Finally, 26-year-old Dylan Watts, an instructor of master skiers at Alaska Pacific University, pushed hard on the flats along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail for a hard-earned gap.
Before long, Watts had seized his first major victory, capturing Sunday's Tour of Anchorage men's 50-K freestyle race in 2 hours, 15 minutes, 1 second as some 1,483 skiers make their way across town under bluebird skies.
It was a day full of sunshine, some dirty snow and crazy fast teenage skiers -- including two 13-year-old champions.
But graybeard Watts -- twice as old as two winners at shorter distances -- surged to the front with a steady and strong push that couldn't be answered.
"Dylan got to the front and lifted the pace a little bit," said Iverson, the runner-up. "I tried to go after him, but he just ground away from us. I didn't have that much left in my legs to go much faster.
"I skied as hard as I could on the Mize Loop (in Kincaid), but I just couldn't make it. He's really strong."
Fairbanks skier Melissa Lewis, 40, topped former Olympic biathlete Rachel Steer by nearly a minute to capture the women's 50-K in 2:44:19.
In the shorter distances:
• Service High skier Allison Ross dominated the women's 40-K field, winning in 2:08:39, more than three minutes clear of the rest of the field. Aurelie Barnel was second with Toni Sparrow third.
• Kenneth Brewer, 18, of Chugiak topped John Glen, 16, by nearly a minute to win the men's 40-K in 1:52:27.
• Barely a teenager, 13-year-old Lydia Blanchet was nearly two minutes clear of the field in the women's 25-K freestyle race. Her time of 1:29:41 easily topped Sarah Freistone, 16, who finished in 1:31:43 and Natasha Bergt, 50, who clocked 1:32:09.
• Anchorage's Noah Hagen, 19, topped 29-year-old Jeff Kase of Wasilla by 20 seconds to take the men's 25-K freestyle in 1:18:59.
• Becky Butler, 17, pounded the women's 25-K classic field, winning by more than 14 minutes in 1:42:42.
• Another 13-year-old, Jake Bassett, dominated the men's 25-K classic field by more than eight minutes, topping 63-year-old John Wood in 1:33:03.
The longest men's race was nearly a replay of the Sven Johansson 30-K freestyle race earlier this season when Southam won a four-man sprint finish, topping Iverson, Watts and Brent Knight.
But on Sunday, Watts turned the tables.
"I didn't feel real comfortable from start, and Dylan was strong," Southam said. "He's been gunning for this for a couple of years."
Days of winds alternately produced drifts, debris and grit on the trail slicing though town. But groomers worked through Saturday night and into Sunday morning on the trail. A section near Point Woronzof was brown with grit blown up from Turnagain Arm, but conditions could have been worse. Much worse.
"There was dirt along Woronzof, but I remember some years we've had straight asphalt," said head groomer Ben Powell, who's groomed the Tour trail for two decades. "There's nothing you can do about dirt."
Just put your nose down and ski hard -- like Watts.
Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329
Tour of Anchorage
Top Finishers
Women's 50-K -- 1) Melissa Lewis, Fairbanks, 2:44:19.0; 2) Rachel Steer, Anchorage, 2:45:11.1; 3) Rebecca Konieczny, West Yellowstone, Mont., 2:45:18.1; 4) Davya Flaharty, Fairbanks, 2:47:32.9; 5) Kelsey Coolidge, Anchorage, 2:49:03.3; 6) Kalysta Schmidt, Anchorage, 2:50:53.6; 7) Kiersten Lippmann, Anchorage, 2:51:29.5; 8) Lauren Fritz, Chugiak, 2:53:04.2; 9) Laura Gardner, Anchorage, 2:53:16.5; 10) Ky Eiben, Anchorage, 2:57:06.1; 11) Colleen Miller Bolli, Anchorage, 2:58:42.8; 12) Lisa Dale, Anchorage, 2:59:32.1; 13) Maria Bray, Fairbanks, 3:07:58.3; 14) Helen Cortes-Burns, Anchorage, 3:10:04.1; 15) Jean Thornley, Anchorage, 3:11:45.0; 16) Jane LeBlond, Fairbanks, 3:14:21.6; 17) Laura Tuttle, Anchorage, 3:15:46.8; 18) Margaret Hillhouse, Anchorage, 3:15:53.5; 19) Caroline Van Hemert, Anchorage, 3:17:22.0; 20) Kari Lovett, Fairbanks, 3:17:31.6.
