ASC "Summer Biathlon"

Auburn Ski Club hosted its annual Chuck Lyda Memorial Summer Biathlon yesterday, and as a spectator, I must say it was quite the event to watch! In a "summer biathlon," athletes run around a lap course and shoot at targets in between each lap. For every target missed out of five, contestants must run a 50m penalty loop. Saturday's event featured two separate races: a 3-mile "novice" race, in which contestants ran three 1-mile loops, with a stop at the shooting range between each; and a 5-mile "pro" race, where contestants ran five laps of the 1-mile course and stopped to shoot between each -- two times laying down, and two standing up.

Having only tried shooting once before back when I was a junior at a biathlon practice day at ASC (and having little success!), I was super impressed by how well everyone did in the shooting range. Their focus and concentration were readily apparent, as was their skill in staying steady and bringing their heart rates down after pushing the pace on the run. This is all a part of what makes biathlon so neat to watch: how so many aspects must come together to create the optimal race. I'm looking forward to trying it out next year!

In the junior female's novice race, Sugar Bowl Academy's Laurel Fiddler took top honors with some fast running, followed by Megan McCandless and Katrin Larusson. Among the males, UNR freshman Joe Rodrigues placed first, followed by SBA's Sam Zabell, who hit nine of his 10 targets, and ASC's own Dylan Syben in third.

Among adults racing the novice distance, Kim Field turned in the fastest time for the women, while Paul Barnes took top honors for the men. And in the pro race, ASC's Raylene Chew turned in a strong performance as the lone woman in the field. Phil Viollet won the men's race with some solid shooting and fast running, followed by junior Jordan McElroy.

Full results can be found online at auburnskiclub.org