Women's 30km Classic

Mass start with 55 competitors, 23 nations, of which two entries were from Canada: Sara Renner and Madelaine Williams.

This was to be Sara's final international competition. She did not participate in the Team Relay to rest up for this event.

The Mass start stuck together as a group for most of the first lap of the upper red course (5kms). Sara sat comfortably in around 15th spot - mid-way in this pack. Madelaine had a latter start number and looked to be skiing very strongly at the back of this long line-up of skiers.

Grip did not seem to be an issue on the uphills. Canadian skiers technique looked equal to the best of them - powerful and great extension. Skis looked to be gliding better than in the Team Relay - good to see for these wet slushy conditions. A good comparison was to watch the forerunners - Canada's top Junior and U23 ski racers, who had both grip and glide issues - but of course not the background wax support our elite athletes had.

The pace set by the leaders soon showed itself too strong for the pack to stay together. Multiple packs emerged and eventually strung out to be a continuous line of skiers. Sara sat in about 13-17th position. She looked great. As did all the women. Madelaine skied the majority of the race in a pair with bib # 45 from Belarus. Her power and technique looked to me as strong as the top women. Obviously not as strong...as the top women pulled away. Two thirds into the race, the lead group broaden their domination to a one minute lead over Sara's position and three to Madelaine's.

In the end it became a race for GOLD between rivals Marit Bjoergen, 29 of Norway and Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk, 27. Third place was for grabs within a group of six: Finland, Sweden, Italy, Germany, France, Norway and Japan. In the final leg it was Finland who gained it's second medal in xc and third of these Olympic Games with a bronze from 31 year old Aino-Kaisa Saarinen. Back on the race course we could only hear the crowd go crazy as we knew the leaders, Marit and Justyna battled it out for first. Only knew the result when a white and red clad coach sprinted by me yelling "we won, we won"...did we know Poland's Justyna edged out 3x Gold medalist at these Games, Marit Bjoergen.

A joy to watch Sara Renner ski with perfection past me six times today and into 16th spot in her final competition on Canada's National Team. Her love of skiing and rise to excellence has inspired thousands of young women across this country, and I have no doubt this will continue for decades to come. She and husband alpine great, Thomas Grandy have already stepped into her parents footsteps, that of running the special back country experience of Asinaboine Lodge positioned just east of Canmore up from Canada's summer training ground, the Haig Glacier.

Tonight a farewell celebration is being organized for Sara in Vancouver, which many have left Whistler for already. I am sure you will see her face at the Closing Ceremony tomorrow.

Sara came in well under four minutes off the winning time, and after an hour and a half of ski racing, Madelaine's time was just twelve minutes off the GOLD medalist. I felt priveledged to have been allowed to be in the middle of this action today.