A long-time cross-country skier from Agassiz once again found himself in the top three during one of the final races of the season.
Laurens van Vliet, 74, placed third in his age group after recently competing in the Sovereign2SilverStar Ski Marathon in Vernon. He completed a 21-kilometre race from Sovereign Lake to the main street of SilverStar Mountain Resort’s village. van Vliet competed as an elite racer, meaning he and a select number of skilled skiers took to the tracks first before the competitive group and the casual cross-country racers.
More than 800 skiers competed during the third annual Sovereign2SilverStar Ski Marathon; van Vliet said it was one of the largest events in the province this season.
The Vernon-based race is 1,700 metres above sea level, compared to van Vliet’s usual training grounds at Manning Park Resort. The difference in oxygen levels and some challenging snow conditions made for a literal and figurative uphill battle for van Vliet, but he is pleased with his time, which, like last year, was 1 hour and 36 minutes.
van Vliet said crossing the finish line was a fun experience.
“(SilverStar) reminds me of skiing in Europe,” he told The Observer. “People were celebrating. It was a scene out of a movie. It makes it very special.”
van Vliet hopes to continue competing next year, in which he will compete in an entirely new age group.
van Vliet trains at and is sponsored by Manning Park Resort. He would like to thank the staff at the Nordic Centre for their support as he trained on their groomed and track-set trails
In the off-season, he typically cross-trains by logging dozens of kilometres and hours on his bicycle.