Bend Nordic racer wins U.S. sprint title

Bend Endurance Academy Nordic racer Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess skied his way to first place Tuesday at the USSA Nordic National Championships Classic Sprint being held in Houghton, Michigan.

The classic sprint races were originally scheduled to take place Monday, but due to heavy snows and temperatures in the single digits, race officials postponed the races until Tuesday.

Race day saw over eight inches of snow accumulate and provided challenging race conditions.

“They do such an incredible job of maintaining the trails here. I’ve skied in better conditions but worse tracks,” von Jess said after the races. “Today was all about skiing smooth and staying relaxed and finding the ‘go’ when I needed it.”

Blackhorse-von Jess found his “go,” making it out of qualifiers in second place as he went into the sprint heats.

The powerhouse sprinter then proceeded to race his way through the heats winning both his quarterfinal and semi final races before moving on to win the sprint finals by a commanding six seconds.

This is the second national title for the 28-year-old Bend resident, who in 2013 won the skate sprint national championships. Dakota will be gunning for the top spot in the skate sprints again this coming weekend as the USSA Nordic National Championships continue.