Racing
The 2002 Noquemenon Ski Marathon
"There are only two kinds of skis..."
Jan 28, 2002 - By Ken Dawson

The big winner of the Noquemenon Ski race was not the guy that won the classic race only five minutes slower the top freestyle racer but rather Dick Fultz of the Cross Country Ski shop.   Dick was all smiles at the awards banquet as he was busy taking orders for new skis. While everyone was crying in their beer over the damage incurred on their good racing skis, Dick was drinking his by the pitchers. As Steve Smiegel was quoted “There are only two types of skis, rock skis and skis that will become rock skis”.

Despite the lack of snow and marginal conditions, the organizers of the Noquemenon did a great job putting this race together. Most of the people I talked to were grateful that the race was held on the old course even though the last 10 kilometers had more dirt and gravel than snow. The Superior Dome is the ultimate location for staging all the race activities, including the finish. It’s a place where you can relax and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow skiers.

The highlights of my race were seeing so many skiers from our Michigan Cup group that took their share of trophy place finishes. It was especially nice to see Ernie Brumbaugh finish 3^rd in his age class and take home a cowbell.

My favorite memory no doubt will be having my daughter Natalie do the race with me. Its amazing to think back after 25 plus years of ski racing that I would someday have child of mine following in my cross country skiing footsteps. What I did not expect is that one day she would actually beat me. That’s right, after bonking 4 ks into the race I was caught by the elite women’s group and it wasn’t long after I saw Natalie coming up the trail. I thought it would be great to ski with her the rest of the race, however, after we got into some climbs past the 28 k marker she started to pull away and I never saw her again. I even told my kids when they were young that if they ever beat me in a ski race that I would buy them a new car. Fortunately, Natalie is nicer person than me and just wanted her fathers love not his money. For those fathers and mothers out there, including the Smiegel’s, who have their kids ski with them, know what I mean.

Other highlights included the pre-race and post-race skiing we did at the Blueberry Ridge ski area. The snow there was excellent and trail brought back memories of the old Red Earth Loppet. After all, it is not about racing, it is about the skiing and the skiing was good.