02/04/2007

White Pine Stampede

Record-Eagle/
Tyler Sipe
Steve Kuhl of Brighton holds off competitors vying for first place during Saturday’s White Pine Stampede 20K.

Kuhl wins cold White Pine

Madion runs away with women's title

BY JEFF PEEK

jpeek@record-eagle.com

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Hundreds of cross country skiers begin Saturday’s White Pine Stampede 20 kilometer cross country ski races, which started at Mancelona High School and ended at Schuss Mountain.

BELLAIRE — Skiing on a course that he said was "better than advertised,” Steve Kuhl may have been better than advertised, too.

Kuhl, who finished third in last year's shortened White Pine Stampede marathon, outsprinted nine-time champion Milan Baic and friend Hugh Pritchard to win the 20-kilometer portion of the 31st annual cross country ski race on Saturday morning in Antrim County.

The 50K marathon was canceled over a week ago due to a lack of snow, but there was plenty of the white stuff for Saturday's 20K and 10K races. Temperatures dipped to single digits, which slowed the course but set up the first sprint finish in years.

"The conditions were pretty good — definitely better than advertised,” said the 30-year-old Kuhl, a former Traverse City resident who now lives in Brighton. "My skis were definitely fast. All three of us (at the top) were faster...

"It was exciting to have a charge to the line.”

Baic, 47, said he felt the other skiers in the lead pack spent most of the race waiting for him to make a move.

"When you get slow conditions like this it tends to separate the skiers, but without a lot of hills there's not much chance to break away,” the Williamsburg resident said. "It was a little harder. You had to pick and choose your battles.

"I got the feeling they were just waiting for me to take the lead.”

They were.

"(Baic) tends to lead a lot if you let him,” Kuhl said. "And we let him, especially with it being slow.”

Kuhl took his turn up front late in the race, but he let Baic retake the lead as the finish line approached. What Kuhl didn't plan on was falling behind Pritchard, too.

"I was worried that I might not be able to get back up there,” Kuhl said.

Kuhl had an advantage, however. The finish at Schuss Mountain was similar to last year's shortened marathon, so Kuhl knew when to put the hammer down.

Baic and Pritchard didn't ski the 2006 White Pine, so they weren't exactly sure where the finish line was.

Kuhl used his course knowledge to time his jump perfectly, and he sped past both at the finish to win in 47 minutes, 24 seconds — one second ahead of Baic and two ahead of Pritchard.

Jesse Smith of Traverse City, a TC Central senior who turns 18 today, placed fourth in 48:27, while Christian Byar of Spring Lake finished fifth (49:13).

Traverse City's Megan Madion won her third women's title in four years. She finished in 58:53, nearly six minutes ahead of second-place Sarah Getchell of Ann Arbor (1:04:36). Jean Van Dam of Boyne City was third (1:06:14).

"It was hard for me today,” Madion said. "The conditions were slow, and I love the icy, fast stuff.”

Madion said she was inspired, however, by a personal challenge from former high school classmate Brian Green, who vowed to finish ahead of her.

"I kicked his butt at the Nokie (Noquemon Ski Marathon at Marquette) last weekend,” said Madion, who graduated from TC Central in 1984. "So this week he hid behind me, then passed me at the end.”

Two TC Central seniors skied away with titles in the 10K race.

Elliot Putman won the men's race for the second consecutive year, finishing in 27:16. Teammates Greg Brown (29:27) and Mark Alanson (29:30) were second and third.

"I got away at the start and just kept putting distance (between myself and the rest of the field) on the flats,” Putman said.

Hannah Ciesla won the women's crown in 30:34, good enough for sixth overall. She was followed by Cadillac's Kaitlyn Patterson (32:13) and TC's Emily Westerman (33:01).

"I just tried to keep up with some of the boys,” Ciesla said.

More than 400 skiers registered for the White Pine, down slightly from last year but still encouraging to race officials, who considered canceling the event two weeks ago due to a lack of snow.

A portion of every entrance fee will be donated to the Children's Hospital of Michigan, which is celebrating its 120th year.