Nordic Ski Racing Returns to Gunstock!
GNA Zak Cup Freestyle Race, Presented by Granite State Physical Therapy – Race Recap
Gilford, NH – January 4, 2026 – Gunstock Nordic Association – After a 2-year hiatus, NENSA Zak Cup racing returned to the Gunstock Nordic ski trails on Sunday. While December produced weeks of great skiing, a pre-Christmas rainstorm left question marks on the race and course options. Fortunately, Gunstock Mountain Resort’s snow farmers were able to produce a fun and challenging multi-lap 1.6 km racecourse of machine-made snow.
Connor Termorshuizen skiing fast on the Longbow trail
Cold snow and minimal wind produced ideal conditions for the 15-second, individual-start race format. First off were the U18 and Senior Men’s categories followed by the Senior and U18 Women who raced 6 laps, totaling 9.6 km. Junior skiers raced 3 laps while the BKL race was 2 laps. Tyson Weems quickly blazed through the first lap catching the two skiers who started in front of him. Not to be outdone, was Bill Donahue, a long-time Gunstock skier, who produced negative splits, catching Tyson by lap 3 and holding his gap to the finish to take the overall win. Tyson held on for second and rounding out the podium was Gunstock Nordic’s Dennis Claire. A special kudos goes out to Gunstock Nordic’s Connor Termorshuizen, a 16-year-old skier who skied to an impressive 7th place finish in the senior men’s race.
Men’s Overall Podium
In the women’s race, Gunstock Nordic’s Maria Tilley started out fast and quickly caught all the skiers who started in front of her. By the end of the 6-lap race, Maria amassed a 3-minute gap on her nearest competitor. Second place was Gunstock Nordic’s Eliza Deery and rounding out the podium was Lillian Naimie.
Women’s Overall Podium
Women’s winner, Maria Tilley
In the Junior 3-lap race Ethan Cathey (Gunstock Nordic) took top honors in the U16 Boy’s Race and Tess Eckardt (Holderness) was the top Girl’s finisher. In the BKL 2-lap race, the top spot was Luc Goudreau (EMXC), second was Hadley Bassett (Holderness), and third was Wiley Blachly (Andover Outing Club).
A big thanks to all racers who made it out to the event! Complete race results are posted below:
- 6 Lap, 10km Race (Race #1) – Female Open: U18, U20, U23, Seniors, Masters
- 6 Lap, 10km Race (Race #1) – Male Open: U18, U20, U23, Seniors, Masters
- 3 Lap, 5km Races (Race #2) – All U16 Categories: Middle & High School Categories (Girls & Boys)
- 2 Lap, 3.5km Race (Race #3) – Older BKL: 5th–6th, 7th–8th grade (Girls & Boys)
GNA would also like to thank our event sponsor Granite State Physical Therapy, Gunstock Mountain Resort for their exceptional snowmaking and grooming, and Coach Nina and her crew of GNA volunteers for making the race happen!
Bill Donahue charging up the Powerline climb
Photography courtesy of Gunstock Mountain Resort