The 2nd Mathias Jessup Bartels benefit cross-country ski race and tour will be held on Sunday, February 15th, at 10AM at Mt. Greylock Regional High School.  In the event of limited snow coverage at Mt. Greylock, check massnordic.com for race updates.

The event will feature a 5km classical race, a 2km race for beginners, and a lollipop race for young kids.  Skiers of all ages and abilities are welcome.

Prizes will be awarded to overall and age category winners. A $15.00 donation is suggested at day of race registration. All proceeds benefit the Mathias Jessup Bartels Memorial Scholarship Fund. Checks can be made out to: Mt. Greylock Regional High School – M.J. Bartels Scholarship Fund.

Mathias was an outstanding young man – a scholar, athlete, and leader of his class. He was a high school junior and standout member of the Mt. Greylock Nordic Ski Team when he died in his sleep on January 31, 2004 of sudden cardiac arrest due to a heart arrhythmia of unknown cause. The Mathias Jessup Bartels Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior who exhibits the integrity, kindness, and commitment to excellence shown by Mathias.

For more information, please email Hilary at  hgreene at williams.edu or Matt at  matthew at fasterskier.com.

On a course which previewed the first few kilometers and the final one and a half kilometers of Wednesday’s states race the Berkshire League once again went to battle.  In the girls individual race it was Northfield Mount Hermon’s Maggie Fellows, skiing in the first wave, who captured the top spot on the podium by picking up four seconds on Mount Greylock’s Mackenzie Hitchcock over the last kilometer.  Fellows finished with a time of 15:21 edging Hitchock by one second.  Mount Greylock’s Jackie Lemme once again showed that she enjoyes the challenging climbs of Notchview by rounding out the top three 25 seconds off the pace set by Fellows.  The Mountie girls showed that they are ready for Wednesday by placing there four scorers in the top six and six in the top ten.

In the boy’s race Patrick Joslin of Mount Greylock completed the perfect league season by blazing through the short course in a time of 12:21.  Lenox’s Bill Prescott showed that he is peaking perfectly for states by finishing second just 25 seconds off of Joslin’s time and the Mountie’s Cary White continued his impressive season by taking the final podium spot.  The race of the day was seen in the first wave where Lenox’s Donnie Miller hung on to the draft of fourth place finisher Dylan Dethier, of Mount Greylock, to take fifth place, a career best.  The MG boys continued their winning ways by placing their fourth skier Greg Karabinos in eigth.

All the work has been done, now it is all about resting well for states.  Good luck everyone!

Click the (more…) link to get results and photos from today’s race.

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