Men's 50-K -- 1) Dylan Watts, Anchorage, 2:15:01.2; 2) Mark Iverson, Anchorage, 2:15:26.9; 3) James Southam, Anchorage, 2:15:42.3; 4) Bart Dengel, Anchorage, 2:15:45.8; 5) Bobby Miller, Anchorage, 2:20:33.0; 6) Erin Phillips, Anchorage, 2:20:43.0; 7) Cody Priest, Palmer, 2:22:20.7; 8) Martin Kapso, UAA, 2:24:54.3; 9) Don Haering, Anchorage, 2:27:35.9; 10) Lasse Nielsen, UAA, 2:28:17.2; 11) Mike Kramer, Fairbanks, 2:28:25.2; 12) Adam Reimer, Soldotna, 2:29:53.0; 13) Anders Haugen, Anchorage, 2:30:19.4; 14) Dave Arvey, Fairbanks, 2:33:08.2; 15) Paul Anderson, Anchorage, 2:33:40.2; 16 6 Erik Soederstroem, Fairbanks, 2:33:56.8; 17) Alex Morris, Anchorage, 2:34:15.1; 18) Paul Schauer, Anchorage, 2:37:16.7; 19) Pete Alexson, Homer, 2:38:56.9; 20) Nick Sterling, Boulder Colo.
Women's 40-K -- 1) Allison Ross, 2:08:39.5; 2) Aurelie Barnel, 2:11:58.8; 3) Toni Sparrow, 2:15:54.4; 4) Sara Rottman, 2:17:35.5; 5) Donna DiFolco, 2:17:55.3; 6) Jordan Pruszenski, 2:20:29.3; 7) Fiona Worcester, 2:21:01.2; 8) Elizabeth Whisenhant, 2:23:59.2; 9) Heidi Zimmer, 2:24:07.3; 10) Melissa Gangl, 2:25:48.2.
Men's 40-K -- 1) Kenneth Brewer, 1:52:26.9; 2) John Glen, 1:53:24.4; 3) Peter Brewer, 1:54:16.0; 4) Riley Troyer, 1:55:43.3; 5) Schyler Knopp, 1:56:06.6; 6) Abraham Meyerhofer, 1:57:15.8; 7) Neill Toelle, 1:57:27.4; 8) Rune Christopherson, 1:59:34.5; 9) Austin Hess, 2:01:51.2; 10) Otto Gilbert, 2:02:48.9.
Women's 25-K Freestyle -- 1) Lydia Blanchet, 1:29:41.3; 2) Sarah Freistone, 1:31:33.7; 3) Natasha Bergt, 1:32:08.6; 4) Maya Radonich, 1:32:51.8; 5) Jasmine Maurer, 1:35:58.5; 6) Tali Henry, 1:43:25.6; 7) Sara Falconer, 1:44:11.1; 8) Sissy Adams, 1:45:24.8; 9) Katelyn Bennett, 1:46:15.6; 10) Clare Stockert, 1:46:55.8.
Men's 25-K Freestyle -- 1) Noah Hagen, 1:18:59.0; 2) Jeff Kase, 1:19:19.0; 3) Matthew Muffoletto, 1:22:20.0; 4) Emerson Conger, 1:22:48.1; 5) Scott Wheeler, 1:23:05.3; 6) Tanner Ramey, 1:23:11.2; 7) Travis Peltier, 1:24:16.8; 8) Keith Pulver, 1:25:33.7; 9) Zachary Brown, 1:25:34.6; 10) Luke McLaughlin, 1:26:40.4.
Women's 25-K Classic -- 1) Becky Butler, 1:42:42; 2) Debbie Wrigley, 1:57:04; 3) Ellen Toll, 1:58:14; 4) Germaine Thomas, 1:58:31; 5) Sandy Ford, 1:59:48; 6) D. Anne Martin, 2:00:02; 7) Terri Pauls, 2:00:19; 8) Alice Knapp, 2:04:07; 9) Ana Jager, 2:06:25; 10) Sheryl Mohwinkel-Fleming, 2:09:59.
Men's 25-K Classic -- 1) Jake Bassett, 1:33:03.1; 2) John Wood, 1:41:13.6; 3) Maxwell Romey, 1:43:14.5; 4) Dan Brokaw, 1:44:09.2; 5) Rory Stark, 1:45:03.3; 6) Jason Glover, 1:49:39.3; 7) Zach Bassett, 1:50:32.0; 8) Justin Aulie, 1:52:17.5; 9) James Falconer, 1:53:04.2; 10) Michael Vogel, 1:53:53.7.
• Full results: www.tourofanchorage.com
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