Summer in Williamstown

The shortage of news from Williamstown this summer is a testament to the amount of events occuring (both training and otherwise). For those skiers that chose to remain on campus during the summer months the weekends provided great opportunities for training. From triathlons, to long runs, to rollerskis, to biathlon races, to biking over 100miles, they seem to have done it all, while also furthering some sort of academically important aspect: chemistry research (Mark), psychology research (Robby), math research--SMALL--(Hannah), selling Williams to prospective students (Casey), alumni relation office and psychology research (Maddy), and geology research (Ian). So, as a short tribute to the happenings in the purple valley over the past few months here is a short recap of some of the above average adventures...

One of the most gratifying and unifying athletic events this summer turned out to be sprint triathlons. All of those on campus this summer participated in at least one triathlon, while some are up to five and still counting. Most notably Mark, Hannah, and Robby made the trek up to Lake Dunmore twice for the Vermont Sun Triathlon Series and had personal best finishes of 6th, 13th (76th overall), and 19th, respectively. Hannah and Mark won their age classes both times (sorry Robby, Mark isn't actually that old). Other triathlon races this summer included a low key, but very competitive, monthly triathlon at Stockbridge Bowl in conjunction with the Berkshire Nordic Team. Every Williams skier that started at Stockbridge had some impressive performances... even Casey.

(Mark at in the transition in Stockbridge chasing

after Maddy, who swam a good 20secs faster...)

(Robby, Hannah, and Mark at the first Vermont Sun Sprint Triathlon)

Moving on... biking 100miles is no easy feat especially when it includes Mt. Greylock, the hairpin climb up to Florida, and even more climbing in the Savoy area. Then add about 3 inches of rain and it becomes nearly life-threatening... well maybe not, but you get the point. For some odd reason Robby and Mark (Hannah planned on participating but woke up sick the morning of) decided, after 45mins of sitting and contemplating the meaning of life in the car, to start out on the Mount Greylock Century ride. They made it, but were feeling it afterwords...



As a kind of throwback into the long lost art of biathlon, Mark made an appearance at the North American Summer Biathlon Championships in Burlington, VT. Without touching a rifle since January, he managed to hit 80% of the targets and placed 3rd in the Sprint and 4th in the Pursuit. The races also proved educational thanks to the opportunity of skiing and racing with Jean Philippe Leguellec, a Canadian biathlete who placed in the top ten in Vancouver.

(Bill Bowler, Mark, and Jean-Philippe)

And finally, we can't forget the many long runs (Berlin, Greylock, Taconic Crest, and elsewhere-- a new post is likely to come soon from Casey, Ian and Phil), rollerskis, and weight room sessions that got us through the summer.