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Posted on Monday August 23rd at 1:28 p.m.
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The 42km race saw NZ Olympian Ben Koons pitted against world cup rival Canadian Paralympian Robin McKeever, in the end McKeever came out on top with a 35 second lead over Koons.
Ben Koons, competing last year at Winter Games NZ
McKeever, who has trained at Snow Farm for several seasons with the Canadian team, skied the course in 1:48:06 , one of the fastest Muster times ever. Koons came in just 35 seconds later at 1:48:41 with teammate Andy Pohl close behind placing third with a time of 1:52:19.
McKeever is famous in Canada. He is a former Paralympian who Olympian who now coaches the Canadian team and guides his brother, Paralympian Brian McKeever. .
In the other events the Ladies dominated the 7km and 21km races with the biathlon ladies showing they could ski as well as shoot. Olivia Thomson (a U16 skier) won the 7km with the fastest time of the day regardless of age or gender, skiing the course in a very impressive 26 minutes 34 seconds.
NZ's first ever Biathlon Olympian Sarah Murphy led both genders home in the 21km with a time of 1:06:40. Emily Deacon was just under 15 minutes behind completing the race in 1:21:14 followed by her mum, Kathleen, whose time was 1:23:17. Briar Alexander, who is using cross-country skiing as cross training for her rowing, took fourth place. Briar was the youngest of the 21km field.
The males in the 21km were led home by Wanaka resident Alex Schafer with Cam Day, a young junior biathlete from Alexandra, placing second and his teammate Paul Richter rounding out the podium in third place.
The Muster is a junior race to the Australian Hoppet which regularly attracts over a
1000 competitors and is part of the International Loppet series.
"We would love for the Muster to be part of the International Loppet Series," said Cross Country Sport Committee representative John Burridge.
"If we can increase the numbers of NZ skiers participating we can make that happen."
According to Burridge, the interest in the Muster can be in all sorts of battles that are unheralded. Alastair Smaill who is past President of NZCCSA, a current director of Snow Sports New Zealand and previous manager of the national cross country team was beaten in the 42Km by his wife Ann for the first time since the first Muster as they have never missed a race.
Samantha Bondarenko, a previous winner of the ANZ Cup, was second in the ladies 42km and the Deacon family saw all three members of the family on the podium (Kathleen, Roger and Katie).
The biggest group of competitors were the under12 girls which is great for the future of the sport. Ella Maluschnig completed the course seven minutes ahead of her rivals.
The first school team home was Mount Aspiring College with Fiordland College second.
The first social team, rumoured to be skippered by Snow Farm owner Mary Lee, was "Slow but Sure."
"The Muster is the most fun event on the cross country ski calendar," said Burridge.
"It's fun even if all you achieve is a second or two off last year's time or you prove to yourself that you can you can still finish the course, as was the case for Mike Turner who completed the 21km race in the under 70 age group."
Burridge added, "This year, nobody emulated Helen Clark's approach which was to take a picnic basket and not rush for the finish line. This approach is probably worth serious merit when the sun is shining."
The 2010 Merino Muster Results - Click Here
About the Muster
This mass start event has something for everyone with novices lining up along side international elite athletes.
For the more relaxed athlete there is the 7 km course around Merino Glen which most people manage on their first day of nordic skiing. The 21 km course travels around Merino Glen and then out around River Run and back on The Loop. For the experienced cross country skier there is the 42 km Marathon which covers the 21km course and then heads out through Hanging Valley and then back around the The Loop for a second time.
This year also sees the introduction of a team relay category as part of the 7km Straggle Muster event. Teams of 2 to 4 people must complete 4 laps of the 7km course. This means that for teams of less than 4 people, some team members will be doing more than one lap each. Each team member needs to complete at least one lap for their team. We have a special category for School Teams as well. To qualify, every member of the team must be a student of the school.
Participation is the main focus for these events and everyone receives a medal or annual pin on completion.
A short distance Mini Muster is also offered for kids 10 years and under, with everyone entering getting a goodie.
The Merino Muster celebrates the great High Country tradition of mustering the sheep from the high mountain tops to lower levels at the start of winter, an event that features in much of our South Island literature and song and forms a right of passage for many of our rural communities' young people. The location of the race was once itself a merino sheep station, in the heart of rugged Central Otago.
