LEMONS

What is a lemon? Besides a zesty citrus fruit that brings life to all types of food and beverages, Loppet Nordic Racing (LNR) is home to the LNR LEMONS, the “Loppet Elite Masters On Nordic Skis”. The inspiration for the team was driven by the approach of the 2018 World Masters event in Minneapolis, and brought to life in 2016 by Kate Ellis and Piotr Bednarski. The group is comprised of invited skiers interested in year-round Nordic ski training.

One of the criteria for joining the team is a top-3 age group result at either the Loppet Skate or Classic ski marathons or an age group top 6 finish at the American Birkiebeiner race. The ability to rollerski is an important skill set for this group; training on rollerskis starts in May and continues until there is snow on the ground. The Lemons train in both skate and classic technique, and athletes do need to be comfortable roller skiing on hilly terrain.

Locations for rollerskiing may vary, often using the West River Road trails, most often meeting at the base of the Franklin Bridge hill. Training typically starts at 6:30am on Wednesday mornings at Theodore Wirth while on snow. A visitor to the event once remarked, “I can’t believe you can get this many adults out to do hard intervals this early in the morning!” There is a great sense of Loppet comradery and a great sense of humor in the group, supporting competitive master skiers of all ages.

Athletes may choose to participate in weekly coached year-round training, or can join for the weekly coached winter on-snow training. The head coach Piotr Bednarski describes the group as, “The Lemons is Ski Team in every sense- we have a goal of racing at a high level in local and periodically at the World Masters. But mostly its for people who want to get together because its way more fun to train with a group!” If you are interested in joining the Lemons, please contact Mary McKelvey, mkmckelvey44@gmail.com.