Believe your eyes.
Officials with the American Birkebeiner have updated the official results of the nation's largest cross country ski race to reflect what finish-line photos showed -- that Anchorage's Holly Brooks lost by the narrowest of margins to Rebecca Dussault of Colorado.
Just one-tenth of a second separated the women after 50 kilometers of skiing, although initially the official results on the race's Web site had Brooks 9.5 seconds back. In fact, third-place finisher Kristina Strandberg was 9.5 seconds behind.
"It was better than I thought I'd ever do, but when you're that close, you want to win," said Brooks, a coach at the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center. "To win the Birkie is a big deal, but to be three inches from winning the Birkie is a shame."
Brooks said the close finish began taking shape about 2 kilometers from the end as the top four women, skiing in a pack, crossed Wisconsin's Lake Hayward into a strong headwind.
"They're all on same team," Brooks said of the three others. "They called me up, 'Holly, it's your turn.' And I suppose it was.
"You don't want to lead the last 2-K going into a sprint and into a headwind, but you have to step up and do it."
Now in front, Brooks tried to conserve energy and was able to draft behind a male skier who passed the women. Every kilometer was marked -- 47, 48, 49.
"I saw 49, and thought if I'm going to go, I got to go," she said. "All of a sudden, you see 500 meters."
She had scouted the finish the day before and knew what to expect -- a 90-degree turn leading into the final straightaway down Main Street in downtown Hayward. A huge roar went up from fans lining the finish chute six deep.
"Loudest thing you ever heard," Brooks said. "I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm leading the Birkie. What's happening?"
Brooks knew Dussault was right behind, and two feet from the finish the Anchorage skier decided to lunge. She knew her timing strip was on her left leg and tried to lunge with that one, which turned out to be a little awkward.
That proved just enough of an opening for Dussault. Afterwards, Brooks said the Colorado skier told her, "I'm glad I didn't clip my toenails this morning."
Despite the disappointment, Brooks acknowledged that it's been a week like no other for the APU team, what with the coach's near-miss in Wisconsin and star pupil Kikkan Randall's silver medal at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic.
"For me to be that close and Kikkan to be that close -- wow," Brooks said.
Reporter Mike Campbell can be reached at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.
By MIKE CAMPBELL
mcampbell@adn.com