To race well, you need to stay healthy. To organize races, you need to stay healthy and try to keep your volunteers healthy. Especially when you start getting near-record snow and record participation as happened for the 12th annual Ranch2Ranch Trek earlier in February.

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who helped keep me going while I was feeling sick, especially the kids and their families benefitting from our scholarships who manned the aid stations, and the wonderful people at registration and bib pickup.  

The main draw is the course starting at Snow Mountain Ranch and heading to Granby Ranch with beautiful vistas and challenges. Grooming is tough transitioning from icy trails to fresh snow. While the bigger machines from the resorts did well, we had to help dig out Headwaters Trails Alliance trails with our volunteer staff.

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The drawing prizes offered by Swix and Fischer are aways well-received, but this year, it was the dangerous thrill of Nordic skiers coming down Buckhorn that seemed to be the big hit each day!

The snow continued to fall for days on end until we begged for relief from shoveling. Then when the snow stopped and the sun came out, the temps went up during the day but still dipped below freezing at night, so we are back to hard and icy trails.

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This weekend, there are two main events: The biathlon state championships and the Grand County Race Series.

The biathlon championships have the sprint Saturday, March 1, and pursuit Sunday, March 2. The events have the largest turnout of any of the Colorado Biathlon Club races, and it is definitely worthwhile to hang out on the range and cheer on the local competitors. Visit ColoradoBiathlon.org for more details or send questions to info@coloradobiathlon.org.

The sixth race in the Grand County Race Series is Saturday, March 1, at Latigo Ranch near Kremmling. The 20K, 10K and 3K skate courses will be laid out by the “Big Shooter” himself. The weather should be warm before the next storm system comes in next week. 

Latigo Ranch is a gem among the guest ranches in Grand County, and the food is absolutely gourmet. The racers and volunteers are in for a treat!

And don’t forget to save the date for the 41st Snow Mountain Stampede on March 8-9. The Skate marathon in lengths of 50K, 25K, 12.5K and 3K is March 8, and the Classic marathon in lengths of 50K, 25K, 10K and 3K is March 9. 

These are the biggest races of the season with a distance for everyone. 

With new snow expected in the coming week, grooming conditions should be great. The longest races start at 9 a.m., earlier than the rest of the series. Complete the skate and classic marathons and earn your Ranch Boss belt buckle, or complete both 25K races and earn your Ranch Hand belt buckle! 

Are you up for it? It’s an exciting finish to the racing season!

To sign up or get more information for any of these races, visit SkiGrandNordic.org. Remember there is no day-of registration. 

To get the best seat in the house, sign up to volunteer on the same site. Volunteers are always needed and very appreciated. Or if you prefer to just watch, bring your bell and come cheer on the racers. For more information, call or text 970-887-0547 or email president@grandnordic.org.

Diana Lynn Rau is the president of Grand Nordic. She writes the Nordic Corner column weekly during winter. Contact her at president@grandnordic.org.