ve done other biathlons, some summer races some winter ones,” said Jake Dalberg of Ely.

This biathlon mountain bike race was the first of its kind held at Snowflake Nordic Ski Center.

“There’s a number of running races the kids have been doing over the year,” said John Gould, coach for Duluth/Esko Biathlon. “We thought before winter starts and they get on skis it would be good to do one on mountain bikes.”

After one lap around the course on the bikes, racers have to slow their heart rates in order to take aim at these biathlon targets.

“You take your gun off, uncover your sights, really slow yourself down, take deep breaths and try to shoot your best,” said Nick Proell from St. Cloud.

Then, they take off for another lap. to complete the race, each biathlete must go through four circuits.

“It’s hard to get your mind on shooting after you’ve been out on the trails racing,” said Erik Rupert from Duluth. “Your head’s just spinning and you’ve got to shoot a target the size of a half dollar piece.”

“You come into the range with heart rates up around 180-190 beats per minute,” Gould said. “They have to be in good shape to do it.”

Many of these biathletes have their sights set on the junior national team or the Olympics. Events like this one help keep them in shape during the summer months.

“I do a lot of endurance sports like biking, running and skiing,” Rupert said. “It’s just a different spin on it.”

“It’s not just skiing, it’s shooting, so you have a better chance if you’re not the best skiier,” Proell said. “It’s really competitive and challenging.”