The Legend of St. Regis

Testing week has come and gone...Brown's Bridge testing went well, with the men's double-pole record being taken to a new level by Eric. This marks the third year in a row the record has been broken. With his 7:13 on Friday, Eric took 6 seconds off the time we shared together last year. Additionally, Will was only a couple of second's off former coach and athlete Zach Wetherell's no-pole skate record from 2008. Kate took the win in both women's tests among a field that had very encouraging times.

But the real test of tests is the St. Regis mountain run. With standard conditions for this test being a rainy, typhoon-style mudbath, the relatively light drizzle Sunday morning had me anxious to see some records broken. And if there ever was a record to break, it was Tommy Lepesquer's 29:21 performance from 2006, the longest-standing record of all SLUSKI's tests. And if there ever were two guys to do it, it was Will and Meng. They didn't disappoint, with Meng clocking in at 30:11 and Will at 30:20. Counting those two times, there are only 8 finishes under 31 minutes, and still only Lepesquer can lay claim to a sub-30 Regis effort. With Meng and Will so close, and with a stellar performance by first-year Kyle Curry in 31:04, the stage has been set for another great showdown in 12 months time...

Speaking of stellar performances, the guys team in general absolutely murdered the mountain. From 2006 to 2011, only 17 men have gone under 32 minutes.

In this year's test, 7 of the men were under 32:00.

Kelsey hits the summit for 3rd place

The women's race was no less impressive, with first-year Cassidy Cichowicz clocking a 36:19, challenging Caroline's record only a year after it was set. For reference, Caroline's record of 36:07 was a full minute over the previous record, so essentially in the last two years Cass and 'Roline have been in a class of their own.

Kate and Kelsey rounded out the podium, both also posting times in the top-10 overall.

Check out the testing archive, updated to include this years results, by clicking HERE

With testing week over, the focus shifts to classic fall training: cold days, dark and rainy intervals and morning circuits. Eric asked me on the drive back from Regis: "Why have testing results gotten so much faster these past few years?" and I replied that it probably stemmed from a few causes. The rollerski tests and St. Regis have likely seen improved times because skiers realize their benefit. Club teams and groups know that specificity is important, and access to rollerskis for younger athletes has grown tremendously in the past 10 years. Skiers come to college with half a decade of rollerskiing under their belts, and they're able to really nail down the specific strength tests. Club programs and teams also realize the value of uphill tests. "That was probably the third uphill running test Meng has done this year" I mentioned, before Meng piped up from the back seat, "actually, it was my 5th."

These tests work, and if nothing else they force a hard effort that pushes one's body and mind to extreme levels...sort of like a ski race.

The girls team and coach Terko on top of Regis. No view, as usual...