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Agassiz skier achieves success at Canmore Masters World Cup

Agassiz skier Laurens van Vliet finished with at least one personal best in weekend event
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Local skier Laurens van Vliet raises his arms in victory during the 2022 Masters World Cup of Cross-Country Skiing in Canmore, Alta. (Contributed photo/Laurens van Vliet)

Local athlete Laurens van Vliet reached a personal record after competing in the Masters World Cup of Cross Country Skiing in Canmore in March.

van Vliet, age 74, competed in a number of cross-country skiing events, including the 15-kilometre race, in which he made it in under an hour – 58 minutes and 7 seconds, to be precise. van Vliet said this was the first time in several years he’d made that run in under an hour.

“I did very well,” he told The Observer. The last time I did that was maybe 10 years ago. That was an accomplishment from my perspective.”

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He did just as well during the 10-kilometre race the following day, hitting a time of 44 minutes and 9 seconds.

The course van Vliet skied in this tournament was the same course used for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary (during which the then-Soviet Union dominated with 13 medals).

He said he relished the challenge of pitting his cross-country skills against approximately 750 other competitors from 18 countries, several of which he’s competed with before.

“The highlight is this is skiing with the best in the world,” van Vliet said. “The older you get the more you start appreciating that you’re still able to do so.”

He said he was inspired to keep going by skiiers older than himself that competed with him.

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“Cross-country skiing is what they call a lifelong sport,” van Vliet said. “It’s a very fluid motion; it’s not jarring on the knees like jogging. It’s a very, very smooth exercise and both upper body and lower body. So we find that it was nice to see people participating and competing in their 70s and 80s.”

van Vliet trains at and is sponsored by Manning Park Resort. He spent roughly 50 hours in the past three months – in two-hour sessions – training on Manning’s cross-country course. In addition to cross-country skiing, van Vliet trained for three months, logging 75 hours and dozens of kilometres by bicycle.

While van Vliet is taking some time off of competing, he has his sights set on more competition in the future.


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adam.louis@ ahobserver.com

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