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Alayna Sonnesyn
Age: 25
How long you’ve been skiing: 21 years
Your favorite workout: On-snow, hard classic striding intervals, preferably in a ladder or pyramid format.
#1 reason you ski race: The fun, challenge, people, culture, grit... that's more than one!
Your athlete philosophy: Balance.
Biography: A midwest native posing as a local Vermonter. Alayna grew up in Plymouth, MN where she ran and skied with her high school team. In 2014, she decided to venture outside her safety net and move across the country to attend the University of Vermont. As a Catamount, she competed in the NCAA Championships all four years and finished runner-up in 2017. She also made multiple teams for Team USA to World Juniors/U23 Championships. Outside of skiing, Alayna raced cross country and track and field at UVM for three seasons. She was a Biochemistry major, mentor to a local elementary school student, served on multiple school boards and enjoyed spending her freetime eating creemees along Lake Champlain. In 2018, Alayna graduated from UVM and decided to continue pursuing her ski dreams with the SMS T2 Elite Ski Team in Stratton, VT. Now a two-time American Birkebeiner Champion and competitive racer at the National and World Cup level, Alayna has her sights set on the 2022 Olympic Team! Although she's been living in Vermont for seven years, she will always consider herself a Minnesotan at heart.
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