This was the opening event of the 1998-1999 Lexus Sprint Tour. This is a new series that consists of seven races around the country, usually held in conjunction with another major race. The format is as follows. The course consists of two laps around a 1 km loop. Racers are split into heats of five or six skiers. In the first round, the top three (if there are six in the heat) or two (if there are five in the heat) advance to the second round. The losers in the first round go into a consolation field. After the first round, if you lose, you go home. The winners field is eventually pared to three and the consolation field is narrowed to one. These four then sprint for the money. $1000 for first, $500 for second, $300 for third, $100 for fourth and $45 for fifth through seventh.
Women:
For more information on this race and other Alaskan races this season, go to:
www.ptialaska.net/~ccak/ccaktoc.htm#toc-newsflashes