Dammen memorial ski race changed to run for Saturday

Published 1:17 pm Friday, January 6, 2012

The Kevin and Kyle Dammen Ski Race is still on for tomorrow — sort of.

Thanks to record breaking high temperatures and a complete lack of snow, the annual ski race has been changed to a run.

The race was named after Kevin and Kyle Dammen, the two young men who created it, after Kevin died during a kayaking accident on Lake Superior in June 2011.

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A 1 mile fun run/walk geared toward children will kick off the morning at 9 a.m. at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, followed by a 5 mile run at 9:30 a.m. Registration starts at 8 a.m.

The Dammen family and Hormel Nature Center officials talked about moving the race to Jan. 17, but opted for the run since they can’t plan for snow.

“The long range forecast doesn’t look very good for that either,” said Larry Dolphin, Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

Dolphin said the turnout for the race will be anyone’s guess, since they’re in new territory.

“We have no idea what to expect,” he said.

This is quite the change from last year, when Dolphin said conditions were ideal for the ski race.

“This year of course, unless you could find a way to ski on grass, we’re either stuck with running or not doing it,” Dolphin said.