The race was paired with The Keys to the Castle, hosted by Mount Van Hoevenberg and the state Olympic Regional Development Authority and is the second stop on the New England Nordic Ski Association’s annual rollerski series.

This year’s event was headlined by the presence of the SMS T2 team, an elite training group of national team Nordic athletes: Ben Ogden, Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern. Racers from Quebec, Paul Smith’s College, The Mount Mansfield Pro Team, Middlebury College and many other regional clubs rounded out a strong field for the 18th edition of the Climb to the Castle.

“The opportunity for young athletes to race alongside athletes at the top of the sport in an Olympic Year is a testament to the great community that exists in Nordic sports across the country and particularly in New England,” NYSEF Climb to the Castle Organizer Julianne Stemp said.

Diggins, a three-time Olympic medalist, three-time overall World Cup Champion and a seven-time World Championship medalist, shared autographs and encouragement with the young competitors at the race conclusion.

Athletes compete in the Climb to the Castle (C2C) roller ski race/event up Whiteface Mountain Highway in Wilmington on Saturday. Racers included USA cross-country ski team members, ski clubs, development teams, ski academies, college racers and citizens. (Provided photo — Nancie Battaglia)

The race at Whiteface began just beyond the gate of the tollhouse on the mountain Veteran’s Memorial Highway and relentlessly climbs to the castle at the mountain’s summit. With a maximum gradient of 10.3% and an average gradient of 8%, the course climbs 2,300 vertical feet over roughly 5 miles.

Alongside a field of masters, college and junior racers from New England and New York, Ogden captured the men’s overall title in a time of 37 minutes, 38.7 seconds. Diggins won the women’s crown in 43:48.5. The grueling race is one of the more demanding tests of NENSA’s annual rollerski series.

The men’s long course race was a back-and-forth battle between Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier (Fondeurs-Laurentide), Colin Freed (Mansfield Pro), Remi Drolet (SMS/T2) and Ogden (SMS/T2). Ogden finished with a punishing move in the final 2k to take the top spot, with Izquierdo-Bernier finishing second and Freed capturing the final podium spot.

The women’s long course featured Diggins (SMS/T2) taking the top spot with her teammate Kern (SMS/T2), taking second place and Canadian racer Shilo Rosseau capturing third.

“Three years ago, we started a short course race with three local athletes and this year we had 16 racers from NYSEF, the Mansfield Nordic Club and Mad River BKL, which is awesome to see such a committed group of young athletes coming up and challenging themselves,” Stemp said.

Jesse Diggins, right, signs an autograph for Lake Placid native Will Scanio during the Climb to the Castle event on Saturday. (Provided photo — Nancie Battaglia)

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