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Loppet pushed back to mid-March

Cross-country skiers race in the Lake Placid Loppet on March 6, 2015, the last time the annual event was held. Last year’s Loppet was canceled due to a lack of snow. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

LAKE PLACID — The popular Lake Placid Loppet cross-country ski race has been pushed back until mid-March — if at all — due to warm, rainy weather expected Saturday.

Highs have been well above freezing in the 40s and 50s this week, melting the snow that accumulated in the weeks before. Rain is forecast for today, Friday and Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Friday evening through Sunday evening.

State Olympic Regional Development Authority spokesman Jon Lundin said in an email that the race has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 18. Registration has been reopened and will continue until March 14. Racers who have already registered will have their registration honored.

ORDA has released a new schedule for the March weekend, with the course inspection beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 17. The races will begin at 9 a.m. on that Saturday.

The Loppet is part of ORDA’s Nordic Festival at the Mount Van Hoevenberg athletic complex outside of Lake Placid. The race offers distances of 25 and 50 kilometers for skate and classic style at the cross-country skiing area off state Route 73. It normally draws several hundred skiers from the Northeast and Canada.

The festival and Loppet were canceled last year due to a lack of snow.

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