18 Comments
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Donna Stauffer's avatar

What happened next?!? I'm sucked in now and want to hear part 2. How soon will you post again? The course looks spectacularly beautiful - and plenty hilly. Thanks for posting - do continue please. :)

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

So happy to hear that you are sitting on the edge of your seat.....coming soon. Hopefully Sunday I will finish it - been too busy skiing.....so much snow here.

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Adam Zucker's avatar

Well done, Jenn! This sounds like an experience of a lifetime, and a really great challenge. I'm glad you had the opportunity to take part in the race!

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

Thank you. I feel blessed that I am able to do these kind of events.

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Jesse C. McEntee's avatar

What an awesome adventure, Jenn. Really impressive stuff. The added difficulty of travel seems like it would make the race much more complex than if it were close to home. I imagine much of the noise fades away, though, once you're in your groove of the race. I'm looking forward to the next installment. (and thank you for the shoutout- I'm honored!)

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Sarah Lavender Smith's avatar

Good for you for stepping up to a big race. I know it's intimidating, plus it's difficult to prepare for logistically if travel is involved. I'm curious with so many people in a XC race like that, are you doing classic or skate and does the race feature both types of skiers? If classic, do you stay in the groomed tracks, and then is it hard to step out and pass others? I have only done a little bit of XC and never really got the hang of it or the enjoyment.

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

Thank you for you encouragement. It was definitely intimidating - mostly from the travel and the uncertainty of the weather and snow. Separate races for skating and classic - on separate days. I do both disciplines but classic is my stronger skill - and especially on a course like this with a lot of climbing.

In an event like this, it is best to ski in the set tracks if possible - allowing one to go faster and it is less effort. Not all the trails have set track - primarily because of the terrain.

Yes it is hard to step outside of a track and pass someone - so being able to balance on one ski is essential. Stepping out of a track to pass or to make a turn is a skill that takes a while to learn and master. I have been cross country skiing for over 30 years and I am still learning new skills or working on them.

Thank you for your comments!

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Laura Lollar's avatar

You’ve got me on the edge of my seat anxiously waiting to read how it went. But I’m sure you had a stellar run! Great images!

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

It was definitely an exciting event.....thank you for your positive words.

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Julie B. Hughes's avatar

These photos are stunning! What amazing views. I can't wait to hear how you did Jenn. I bet you crushed it.

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

Austria is absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed our time there.

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Alice Weinert's avatar

What a great idea to get there early and work with a coach for a few days before the event! I'm always in favor of a longer vacation and I bet it made a big difference in your confidence levels going into the race.

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

Definitely helped - being able to ski on the race course boosted my confidence levels.

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Neil Barker's avatar

This looks like such an interesting event, Jenn. That quote by Marcus Aurelius would be a great mantra to repeat during this competition. Thank you for sharing.

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

It was definitely outside my comfort zone but I am very happy that I did it. Thank you very much for the restack too.

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Sam Alaimo's avatar

That elevation gain was significant. That is a wonderful event!

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

Yes, the double climbs were a killer and then I had to do another big and winding climb to the summit. I am glad I was able to ski it before the race. It was nice to know when the major climbing ended.....

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Jenn Woltjen's avatar

Yes, the double climbs was a killer and then I had to do another big and windy climb to the summit. I am glad I was able to ski it before the race. I knew when climbing ended.....

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