I was up in Anchorage last week for this (I was a Team In Training coach for the new Washington state XC TnT program). For the XC folks out there that have not done this, you are missing out on a real treat. Much colder than last year (about 10 F. at the 25K start at Russian Jack) but otherwise a beautiful sunny day. Most of my athletes (all new skiers) did the 25K classic, a few did the 40, and one picked the 50K; all finished in good spirits and all but one reasonably close to their time goals for their first race. Despite a double whammy of viral bronchitis and conjunctivitis on both eyes that both hit the day I arrived I did the 25K classic as well, finishing a surprisingly good 4th in my AG.
The 25K course is flat (only 3 hills) and quite beautiful, winding through the woods for 10-12K then going out along the coast for a while, with a view of downtown Anchorage behind you and ice floes off to your right before going back into the woods again. I even saw a few moose on the trail, but was past each one of them before they had a chance to notice. On this course mile after mile of double poling was the key to a decent performance.
Chris