Cavalese, Italy (Sunday, January 25, 2004) - Carl Swenson (Park City, UT) was 13th Sunday in the 70K classic technique Marcialonga behind Anders Aukland of Norway after three hours of racing. Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) was 25th while Wendy Wagner (Park City, UT) was 19th behind national favorite Gabriella Paruzzi in the women's race.

"I guess it was my kind of classic race. It was a great day," said Swenson, who was third a week earlier in the 45K Dolomitenlauf in Lienz, Austria, another Worldloppet race (but a freestyle race and not a World Cup event like the Marcialonga).

"We had good consistent conditions for the whole race. I had great kick for the whole race, which is probably more than most could say."

Swenson said the race, which goes from Moena to Cavalese in the Val di Fiemme, which hosted the 2003 World Championships last February, was tough all the way. "We went hard right from the beginning - it was a series of surges and sprints, and I was just hanging on," said Swenson, whose best international results have come in freestyle technique. In 1999, when the Marcialonga was free technique, Swenson was fifth.

He said reaching the podium in the Dolomitenlauf gave him confidence, despite the change to classic technique, about skiing another marathon. Swenson also won his first two CL titles earlier this month at the 2004 Chevrolet U.S. Cross Country Championships in Rumford, Maine.

Aukland won in 3:09.03.5 with Italy's Giorgio DiCenta 19.9 seconds back. Swenson finished with a time of 3:12.12.7 while Freeman finished in 3:14.47.1. Lars Flora (Anchorage, AK) was 56th in 3:29.23.9 and Andrew Johnson (Greensboro, VT) was 61st in 3:31.43.1.

On the women's side, Paruzzi's winning time was 3:33.07.4. Wagner finished in 4:04.58.9

The World Cup takes off next weekend and regroups Feb. 6-7 in LaClusaz, France, for freestyle races – men's 15K, women's 10K and then relays. The U.S. skiers will have a mini-training camp at Seiser Alm, Italy, before heading to France.

VIESSMANN CROSS COUNTRY WORLD CUP
Marcialonga
Moena-Cavalese, ITA – Jan. 25
70K Classic

Men
1. Anders Aukland, Norway, 3:09.03.5
2. Giorgio DiCenta, Italy, 3:09.23.4
3. Joergen Aukland, Norway, 3:09.46.2
4. Andreas Schluetter, Germany, 3:11.05.3
5. Gianantonio Zanetel, Italy, 2:11.19.8
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13. Carl Swenson, Park City, Utah, 3:12.12.7
25. Kris Freeman, Andover, N.H., 3:14.47.1
56. Lars Flora, Anchorage, Alaska, 3:29.23.9
61. Andrew Johnson, Greensboro, Vt., 3:31.43.1

Women
1. Gabriella Paruzzi, Italy, 3:33.07.4
2. Valentina Shevchenko, Ukraine, 3:35.17.7
3. Manuela Henkel, Germany, 3:37.23.4
4. Svetlana Nagejkina, Russia, 3:38.05.2
5. Olga Savialova, Russia, 3:38.05.2
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19. Wendy Wagner, Park City, Utah, 4:04.58.9