UPDATE: Italian wins Birkebeiner, but not without a fight
Italian Fabio Santus won the 37th American Birkebeiner cross-country ski marathon in record time today, blistering a pace from Cable to downtown Hayward.
Italian Fabio Santus won the 37th American Birkebeiner cross-country ski marathon in record time today, blistering a pace from Cable to downtown Hayward.
Rebecca Dussault of Gunnison, Colo., defended her title and also set a record in the women's race.
Santus crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 56 minutes, 58.6 seconds, which beats former record-holder Mikhail Botwinov of Austria's 1:57:51.6 in 1997.
The Birkie distance was 50 kilometers for freestyle skiers and 54K for classic skiers.
Santus' win came as no surprise as a European contingent was expected to make waves, but it wasn't the Italian romp as some may have expected as countryman Marco Cattaneo, a two-time Birkie champion, didn't make the trip. Tad Elliot of Durango, Colo., came in second, trailing Santus by about 30 meters, in 1:57:06.7.
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Dussault won with a time of 2:18.18.1. She looked behind just before the line and didn't see anyone charging, then pumped her fists as she crossed the line.
"This is like a dream come true," said Dussault, who battled what she thought was a respiratory infection leading up to the race. "Last year was special, but this may have been even more special since I was sick all week."
Tazlina Mannix of Anchorage, Alaska, was second in 2:18.49.2
Austria's Gudrun Pflueger of Austria held the previous record of 2:19:45.5, also set in 1997.
Jon Nowacki joined the News Tribune in August 1998 as a sports reporter. He grew up in Stephen, Minnesota, in the northwest corner of the state, where he was actively involved in school and sports and was a proud member of the Tigers’ 1992 state championship nine-man football team.
After graduating in 1993, Nowacki majored in print journalism at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, serving as editor of the college paper, “The Aquin,” and graduating with honors in December 1997. He worked with the Associated Press during the “tobacco trial” of 1998, leading to the industry’s historic $206 billion settlement, before moving to Duluth.
Nowacki started as a prep reporter for the News Tribune before moving onto the college ranks, with an emphasis on Minnesota Duluth football, including coverage of the Bulldogs’ NCAA Division II championships in 2008 and 2010.
Nowacki continues to focus on college sports while filling in as a backup on preps, especially at tournament time. He covers the Duluth Huskies baseball team and auto racing in the summer. When time allows, he also writes an offbeat and lighthearted food column entitled “The Taco Stand,” a reference to the “Taco Jon” nickname given to him by his older brother when he was a teenager that stuck with him through college. He has a teenage daughter, Emma.
Nowacki can be reached at jnowacki@duluthnews.com or (218) 380-7027. Follow him on Twitter @TacoJon1.
