Eight NWVT Club members made their way to Maine to take in a short Marathon. This years Sugarloaf Marathon was shortened to 30k from last years demanding 45k. The course was also shortened by removing 900 feet of vertical that was climbed twice last year. All in favor of that say aye! This years course was rolling, with a long two stage climb, with a long descent after. The sweeping curves as the course winded through the woods were fast and fun. Race temperature was in the high single digits, and snow conditions were fine, crisp granular. It was the type of snow that made everyone feel fast. NWVT racers competed well against the other clubs, and even took two wins in the age categories. Our top finisher Aaron Delfausse raced with the first pack was the first of that group to finish in 7th place and took top honors for the Senior men. Ten spots and three minutes later Dhyan Nirmegh took the W in the M5 division. Nirmegh worked his way through the field, trading places with skiers on the up and down hills, and finished within 90 seconds of last years winner Nick Mahood. Scott Magnan was the next NWVTer to finish in 24th place 2:30 behind Nirmegh. Scott skied the flats and down hills aggressively, but was not pleased with his climbing. Another two minutes back in 29th place was Damian Bolduc. He was pleased with his race, but had a poor start, and missed a break when the field broke apart after the first few kilometers. He skied the first loop in a small pack, and then dropped them skiing on his own and picking off those who fell off the main pack. Lary Martell who also had trouble finding his way through the start finished 45th edging NWVT's favorite competitor Bill Farrell of Rossignol. He should be very pleased with his finish considering this was his first long skate race! Unfortunately, after reading the fine print, only women scored points in this race. Our men would have scored well, and moved up to 7th or 8th place in the standings. I am really sorry I was not aware of this before the race, and I find it interesting that nothing was said or mentioned on the events calender, registration or at the event. NWVT also had three skiers participate in the tour. Jessica Bolduc skied the shorter 15k tour while Allaire Diamond and Seth Maciejowski completed the 30k tour. They were pleased with the fast conditions that made the skiing pleasant, and the course which was surrounded by scenic mountain views. After the event everyone warmed up and refueled with a great lasagna lunch. Racers and tourers also took home some hardware from the bountiful awards ceremony. Congratulations to all who participated, it is great to see so many people participating in these fun events.