Anchorage Daily News

Welcome back to Alaska, skiers. The sub-zero temperatures are gone, but watch out for falling ash.

With ash from Mount Redoubt stranding one of his biggest competitors in Seattle, Anchorage's James Southam won the first race at the U.S. cross-country skiing championships Tuesday evening in Fairbanks.

Southam was the only skier to break the 29-minute mark at Birch Hill in the men's 10-kilometer classical race -- a race that was supposed to be held in Anchorage in January but was called off because of temperatures that dipped below ski racing's legal limit.

The two races cancelled at Kincaid were added to the already-scheduled national distance races in Fairbanks, where temperatures Tuesday were in the teens.

"It's definitely cold, but totally manageable," Southsam said.

But natural events are still playing havoc with things.

Ivan Babikov, a Russian-turned-Canadian who won both races last year when the distance championships came to Fairbanks, was stuck in Seattle waiting for north-bound flights to resume. Dozens of flights to Alaska have been cancelled because of the potential hazards of flying through volcanic ash.

Anchorage's Kikkan Randall -- a silver medalist at the recent World Championships -- was a no-show too, although she wasn't expected to race Tuesday. She was reportedly stuck in Juneau due to the ash, and the hope is she'll be able to get to Fairbanks in time for today's team sprint.

Southam captured the men's classical title in a time of 28 minutes, 56.3 seconds to beat a pair of Canadians -- Stefan Kuhn of Canmore, Alberta (29:04.4) and Graham Nishikawa of Whitehorse (29:08.0).

Christopher Cook was fourth overall and the second American in 29:13.9, followed by a pair of Alaskans -- Brent Knight (29.21.9) and Lars Flora (29:23.7), both of the APU Nordic Program.

Kristina Strandberg of Sweden dominated the women's 5-kilometer race to win in 16:00.8. Morgan Smyth of Northern Michigan University was second in 16:31.8, an effort that gave her a U.S. title because foreign athletes are ineligible to win U.S. titles.

Becca Rorabaugh of Fairbanks was third overall and the second American in 16:37.0.

Flight cancellations had no impact on Southam, who drove to Fairbanks on Saturday with several of his teammates from the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Program.

"The plan was to come up and get settled in," he said.

An Olympian who represented the U.S. at this year's World Championships in the Czech Republic, Southam said he didn't know what to expect Tuesday, because he hasn't felt sharp for more than a month.

"I've felt really bad pretty much since about four or five days after the Tour of Anchorage," said Southam, the winner of Anchorage's annual 50-kilometer crosstown race, held in early February.

Fatigue is setting in as the season winds down, he said. He raced 105 kilometers at the World Championships, flew halfway around the world back to get back home and immediately raced another 50 kilometers in the Tour.

Also contributing to his fatigue is 3-month-old Hazel, the first child for Southam and his wife Anne.

"My body just started to feel bad," Southam said. "This morning things finally started to click a little more, and I took a nap this afternoon, but even in the race I didn't know what I had. I just knew I was going as fast as I could with the body I have."

Find Beth Bragg online at adn.com/contact/bbragg or call 257-4309.

U.S. National Cross Country Championships

at Birch Hill

Men's 10-kilometer classical

Top 15

1) James Southam 28:56.3; 2) Stefan Kuhn 29:04.4; 3) Graham Nishikawa 29:08.0; 4) Christopher Cook 29:13.9; 5) Brent Knight 29:21.9; 6) Lars Flora 29:23.7; 7) Bryan Cook 29:29.7; 8) Patrick Johnson 29:32.9; 9) Leif Zimmerman 29:44.0; 10) Andre Watt 29:45.2; 11) Noah Hoffman 29:45.7; 12) Mike Sinnott 29:53.1; 13) Glenn Randall 29:57.9; 14) Dan Roycroft 30:07.3; 15) Scott Patterson 30:08.6.

Women's 5-kilometer classical

Top 15

1) Kristina Strandberg 16:00.8; 2) Morgan Smyth 16:31.8; 3) Becca Rorabaugh 16:37.0; 4) Adele Espy 16:44.7; 5) Caitlin Compton 16:46.0; 6) Elizabeth Stephen 16:49.8; 7) Tazlina Mannix 16:51.8; 8) Sadie Bjornsen 16:53.0; 9) Morgan Arritola 16:54.7; 10) Kristi Trystad-Saari 16:53.0; 11) Nicole DeYong 16:58.8; 12) Rosie Brennan 16:58.8; 13) tie, Kristina Owen and Katie Fitzgerald 16:59.7; 15) Aurelia Korthauer 17:14.6.

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