Forrest Mahlen, Ethan Eski and Meredith Schwartz each won races by less than one second while Kendall Kramer cruised to victory in Besh Cup cross-country ski races Saturday at Kincaid Park.
Mahlen edged Alaska Pacific University teammate Hunter Wonders by four-tenths of a second in the men’s 10-kilometer freestyle; APU’s Eski beat Aaron Power of the Alaska Winter Stars by four-tenths of a second in the boys 5K; and AWS’s Schwartz defeated APU’s Marit Flora by five-tenths of a second in the girls 5K.
Kramer, racing for FXC of Fairbanks, turned in the day’s most dominant win in the women’s 10K. A bronze medalist for Team USA at the Winter Youth Olympics in Switzerland less than two weeks ago, she beat Alison Arians of the Alaska Winter Stars by 28.2 seconds.
In the 3K races, AWS skiers Heidi Schumacher and Murphy Kimball grabbed victories.
The season’s final Besh Cup race is Sunday at Hatcher Pass. Results from the six-race series will determine Alaska’s teams for the Junior National cross-country championships and the Arctic Winter Games.