Back in 1981 a few cross-country skiers, most of whom had learnt about the sport while living abroad and some of whom already held Worldloppet passports, got together to share their interest by forming a new ski club open to enthusiasts living in London and its surrounding areas. Called the London Region Nordic Ski Club, it is generally known by its initials, LRNSC, and has over more than two decades grown to more than 200 members, including not only native Londoners but also members from Russia, Germany, Hungary, France, Romania, Norway, Czech Republic, Poland, Australia, Canada and the USA who are living temporarily in the British capital city.
From the outset, one of the main ambitions of the membership has been to join the hunt to become a Worldloppet Master. By the end of the 2007-08 season, no fewer than twenty-two club members had achieved that goal and the club had acquired a total of 28 Worldloppet Masters medals, surely bearing comparison with many other clubs in lands which are better known for their cross-country skiing history. Several more are in the pipeline and should achieve their ambitions in the coming seasons. Doyenne of the club’s skiers is Hilary Field. Taking out a passport in 1969 - the first year of Worldloppet’s existence- while she was living in Canada, that year she completed her first Worldloppet race, the Riviere Rouge, (forerunner of the Gatineau 55 and the Keskinada Loppet, and now known as the Gatineau Loppet). Hilary has now completed no fewer than 88 long distance ski races and is the proud possessor of four Worldloppet Masters titles. Keeping the family tradition going, husband Paddy is a Worldloppet Master twice over and daughter Lorraine has recently acquired her first Masters medal.
Preparing for long distance ski races in a city where a snowfall is something to be wondered at is not always straightforward. LRNSC members follow a vigorous roller skiing programme, including competitions as well as recreational roller skiing tours and also pursue a range of endurance activities on foot and on their bikes. Each summer a roller skiing trip is organised to one of several European countries; Netherlands, Belgium, France and Ireland have featured on the list. The club maintains interest throughout the off-season with a wide-ranging string of activity events which include hiking, cycling and nordic walking. These take place throughout the year and welcome visitors from a wide range of countries. The club aims high and speakers at its regular monthly meetings have included Olympic Champion Vegard Ulvang and Marco Selle, now coach to the Italian national team, having graduated from his former role as coach to their highly successful FIS Marathon Cup squad.
That this programme pays off is evidenced by the participation of one Club member in the Olympic Biathlon races in Salt Lake City in 2002 and of another of our skiers in the World Championships in Oberstdorf in 2005 and in Sapporo 2007. We may not yet have made it to the podium, but are certainly pointing in the right direction!
But participation in popular races remains the club’s primary goal and in this quest English skiers have one great advantage. Since they cannot ski on home ground they have to travel long distances to find snow. Once at the airport, one destination is as appealing as another, and in consequence LRNSC members are to be found in winter competing all over the world, wherever the snow is at its best and the races are the most attractive. There will be members at every Worldloppet race almost every season and at many other marathons outside the Worldloppet: in China, New Zealand, Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland, Argentina, Spain and Poland, for example. This season a group of more than 20 LRNSC skiers took part in the opening FMC race, La Sgambeda in Livigno and another group of a dozen or more visited the Sapporo International Ski Marathon and Miyasama Ski Marathons in Japan.
In 2007-08 the club achieved a new ‘first’ when two of its members – Hilary and paddy Field - joined the swelling ranks of Global Worldloppet Skiers, those who have completed all 14 of the Worldloppet races.
‘Is there any skiing to be had in England?’ we are frequently asked. ‘Not very often!’ is the truthful answer, but the lack of a few centimetres of snow (we have had skiable snow 3 times in the South of England in the last 30 years!) does not dampen our enthusiasm. The original founders of the club are beginning to show the signs of age, but a new and younger generation is taking up the Worldloppet challenge. We are looking forward to the day when the club achieves its fiftieth Worldloppet master title – that will be surely something of an achievement by skiers from a snowless city!
Worldloppet Masters
148 Hilary Field (also 1251, 1831 and 2185*)
177 John Trembath
193 John Foden
246 Kevin Gill
330 Derek Hyde (also 985)
538 Richard Clemons
539 Dennis Teevan (also 1490*)
628 Gareth Buffett
639 Christopher Virgo
701 Don Montague
830 Paddy Field (also 1955*)
852 Gordon Hughesdon
1320 Tim Banks
1462 Christopher May
1511 Bruce Maybloom
1707 Bernard McCarthy
2048 Vic Emery
2049* Lorraine Field
2079 Christopher Richards
2093 Peter Gurney
Terri Paul (2008)
Mary Wray (2008)
04.03.2008