Koos, Bauer, Snow Dominate Langlauf Cross Country Race Slowed By Sudden Snowfall

No wonder the winning time in the Langlauf cross-country ski race was 4 minutes slower than last year.

The winner had to break trail.

About 3 inches of snow fell on the 10-kilometer course after the groomer had made its last swath Sunday morning at Mount Spokane.

By the time awards were handed out, skiers had to shovel 5 inches of snow off their cars before they could load their ski racks.

“Beats the usual rain,” one skier said.

Torin Koos, 16, of Leavenworth led the pack of 293 official finishers to win the race in 31:40.

Debbie Bauer, 31, of Spokane won her eighth Langlauf women’s title in 32:43.

Bauer, who rarely has another woman in sight during a Langlauf, said she keyed in on a couple of top area men racers for competition.

“But halfway through the race, I passed them,” she said. Accustomed to skiing alone without anyone to push her, Bauer said she tells herself, “Just keep racing, get in a rhythm and keep pounding.”

From the front of the pack to the rear, the race was a family affair.

Mike and Sarah Aho of Spokane became the first married couple to top the men’s and women’s categories in the “Woodies” division, which requires racers to wear natural fabrics, such as wool, and race on wood skis.

Torin Koos apparently got a genetic boost from his father, Shaun, who finished third.

Bauer credits being the first Spokane finisher in the Langlauf to a perfect waxing job by her husband, Nick.

Nick Bauer waxed Torin Koos’ skis, too. Indeed, ski waxing at Langlauf is a sport in itself. Secrets are given warily. Money is exchanged.

The only people who look calm 30 minutes before the race are less-than-serious participants using no-wax skis.

“I just had a muffin,” said Juliana Scham, explaining what she’d been doing in the hour before the race.

“No-wax means RE-lax,” another skier chimed in.

But at the front of the pack, the Force is not with you if you don’t have the right wax. The latest advances in fluorocarbon wax technology will set you back $70 a tube. Serious money for serious racers.

Spokane skier Rob Benedetti, who seems to learn some deep insight during every Langlauf, said “I came up and started asking people what color wax they were using, and all I got was numbers: ‘30, 40, 50.’ I felt like saying ‘Hike.’ I thought I was in the wrong sport.”

Torin Koos, however, was in the right sport Sunday.

“I made a break at 5Ks,” he said. “Breaking trail slowed me down a little, but my skis were fast and I felt I could hold on.”

A stress fracture from cross-country running set Koos back in training this fall. More recently, he’s been plagued with bronchitis. “This is my first race in a month,” he said.

The hills around Shadow Mountain have been his nemesis in recent years. “Last year I placed fourth,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve finished Langlauf without falling.”

“It’s a good win for Torin,” said Shaun Koos. “He’s been knocking at the door. He just needed the right day to be healthy.”

Shaun Koos gave Langlauf with the first father-son competition for first place by hanging tough with five young Leavenworth skiers that pulled away from the field early in the race.

“These kids have been skiing together since they were 6,” he said. “It was fun being in a pack with them, but they made me feel all 43 of my years.”

Shaun said this was the race for bragging rights in the family. Then he said, “I was blocking for Torin a little. It was a courageous move to sprint ahead and break trail, but I was worried about him.”

No one knows if that’s an old man’s excuse or whether the elder Koos actually wanted the kid to win.

Meanwhile, another father-son duel was underway at the end of the race.

Six-year-old Noah Peller, with an inch of snow piled on the brim of his hat, sprinted to leave his dad, Rick, with the distinction of being the last official finisher.

Noah’s secret: “Tootsie rolls,” his dad said.

