Swedes Finish 1-2-3 in Vasa Ski Marathon
Bengt Hassis of Sweden won the grueling 89-kilometer Vasa ski marathon for the second straight year Sunday after Italian Maurilio de Zolt fell just short of the finish line Sunday.
Hassis outspurted two other Swedish long-race specialists for his victory in record time of 3 hours 48 minutes 55 seconds. That was nearly 10 minutes faster than the old record set by Konrad Hallenbarter of Switzerland 1983.
After the Italian’s misfortune, Anders Blomqvist of Sweden was second in 3:48:57, countryman Hans Persson third in 3:49:00 and De Zolt fourth in 3:49:36.
Audun Endestad of Fairbanks, Alaska, was ninth in 3:49:40.
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