Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette 50km freestyle skiers Abram Peterson, Trent Ping and Noah Rounds compete in Saturday’s Great Bear Chase at the Swedetown Trails.

CALUMET TOWNSHIP — Seven-hundred and twenty-eight racers came out for this year’s Great Bear Chase at the Swedetown Trails Saturday.

Skiers had their choice of 10-, 25- or 50-kilometer races. They could also compete in classic skiing — diagonal strides in tracks — or freestyle skate skiing. The signature event, the 50-km skiathlon, combines both.

With temperatures in the mid-20s, repeat racers compared it favorably to last year’s bitter cold.

It also made for faster racing: The top times were faster in every division in 2023 than the previous year. The overall skiathlon winner, former Olympian Brian Gregg, finished nearly 25 minutes earlier than last year’s winner.

“We’ve gotten really great feedback,” said race coordinator Angela Luskin. “Racers seem very happy. Conditions were fast.”

Racers were also happy to see the return of a full in-person experience. Though the race continued to be held in 2021 and 2022, this was the first year since 2020 for the awards luncheon.

“You can see there’s tons of conversations happening,” Luskin said. “People are reuniting, sharing their racer experience and enjoying a pasty lunch indoors.”

The race attracts skiers from throughout the Midwest who enjoy the location and the relaxed, informal feel. And in the warmer winter than usual, even a reduced Keweenaw snowfall helps it stand out.

This was the first race Russ Wilson of Wausau, Wisconsin, has been able to compete in this winter. Two others were canceled due to weather conditions, and travel conditions didn’t allow him to make the third.

“I can put my bags down here and just walk to my bag,” he said. “There’s no standing in line and waiting on the buses. The whole atmosphere of the course is beautiful, the people are great. It’s a lot of fun.”

Wilson first competed in skate skiing, where he narrowly made his goal of avoiding the bottom 10%. Years ago, he switched over to classic skiing.

“I’m not great by any means, but I’m a lot better than I was in skating,” he said.

Many skiers are also returning to the race after having moved away.

Josh Albrecht of Stillwater, Minnesota, first raced in 2016, when he was a high school junior deciding whether to attend Michigan Technological University. He did, as attested to by the Michigan Tech ski jacket he wore.

He now lives in the Twin Cities after five years at Michigan Tech. But the area, and the race, drew him back.

“I’ve still got friends up here, plus it’s amazing near-end season skiing, and it’s just a fun time,” he said. “It’s a good chill race, and I just like coming back for it.”

After seven years of competing in the Great Bear Chase, he’s learned the course and how to pace himself.

“My endurance isn’t the best, so I’ve got to start slow so I keep my glycogen up for the last bit,” he said. “If I don’t do that, then the last 10K, I’m going to be completely out of energy and crawling.”

Christine Kolinski of Ely, Minnesota, was at her first Great Bear Chase after a friend asked her to come.

Usually a skate skier, she switched to classic for Saturday’s race. Though she would be “a little sore in new places tomorrow,” she counted it as a success.

“This is a little smaller, and less pressure, so I tried a new technique,” she said. “It worked out pretty well.”