Winter triathlon slated

It may not be the Ironman, but Saturday’s April Fools Pole, Paddle, and Paw race will, no doubt, be a bit more fun.

This obscure triathlon – which consists of cross country skiing, canoeing, and snowshoeing – will be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Sunday River’s Cross Country Ski Center in Bethel.

Preregistration for the event will be the nordic area from 10 a.m. to noon.

The only hitch to the triathlon is that it must be run in teams of two and both members of each team must be in all events.

The ski portion of the race is a 2-mile long course on easy terrain. The skis are then traded in for a canoe, life jacket, and paddle and a 2 1/2-mile trek along Sunday River will take participants to the Artist’s Covered Bridge. From there participants will take their snowshoes, which are prepacked into the canoe, and race back to the ski center’s finish line.

Cost is $25 per team which includes t-shirts and post-race refreshments.

“The race has developed into a fun day for all involved with costumes, silliness, and a lot of laughs,” said Paula Michniewicz in a press release. “It’s an event which is designed as a celebration of the close of the winter season and a transition into spring.”

More info is available by calling Michniewicz at 824-2410.

Bangor’s World Cup freestyle skier Karen Hunter had arthroscopic surgery on both knees Wednesday, putting an official end to her 1991 season.

Hunter, who has had major surgery on both knees previously in her career, was scoped to clean out debris which had built up and was causing her constant pain, both on and off the slopes.

The 24-year-old had hoped to bounce back for the US National competition later in April, but while in Lake Placid, N.Y., training the knees got worse. Following the surgery, rest was the first thing prescribed.

More on Hunter in the coming weeks.

Maine skiers, following in the footsteps of Auburn’s Julie Parisien, have made a splash on an older-age level this past week.

Chris Johnson of Kittery won the downhill in the U.S. Alpine Master’s Championship at Beaver Creek, Colo., on Monday and Auburn’s Kathy Rae Presby finished second in the women’s 25-to-29 year old downhill race on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Arne Rostad of Kittery Point, skiing in the 65-to-69 age division, won the Class IX downhill at that same site.

Rostad covered the 31-gate Pitchfork course in 1:32.35 to beat out Bob Bernard of Lake Tahoe, Calif. (1:32.94).