CAMP DENALI, Alaska— Approximately 70 Guardsmen from 10 western states will compete in the National Guard Bureau’s Western Regional Biathlon at Kincaid Park in Anchorage on Jan. 11 and 12, beginning at 11 a.m. both days.
Biathlon is a winter sport that combines skiing and precision marksmanship. Participants alternate between skiing laps intended to get their heart rate up, and then transitioning to shooting small targets at 50 meters while attempting to control their breathing.
“We’re doing a sprint on Saturday and a pursuit on Sunday,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Wilson, deputy director of the current operations office, Joint Forces Headquarters, Alaska Army National Guard. “The sprint is a short race of two firing iterations from the standing and prone positions. The pursuit is usually a race that is the next day, and the time lag between the racers is based on how they finished the day prior. The skier behind is always chasing the skier in front, which is the pursuit in a nutshell.”
Each year, regional competitions are held to select Guardsmen to participate in the Chief of the National Guard Bureau Biathlon, explained Wilson. Through this program, members have gone on to represent the nation in various international competitions, including the Biathlon World Cup and the Winter Olympics. This year is the first that the Alaska National Guard has hosted the Western Regionals.
“Traditionally, the Western Regionals have been hosted at West Yellowstone, Mont. and also at Soldier Hollow, Utah,” Wilson explained. “They also host central and east races in the upper-Midwest and eastern regions.”
Race participants will also be supporting the Arctic Winter Games trials, which begin at 2:15 p.m. each day at the same location.
“For our race, we’re cooperating with the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage,” said Wilson. “We’re also working together with the Alaska Trials of the Arctic Winter Games. Alaska youth who are trying to get a slot on Team Alaska in order to go to the Arctic Winter Games this March in Fairbanks are competing this weekend as well.”
An awards ceremony is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. at the park. All are welcome and encouraged to attend the weekend’s events.
The NGB biathlon races are open invitation to community members who may register at www.anchoragenordicski.com. Under “latest news and events,” click “Biathlon AWG Trials and Western Regionals.”
