Liz Stephen completes an interview following winning the 2014 Blink Festival opener by 27 seconds. (Photograph: Skifestivalen Blink)
Liz Stephen currently has the popularity as one of the greatest hill climbers in the planet. Whether or not it’s the Tour de Ski’s last stage or Lake Placid’s Climb to the Castle, Stephen in no way fails to impress.
The trend continued in Thursday’s Blink Festival opener, a seven k uphill rollerski race in Lysebotn, Norway. With a time of 32:53.9, Stephen won the hill climb by 27.3 seconds over Norwegian Kristin Størmer Steira who finished with a time of 33:21.2.
In third spot was final yr’s hill climb winner, biathlete Kaisa Makarainen of Finland, who completed one:33.7 behind Stephen.
getting completed third in the exact same event in the 2012 Blink Festival, Stephen had large hopes of winning the esteemed 2014 rollerski race. Nonetheless, Stephen knew that she necessary a concrete program in buy to prime the tough competition. Realizing that she couldn’t depend her finishing sprint, Stephen made the decision to set a difficult location from the beginning and break away with two k left in the race.
Liz Stephen and Kristen Størmer Steira congratulate each other right after finishing 1st and second in the 2014 Blink Festival opener. (Photograph: Skifestivalen Blink/Facebook)
“I turned up the pace with about one.5 k to go when the entire body was nevertheless feeling rather great, although fairly tired, and it worked out in my favor these days,” Stephen wrote to FasterSkier in an e-mail. “It was actually enjoyable to ski with Kristin (Størmer Steira) the whole race until finally then and I am genuinely pleased to have been ready to come away with a win nowadays.”
The only other American to compete in the girls’s race was biathlete Susan Dunklee, who finished in 21st position with a time of 38:43.9.
Dunklee, who just came off a massive training block in Finland, stated her legs felt hefty in the climb due to the latest volume of training but that she felt her outcome was strong.
In the men’s race, Frenchman Maurice Manificat won the seven k hill climb with a time of 29:57.2.He was followed by Norweigians Martin Sundby and Sujr Røthe in 2nd and third.
The initial North American finisher in the males’s race was American biathlete Tim Burke who placed 15th with a time of 32:17.4.
Burke and 35th location finisher and teammate Lowell Bailey arrived in Norway only numerous days prior to the Blink Festival. Burke known as the race the two a “shock to the technique” and “really difficult,” but said he was pleased with his effort.
“I am not in my best form, but I was truly content with my energy,” Burke wrote in an electronic mail. “It was a excellent experience to race with some of the very best biathlon and cross nation athletes on this kind of a challenging course.”
Maurice Manificat of France celebrates his win in the 2014 Blink Festival hill climb. (Photo: Skifestivalen Blink/Facebook)
Bailey agreed, stating that “extended uphill races are absolutely not my forte” but that he was nevertheless happy with the race.
“If nothing significantly less, it’s a very good wake up for the physique after traveling,” he wrote in an email.
Canadian Devon Kershaw also competed and finished in 20th place.
The Blink Festival continues for Stephen Friday with a ten k criterium race which will consider area all around a 900 meter loop. She programs to ski aggressive as possible although staying on her feet.
“It can be terrifying to ski in a tight pack on roller skis when there is a whole lot of chance for crashing, but my objective is to unwind and attempt to ski in the pack and work on my cornering and agility tactics in a tight pack,” she wrote.
For all three American biathletes the plan is to race in the remainder of the Blink Festival biathlon competitions, which consist of a mass commence competitors and a sprint race.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to check the techniques and shooting abilities that I have been working on this yr,” Burke wrote about the remainder of the Blink Festival. “I hope to qualify for the mass begin competition tomorrow (Friday). It will definitely be a challenge, since they will only qualify five guys from about 50 competitors.”
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