TWO North Vancouverite's have become the first ever cross-country skiers from the Lower Mainland to win a national gold medal.
Last month Lucas Putnam-Rea, 17, and Fred Weaver, 18, won gold at the National XC Championship in Quebec City.
"All the hard work had paid off over the whole year," Putnam-Rea said. "It was great."
The two Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club members battled it out with skiers from across Quebec as well as entrants from Thunder Bay, Ont., and Salmon Arm. As many as 10 teams took part in the junior boys classic sprint relay, which required each racer to complete three laps of a one-kilometre course on the historic Plains of Abraham.
The pair had been looking forward to the competition in the Quebec capital for a long time.
"It's been in the back of our minds all year," Putnam-Rea said. "We used it to motivate each other . . . We'd remind each other that we were in it together for the Nationals."
Putnam-Rea's father Bob Putnam said the boys dominated the race despite unusually warm weather conditions.
"They actually went out and controlled the race," he said. "No one really came close to touching them.
"Both of them are very strong sprinters. There are lots of clubs that have one strong kid but not many have two that are quite strong."
According to Bob Putnam the boys placed sixth in last year's event.
"The age categories are two years. Last year they were in their first year in a two year age category," he said. "This was their big goal this year."
Putnam-Rea currently attends Seycove secondary and Weaver attends Carson Graham secondary. Both are members of the BC Ski Team.
Fellow Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club members Zayne Heyes and Sam Morris finished in eighth place.