Mary Lee on the Muster's Origins
As August heat continues to beat down on the northern portion of our planet, skiers in New Zealand gather for the most anticipated skiing event of the season: the 15th annual Merino Muster cross country skirace. Held at the Snow Farm, the southern hemisphere's premiere nordic skiing and outdoor activities destination, this event is held annually to commemorate the 150 year-old tradition of sheep grazing high in theSouthern Alps.
Three race distances allow skiers of all abilities to participate inthe Muster, with the 42-kilometer Merino Muster main event, the 21-kilometer Snow Rake mid-distance, and 7km Straggle Muster short-distance race. The overall event was initially modeled after Australia's Kangaroo Hoppet, but has evolved into a unique day ofracing for the whole family. "We think the three distances have made the event a perfect progression," comments race creator, and Snow Farmdirector Mary Lee, "plus, you have all day to ski it, so it is accessible to skiers of all levels!"
The names of the events are derived from the traditional festival offarming that has occurred since the beginnings of agriculture in 19th century New Zealand. For 150 years, sheep grazed high in the fertile mountainsides of New Zealand's South Island, yielding abundant quantities of valuable merino wool. In late fall, farmers gathered the sheep and moved them to lower elevations to prevent the stock from freezing in the winter cold and snow. The ritual often involved most of the town's inhabitants and was referred to as the Merino Muster,marking the end of the warm months and the growing season. The event features prominently in much of the region's historical literature,and is often referred to as a right of passage for many of the rural communities' young people.
If snow fell before the fall muster was complete, packed trails were stomped out by foot to ensure the sheep were able to quickly and safely move to lower elevations where snow rarely affected theirgrazing. This snow-packing was known as the Snow Rake, giving the middle-distance race its name. Although machines now pack the snow for all skiers at the Snow Farm, racers of this event commemorate the hardwork and tireless hours that were put in by the farmers during the fall muster.
Inevitably, some sheep strayed from the flock, and needed to bere-grouped after the majority of their mates were shifted off their summer grazing grounds. This final sweep for the slower or younger sheep was known as the Straggle Muster, and gives rise to the name ofthe shortest race of the weekend, the 7-kilometer tour around the mainbowl of the Snow Farm trail system. This race is designed to giveless-experienced skiers the chance to begin racing, and signifies the incorporation of all the towns-people into the fall farming festival.
Of course after the event was complete, a festival of food and drink was held to celebrate yet another plentiful year of grazing and growing. In the 15 years of the Snow Farm's Merino Muster, games ofrugby and soccer were just some of the celebratory activities offered to competitors after the event. According to Lee, "one year, we convinced a whole club of rugby boys to come up and have a go at the Straggle Muster. That was the biggest turnout for the event, at about 400 competitors at the start line."
This year, the start list is dotted with Olympians, professional skiers, and of course those who have competed in almost every Merino Muster since it's inception in 1996. Paralympic gold-medalist guide Robin McKeever will toe the line to fight for a repeat of his 2008 Merino Muster victory. His medal-mate and brother, Brian, may also join the race, provided he is healthy by the weekend. "Hopefully he [Brian] will get better and be able to race. I'm healthy, so I will beracing," Robin claims.
In addition to the Canadian brothers, Kiwi Olympian Ben Koons and younger brother Nils plan to battle for the podium in a field that includes US skier Pavel Sotskov (Salomon / Vermont Academy) and New Zealander Andrew Pohl. The women's field promises to be the largest inrecent years, including US skier Hannah Dreissigacker (Craftsbury Green Racing Project).
As for the weather, Lee thinks she's found the right day. "A lot of people have been asking me why we picked this weekend. The race is always held at the end of the third week of August. It's partially tradition, partially because we haven't had a poor weather day in the 14 previous years of the Muster. Twice we've had to dig ourselves outof a storm on the night before, but that hasn't stopped the race."With the end of the southern hemisphere winter in sight, September often brings softer conditions which make the August date more suitable for an event of this size.
High-elevation grazing has ceased due to rising concern about land use from the environmental movement, so preserving the mustering tradition in the Southern Alps through cross country skiing has been a key goal of the event organizers. For both young and old, beginner and expert, the Merino Muster has become the must-ski event of New Zealand's winter season, and the celebration of the 2010 Merino Muster on Saturday the 21st of August will sure to be no exception.
For More Information Visit the Snowfarm