ANCHORAGE - One day in November whether to clear the downtown seems within arm's reach, Kikkan Randall powered moose grazing on his past skis, looking totally in his element.
Except for a skier down the slope is attached to a Wild-Eyed Dog, Randall, two time Olympic medalist, and her husband, Jeff Ellis, an aspiring Olympian, had the runway in Chugach State Park mostly to themselves. Morning Hush is disturbed only by their rhythmic breathing and the crunch of snow under the skis. Randall, 26, has spent the last four years, pushing the envelope in the Nordic sprint races. At the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, his ninth in the race of 1.2 kilometers was the best Olympic showing ever by an American woman in sport. In Russia in 2007, she became the first American woman of 29 years to win a race World Cup Nordic sprint in 1.2 kilometers. February and the last in the Czech Republic, she finished second in the race of 1.3 kilometers, claiming the first world championship medals won by a Nordic skier in the United States since Bill Koch took a bronze medal in 1982 . "Skiing is so Alaska," Randall's brother, Tanner said. "This is an important part of the culture here, and Kikkan success on the world stage Alaskans filled with pride." He added: "It is so large. This is totally confusing to me, and inspiration. " Largely because of Randall, is again a boom town for skiing, the latest arrivals exploration of the white powder on the mountains, instead of black gold in the coastal plains. At the end of the session Randall's three one-hour training, trails of Glen Alps public were full of skiers revel in first snowfall of the season. Randall opened the doors on the Cross of Alaska-country skiing as one of his heroes, Steve Prefontaine, the country has awakened to culture running in Oregon in 1970. Top skiers from Washington, Colorado, Minnesota and Vermont have moved here to train alongside Randall as members of the Nordic Ski Club at Alaska Pacific University. Their migration is a radical change of two or three decades ago, when Betsy and Chris Haines, Randall aunt and uncle, were encouraged to leave Alaska as members of the U.S. Olympic Nordic team. Randall is the most modest Pied Pipers to 5 feet 4 inches. It features porcelain, a dimpled smile and hot pink streaks in her hair blond dishes. Pity the person who confuses the lightness; idea of Randall pleasure of reading "Freakonomics". His pride is palpable in Alaska and is reciprocated by Alaskans. Randall locations for Subway sandwiches, one of his clients Anchorage, and led a four-door Subaru from another local developer, Continental Auto Group. End of summer 2008, a restaurant in downtown holding a recipe contest fish lost celebrity judge and reached out to Randall, who was happy to be Sarah Palin, Governor of the State and Republican candidate for the vice presidency. Randall, a native of Salt Lake City, is like Palin since she enjoys wide support in his state adopted home. When Randall is racing, it is recognized by its license plate, XC4USA, and people honk or wave. Randall is particularly revered by a female audience, some, as it has been recalled this summer. Hungry after a long workout, she stopped at the grocery store and reached into the baking tray for a maple bar. A little girl was found and shouted: "Kikkan Randall eat donuts! In a voice sweet as maple bar, Randall said she replied: "Yes, but I worked for it!" A 10-Year Plan Randall is almost certain to participate in the Vancouver Olympics in February. His goal of winning the first Olympic medal by an American Nordic skier since Koch's silver in 1976 is the culmination of a plan she designed as a 17-year-old high school student making the transition from cross country skiing. She thought it might take a decade to become a contender in the Olympic medal. Randall's meticulous plan overlooked one detail. The sprinters in Vancouver will be required to ski in the classical style. It got its best results, including the Turin Games, using the form of freestyle, which looks more like a skater's stride speed. The techniques are as varied as diving pool is cliff diving
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