THUNDER BAY - Local cross-country skier, Evan Palmer-Charrette, knew there was a lot of tough competition on the trails, but he was still able to take home first place, with a little more time to spare this year.
Palmer-Charrette placed first in the 50-kilometre freestyle race at the 40th Sleeping Giant Loppet on Saturday.
“I had a lot left toward the end, so I knew if I stayed in the mix, I would have a good shot at it,” Palmer-Charrette said after the race. “Compared to last year, it was a huge gap. It was only a hundredth of a second between me and the guy who was second, so in the 50K I’m used to the tight finishes.”
Last year, the 22-year-old took first place in the freestyle event by only 1/10th of a second. While it was still a tight finish, Palmer-Charrette was the clear winner.
Before the race even began, Palmer-Charrette knew it was going to be a tough race, but luckily the conditions played to his advantage.
“I actually was able to get the win last year but this is a much more competitive field,” he said. “There are three other guys who are totally capable of winning it so it’s pretty awesome to be able to come out on top this year.”
Coming in first in the women’s 50-kilometre freestyle race was 22-year-old Jenn Jackson of the Lakehead University Varsity cross-country ski team.
“It’s my first time doing the 50K at the Sleeping Giant Loppet and it’s an amazing course,” she said. “The conditions were superb today.”
Jackson did not have to worry about tenths of seconds when it came to the finish line, finishing minutes before any other competitor.
“I sat in a nice group for the first half of the race, then we had some climbing at about 30K where I tried to drop a few people, then skied strong with another local guy for the last 15K or so,” she said.
Despite her strong finish, Jackson said she always loves coming out to ski the Giant and enjoying a beautiful day with the rest of the skiing community.
“There’s so many great skiers here from Thunder Bay and even some great skiers from out of town,” she said. “To be able to ski alongside them and even come out ahead, it’s pretty neat. It’s really rewarding.”
Celebrating its 40th year, the Sleeping Giant Loppet has something for skiers of all ages and skill levels. More than 780 skiers from across the region and beyond participated in the 50K classic, the 50K free skate, the 50K ski-athalon, the 35K, the 20K, or the 8K.
Sleeping Giant Loppet coordinator, Peter Gallahger, said the event is in its 40th year because cross-country skiing has become a staple sport in the city of Thunder Bay.
“Thunder Bay has a really strong Scandinavian heritage and those people really promoted cross country skiing and I think the rest of the community has taken it on as our sport,” he said.
And while the Loppet has undergone a lot of changes throughout the years, it continues to draw people back year after year, including Ron Lappage, who has skied the Sleeping Giant Loppet every year for the last 40 years.
“There have been a lot of interesting things that have happened over the years and I had a lot of good memories,” Lappage said. “The comradeship here, and the volunteers are great people, and it’s just a great, family atmosphere.”
Lappage said he used to always ski the longer distances, but for the last few years he has stuck to the 35K. In year three of the loppet, the course took skiers out onto Lake Superior, something Lappage is thankful did not last long.
“Skiing on the lake was pretty awful," he said. "It was bitterly cold and windy out there, so they decided to do that one for very long."
Lappage added he will be back for year 41 at the Sleeping Giant Loppet and will continue to do the 35K, at least as long as he can.
“It’s something I take pride in that I was able to endure that many times,” he said. “I will be back. Time to do the 35 again. I think probably as the years go on, I might have to do 20K.”
