It was a beautiful day and the conditions were perfect. Some were saying the snow was slow, but compared to most other skate races this year, I found the glide suited my technique. I started #6, and was glad to hear that my relatives in Sweden were able to see me start. My skis felt like they were gliding really well right away. Unfortunately, I didn't feel as good as I had the day before. I couldn't ski explosively, and on the Olympic 5km you lose time the whole way if you are not pushing. My first split I was 3 seconds out of the lead and then 9 seconds. Nothing to worry about yet as I was skiing relaxed. As I lapped Koukal was just starting and Zimmerman (#7) went by me and followed Koukal (#32). I couldn't go this pace and it was becoming clear I was not moving nearly fast enough. Berger (#33) was the next one to go by and I couldn't hold his pace for more than a few strides. Eventually Robin (#8) caught me and helped me to push a bit. I was passed by Chernousov (#34) at some point but I forget where. On the 3rd lap, Devon (#35) passed Robin and I soon after the red group athletes on their first lap. Piller Cottrer (#60) and then Checchi (#61) went by early in the lap and Robin pulled away from me by a few seconds. On the whale tail, Perl (#36) went by looking strong. Then on the very last uphill Teichmann (#62) and Brian (#10) passed me and I followed them to the top. Then it was just a matter of pushing to the finish. Butler (#9) came in not long after. It was a bad day and on a good day I would have been reporting which guys I skied with rather which guys went flying by.
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