And if they can get through next year’s Langlauf without a pit stop, watch out.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: LANGLAUF RESULTS Langlauf Cross Country race AT MOUNT SPOKANE STATE PARK MALE Age 1-10 1, Travis Ray, Spokane, 1:06:10. 2, Morgan Hyslop, Spokane, 1:09:18. 3, Corey Morss, Coeur d’Alene, 1:09:36. 11-14 - 1, Colin Quinn-Hurst, Spokane, 37:49. 2, Matt Halloran, Newman Lake, 38:33. 3, Andrew Loomis, Spokane, 43:17. 15-19 - 1, Torin Koos, Leavenworth, 31:40. 2, Scott Smallwood, Leavenworth, 31:50. 3, Beau Terhaar, Leavenworth, 32:10. 20-29 - 1, Michael Brothers, Spokane, 33:21. 2, Jeremy Lucke, Bozeman, Mont., 51:08. 3, Dylan Smith, Spokane, 51:38. 30-34 - 1, John Wurst, Spokane, 54:18. 2, Bruce Szember, Spokane, 54:43. 3, Wayne Perez, Spokane, 58:21. 35-39 - 1, Jared France, Sandpoint, 35:00. 2, Tom Hurst, Spokane, 37:30. 3, Brian Abrams, Post Falls, 39:01. 40-44 - 1, Shaun Koos, Leavenworth, 31:58. 2, Bruce Utsey, Spokane, 32:53. 3, Charles Caswell, Seattle, 36:18. 45-49 - 1, Doric Creager, Spokane, 33:50. 2, Richard Gibson, Post Falls, 35:15. 3, Don Brooks, Seattle, 36:01. 50-54 - 1, Paul Smith, Spokane, 37:28. 2, Jeff Corkill, Spokane, 38:43. 3, Jim Denovan, Edmonds, Wash., 41:09. 55-59 - 1, Al Randall, Troy, Mont., 42:30. 2, Chandler Newhall, Libby, Mont., 47:44. 3, Art Bookstrom, Spokane, 48:35. 60-plus - 1, Dalton Dulac, Winthrop, Wash., 38:44. 2, Stan Whitaker, Spokane, 55:29. 3, Steve Colwell, Post Falls, 1:01:56.

FEMALE 1-10 - 1, Kylie France, Sandpoint, 54:50. 2, Jamie Redman, Spokane, 58:40. 3, Kate Honsinger, Sandpoint, 1:03:37. 11-14 - 1, Holly Brooks, Seattle, 41:51. 2, Tara Gregg, Winthrop, Wash., 42:27. 3, Meredith Hyslop, Spokane, 43:45. 15-19 - 1, Erin Quinn-Hurst, Spokane, 36:08. 2, A.J. Ray, Libby, Mont., 37:11. 3, Lea McKinstry, Bothell, Wash., 37:58. 20-29 - 1, Cressey Rice, Libby, Mont., 40:13. 2, Julie Slak, Spokane, 40:18. 3, Mary Ryerse, Spokane, 49:32. 30-34 - 1, Deb Bauer, Spokane, 32:43. 2, Robin Deruwe, Spokane, 43:11. 3, Lynn Stryker, Spokane, 45:50. 35-39 - 1, Lisa Brooks, Spokane, 49:43. 2, Val Davis, Post Falls, 50:56. 3, Sarah Aho, Spokane, 52:40. 40-44 - 1, Coral France, Sandpoint, 43:08. 2, Deborah Pierce, Spokane, 45:31. 3, Dianne Honsinger, Sandpoint, 57:03. 45-49 - 1, Linda Bauer, Spokane, 45:39. 2, Nancy Loomis, Spokane, 50:49. 3, Susie Rice, Libby, Mont., 51:50. 50-54 - 1, Barb Keeffe, Spokane, 55:29. 2, Mark Morrell, Mead, 56:34. 3, Lou Slak, Spokane, 58:40. 55-59 - 1, Inge Bohnet, Spokane, 52:39. 2, Ann Johnson, Spokane, 1:02:01. 3, Marbie Randall, Troy, Mont., 1:07:51. 60-plus - 1, Joyce Waite, Spokane, 1:21:43.