Jasperite completes 90 km marathon ski

In 1520, according to Scandanavian legend, King Gustav the First was caught during an epic ski to Norway by two of his countrymen and convinced to lead a rebellion against King Christian the Tyrant.

Following in the footsteps of their country’s King, the Swedes created the longest and biggest ski race in the world, the Vasaloppet - a 90 kilometre race with more than 50,000 skiers that has become a rite of passage for many, that stretches from Salam, Sweden to Mora.

The allure of the race is strong, and it’s reach recently touched Jasper.

It convinced an ebullient Jasperite, Marie-Claude Gosselin to follow the footsteps of her own father, and complete the epic race with him.

“As a kid, it looks so big and intimidating. I always wanted to a part of it,” Gosselin said.

Gosselin travelled to Sweden with her father last month to compete in the epic race as part of a European adventure. She finished the 90 kilometre loppett in nine hours, two minutes. Her father finished in 11 hours and 30 minutes in what has become a highlight.

“The whole day was like a dream. I wanted to keep going after I finished,” Gosselin said.

The realization of a childhood dream began with worrisome news two years ago. Her father, Jean-Claude Gosselin was ill and needed to set a rehabilitation goal.

“My Dad had cancer two years ago. He was turning 60 and after his operations it was one of his rehab goals,” Gosselin said.

Once he was declared cancer-free, his focus shifted to skiing.

She had skied with her father (a ski patroller for 20 years) as a child, learning the sport as soon as she could walk, and quickly progressed through the Jackrabbits program near her hometown of Quebec City. Watching the mass starts of epic ski races, she dreamed of competing in them one day.

“I always wanted to be a part of it. It was good motivation.”

However once she learned how to telemark ski when she was 13, cross-country skiing was “too much work and boring,” she said, shunning the sport for alpine powder dreams.

But her father was able to convince her to join him.

“He was the main driver of the trip,” Gosselin said.

In order to help ‘keep an eye on him’ Gosselin agreed to travel to Sweden and once again pick up her cross-country skis. She found a competitive training advantage in the high altitude of Jasper. A typical morning would see her ski up Pyramid or the hills on Geraldine lake road, while other days would see her zip around the Moab Lake circuit. Her longest ski prior to the loppet was 70 kilometres, but she said living in Jasper is a great way to stay motivated. She credits friends and family for offering her several tips with her technique, as she aimed to get her pace up to 10 kilometres an hour, which was an attainable goal for the physically fit Gosselin, who’s only competition history came as a pastry chef many years ago.

But it was her father that kept her motivated. He recruited more of his friends while he was recovering from cancer in the hospital, and he and his daughter helped raise nearly $3,000 for cancer research through their trip.

Athletically, Gosselin was well prepared for the trip. However mentally, she was nervous. She was awake the entire night before the race, concerned about the conditions. She checked out the course beforehand and applied eight coats of wax to her skis – a first for Gosselin.

“They tell you not to change your routine,” Gosselin said. “But this was a first for me.”

She and her father got stuck in traffic on the way to the race, and their driver blew by a police officer in order to make the start. They were dropped off at a shortcut and skied their way to the starting line.

“We skied 91 kilometres that day,” Gosselin laughed.

Gosselin describes the actual race as ‘dreamlike’, with long stretches of alpine forest, steep inclines and hundreds of supporters cheering on the skiers from homes that resembled gingerbread houses. She joined a number of faster skiers, who set a decent pace, allowing her to keep a consistent glide throughout the race. She averaged 9.69 killometres per hour during the first 10 kilometres, and 10.72 kilometres per hour during the last 10 kilometres.

Proud of her result, and that posted by her 62-year-old father, she credits the help she received from her father’s friends.

“At the first checkpoint, I couldn’t believe how well the race was going,” Gosselin said. “I couldn’t have hoped for better conditions.”

The skiers were very friendly, and Gosselin quickly adjusted to sharing the track with thousands of other skiers of various skill levels and ages. Many blazed through the course (the winning time was just over four hours) while others talked on their cellphone and chatted with friends. While the sport is often a solitary pursuit in Jasper, Gosselin frequently found herself surrounded by six to 20 skiers. Most were friendly, and she kept her focus on the rhythm of her glide.

Another change in Gosselin’s routine: she didn’t stop to go to the bathroom for the entire race.

“I usually stop every 20 kilometres,” she laughed. “But there was always a line-up, so I just kept going.”

She vividly recalls the sheer joy of gliding through the countryside, surrounded by a passionate ski culture.

Yet her most powerful memory of the day is watching her father, with a grin from ear to ear, cross the finish line.

“The Scandinavians have a saying about following in the footsteps of our fathers. I realized later that had meaning for us as well.”