Fairbanks skier claims victory in 20K U.S. National race
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Fairbanks product Kendall Kramer emerged the winner in a loaded field of skiers Sunday at the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships at Anchorage’s Kincaid Park.
Kramer, a 22-year-old West Valley High School graduate who now skis for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks, held off University of Utah competitor Erica Laven in a two-horse duel in the women’s 20-kilometer classic race.
Kramer and Laven quickly pulled away from the rest of the pack and staged the battle along the four-lap race on the world-class trails in west Anchorage.
Kramer ultimately beat Laven by 2.4 seconds in a winning time of 58 minutes, 17.2 seconds. Third-place finisher Lauren Jortberg finished 1:34.1 behind Kramer.
Renae Anderson with the Alaska Pacific University team finished seventh overall as the next-highest skier with Alaska ties.
In the men’s 20K classic race, Luke Jager of Anchorage claimed a podium spot with a third-place finish, although was second overall in the U.S. National rankings. Jager skis for the APU men’s team and is a West Anchorage High School grad.
Jager finished 11.7 seconds behind race winner Andreas Kirkeng, a Norwegian national racer who competes for the University of Denver. Because Kirkeng does not race under the U.S. flag, Dartmouth College racer John Steel Hagenbuch earned the U.S. Nationals victory.
Hagenbuch beat Jager by just 1.2 seconds in the 20K race.
Another APU skier, Michael Earnhart, took sixth overall and fourth among U.S. skiers, finishing 24 seconds behind Kirkeng. Earnhart is a Chugiak High grad.
Earnhart led a slew of APU skiers across the line, with Garrett Butts, Hunter Wonders, and Scott Patterson all finishing in seventh, eighth, and ninth overall, respectively.
The four-day championships wrap up Tuesday with freestyle sprints.
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