Canada's largest cross-country ski event wrapped up in the Gatineau Hills on Sunday.
More than 2,500 skiers participated in the 31st annual Gatineau Loppet over the weekend, with classic events held Saturday and freestyle races on Sunday.
Thomas Freimuth of Germany beat out Karl Saidla of Chelsea, Que. by 15 seconds in the grueling 53-kilometre race on Sunday. Freimuth's win is the first time a Canadian has lost the event since 2005.
Meanwhile, Ottawa's Sheila Kealy was the top female performer in the 53-kilometre race, finishing in 2:23:36.5 hours.
Less than a minute later, teammate Megan McTavish, of Chelsea, crossed the finish line for a silver medal win with a time of 2:24:01.0 hours.
Young Olympic hopeful Andrew Stewart-Jones, also of Chelsea, won the 28-kilometre event, in a time of 1:07:17.2 hours. Gatineau's Eric Rouleau won the bronze in a time of 1:10:35.6.
Organizers say the race weekend was a success, with ideal temperatures and excellent trail conditions. Officials were forced to change the course following mild temperatures last week.
