2 Anchorage men take gold, bronze in 50K at XC ski nationals

Anchorage cross-country skier Erik Bjornsen capped his season by winning a national title in the 50-kilometer race Wednesday in Craftsbury, Vermont.

Bjornsen's victory, which came in the classical technique in 2 hours, 24 minutes, 51.4 seconds, was his second of the week; he also won a 15-kilometer skate-technique race Saturday.

Scott Patterson, who also lives in Anchorage, was third (2:25:14.2) in the 50K, after Adam Martin of Vermont. Both Patterson and Bjornsen raced at the Winter Olympics earlier this year, in South Korea.

Bjornsen beat Martin (2:24:52.9) by less than two seconds.

[Jessie Diggins nips Anchorage's Sadie Bjornsen for 30K national ski title]

Other APU skiers who finished the race were David Norris (4th, 2:25:27.9), Logan Hanneman (11th, 2:36:48.7), Reese Hanneman (15th, 2:38:18.6), Thomas O'Harra (18th, 2:38:51.4), Forrest Mahlen (20th, 2:39:26.5) and Jack Novak (28th, 2:45:53.4).