Southam on top at home

50-K: Anchorage Olympian gets a break to finally win city's premier nordic event.

By BARRY PISER
bpiser@adn.com
Published: March 3rd, 2008 02:39 AM
Last Modified: March 3rd, 2008 01:10 AM

James Southam has had his share of skiing glory in the past. Among the highlights: winning back-to-back 10-kilometer U.S. National Ski Championships and representing Alaska and the U.S. at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy.

The Tour of Anchorage hadn't been quite as kind to the Dimond High and Alaska Pacific University graduate. For whatever reason, Southam could never put it all together for Anchorage's showcase nordic skiing event, and one unlucky thing or another kept him from success on his hometown's biggest stage.

A few times he ran out of energy or "bonked" as he put it.

Another race he "pooched the wax" or messed up prepping his skis for the trail conditions.

One year he felt he might break through but got sick and couldn't compete.

"I just never had a good day," said the 29-year-old Southam, who also has missed a few Tours while competing overseas. "I've been over in Europe this time of year, but this year there's no World Championships or Olympics, so I'm just racing in the U.S. this year. I wanted to try to finally win this thing."

Luck (and possibly his Olympic-caliber athleticism and skill) was on Southam's side Sunday when he took home his first Tour of Anchorage title in the men's 50-K freestyle with a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes and 12.1 seconds over Norwegian Thomas Oyberg, who will ski for UAA in the fall.

It was Oyberg who had a run-in with bad luck under Sunday's sunny and blue skies.

The duo broke away from the lead group pretty early. Southam was game to feed off the Norwegian, who won the Pia's Classic 30-K in February, for the rest of the race.

"I knew if I could have him with me it would be a much easier day. I was like 'Come on, dude, stick with me and let's ski away from everyone,' " said Southam, who trains year-round as a member of the APU Ski Club and Rossignol teams. "We got over the top (of Spencer Loop) together and he took the lead for a while, which helped me out so much. I was hoping we could ski away from everyone and duke it out toward the end."

One of the quirks of the Tour of Anchorage, which had a field of more than 1,500 racers, is maneuvering through the mass of skiers clogging the trail. Along the often narrow trail between Service High School and Tudor Road, Southam and Oyberg made like speeders in rush hour traffic, darting in and out of their slower compatriots.

"We had been bobbing and weaving, bobbing and weaving," Southam said.

With Southam in the lead, Oyberg misjudged his speed and collided with a 40-K skier.

"I crashed so bad," Oyberg said while examining some damage to his skis. "I thought I braked."

Southam looked back and thought about waiting for the fallen Norwegian but decided to push on alone, not knowing how close the rest of the lead pack was. The decision paid off as he beat Oyberg and the rest to the finish.

Oyberg, while stricken with some of the bad luck that had plagued Southam, wasn't sure it would've mattered if he had fallen or not.

"He was stronger than me," he said.

In her first Tour of Anchorage, Holly Brooks, an assistant coach at APU, won the women's 50-K freestyle in 2:25:15.7, just ahead of two of her pupils, Kasandra Rice and Kate Arduser.

Brooks, a standout skier at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., was ecstatic to be racing after spending a lot of races on the sidelines coaching.

"It's so fun," the 25-year-old said. "It's sunny and beautiful and people are cheering each other on. I just wish we could do it more than once a year. It's important to get out and race yourself every once in a while to remember what it feels like."

Brooks, who normally misses the Tour due to coaching duties, still managed to school her two APU charges.

The trio went ahead from the start, taking turns leading and following. Like Oyberg, Rice fell on the top of Spencer Loop but caught up 10 kilometers later.

Using some of her coaching knowledge, Brooks, who admitted a sprint is not her strong suit, decided to make a move on Sisson Loop with three kilometers to go.

"Both girls are really good sprinters, so I knew I had to make a move early," she said. "After I made the move, I thought it might have been too early, but somehow I was able to hold it till the end."

The move pays off with more than just the glory of winning: Now Brooks has bragging rights and with them, just a bit more sway in training sessions.

"They'll listen to what you say a little more when they see you do well," she said.

Contact ADN sports reporter Barry Piser at 257-4336.


American Ski Marathon Series

21st Annual Tour of Anchorage

Sunday

Finish at Kincaid Park

Men's 50K freestyle

1) James Southa, 2:07:12.1; 2) Thomas Oyberg, 2:07:39.6; 3) Martin Rosvall, 2:07:43.6; 4) Dylan Watts, 2:08:09.1; 5) Anders Haugen, 2:09:55.0; 6) Bart Dengel, 2:10:42.8; 7) Seth Downs, 2:10:55.4; 8) Brent Knight, 2:12:04.8; 9) Christopher Clark, 2:15:28.1; 10) Peter Kling, 2:17:15.9; 11) Frode Lillefjell, 2:17:15.9; 12) Adam Verrier, 2:17:22.0; 13) Paul Schauer, 2:17:37.9; 14) Cory Smith, 2:23:14.4; 15) Chet Ferhmann, 2:23:15.9.

Women's 50K freestyle

1) Holly Brooks, 2:25:15.7; 2) Kasandra Rice, 2:25:44.1; 3) Kate Arduser, 2:25:56.1; 4) Rachel Steer, 2:34:04.3; 5) Kate Fitzgerald, 2:36:59.1; 6) Christina May, 2:40:14.3; 7) Becky Hauser, 2:43:18.9; 8) Diana Johnson, 2:45:39.2; 9) Shannon Donley, 2:51:09.9; 10) Nancy Pease, 2:51:27.6; 11) Erika Downs, 2:52:15.6; 12) Carly Reimer, 2:52:43.0; 13) Shannon Brockman, 2:54:08.9; 14) Rosalyn Singleton, 2:55:15.7; 15) Kelsey Cooledge, 2:55:41.0.