He's never missed a Vasa race; she'll compete for 14th straight time.

MARNIE AND TOM Sutter of Cleveland Township
will be in a familiar location Saturday when they
compete again in the North American Vasa ski
race. Tom Sutter is one of only six skiers who
has never missed a Vasa race. The couple has
been married for nearly 31 years, and went
cross country skiing on their first date.

Don’t look for Tom Sutter at home much this winter.

The 60-year-old Cleveland Township man retired in December from United Parcel Service and is making up for lost time on his cross country skis.

“I’m either in the basement waxing skis or I’m out on a trail,” Sutter said.

Sutter and his wife, Marnie, will be participating in Saturday’s 32nd annual North American Vasa in the Pere Marquette State Forest, near Traverse City. Tom is one of only six people to participate in every Vasa race since its inception in the 1970s. Marnie will compete in her 14th consecutive Vasa.

“I attribute that to being in good health and being lucky,” Sutter said. “We have good nutrition and load up on some pretty high-octane stuff.”

Before retiring, Sutter was often frustrated in the winter when his UPS job postponed his return home until after dark. This winter, the second-snowiest to date this decade, has provided plenty of opportunity for him to get on his skis.

“We skied on the weekends,” Tom said. “Now, I ski all the time and have dinner ready for Marnie when she gets home.”

Besides weekend outings, the couple also skis on Wednesdays, Marnie’s day off from her work as a dental hygienist at Dr. Lisa Siddall’s office in Leland. They generally drive to the Vasa Trail to ski.

“The distance we ski is like going from here to the (Grand Traverse) lighthouse,” she said.

Skiing is a natural activity for the Sutters, who will celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary later this month. Their son, Chris, is in his third year of medical school at Wayne State University, and their daughter, Annie, is an 8th grade teacher in a Richmond, Va., suburb.

“Our first date was cross country skiing,” Marnie recalled. “I borrowed some skis from a friend and we went out … I figured if I want to be with him, I’m going to have to ski, too.”

But, it’s more than spending time together on the course. To prepare for 27- and 50-kilometer events, the Sutters train year-round, biking as many as 2,000 miles and running each summer as well as roller-skiing in the fall.

“There’s no better place to ride a bike than Leelanau County,” he said.

They bike most everywhere when weather permits. Marnie rides the eight miles to her workplace in Leland during the summer. The trip takes about 25 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes when she returns home.

“It’s more uphill going home. And because there’s traffic on M-22, I usually try to take an inland route which adds about 20 minutes,” Marnie explained. “We ride wherever we want to go — except church.”

Much has changed since the “old days” of cross country skiing — not only in equipment but in skiing style.

“When I first began skiing, you could get skis, boots, poles, wax … A whole package for $98,” Tom recalled.

“Now, just the wax can cost that much,” Marnie added.

They remember some of their best times on snow as the days when they started out from their backyard on wooden skis — “bushwhacking.” They skied the Good Harbor and Alligator Hill trails before they were designated as such by the National Park Service.

“You’d get out. Watch a stream roll by and watch the wildlife,” Tom said.

These days, the equipment is lighter and faster. The first skis were wooden — today they are fiberglass. While Marnie uses the classic technique, Tom prefers skate skiing which involves the skier pushing one ski outward with the ski angled, so that the inner edge of the ski is driven against the snow, much like an ice skater. In classic skiing, the skier transfers their weight completely from one ski to the next.

Both techniques were employed last weekend during an abbreviated White Pine Stampede, between Mancelona and Schuss Mountain. The marathon and 20-kilometer races were eliminated and replaced with a 10K route. It marked the fourth consecutive year the Antrim County cross country ski race was shortened due to a lack of snow. On Jan. 26, Tom was one of 1,100 athletes who skied in the Noquemanon ski marathon, a 50K route from Ishpeming to Marquette. On Feb. 23, he will travel to north central Wisconsin to participate in the American Birkebeiner, a 50K race known to draw between 5,500 and 6,000 skiers. The course runs between Cable and Hayward, Wis..

“It’s the biggest cross country ski event in North America,” Marnie said, proudly.

The competitive sport served another purpose for the Sutters. It’s served as a diversion – from cancer.

Marnie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. After surgery, she had treatment.

“I finished treatment in October and wanted to ski the Vasa in February. It was huge for me because I hadn’t skied for such a long time,” Marnie said. “Then after the race, I just continued at that level of fitness.”

A second battle with breast cancer, after a double mastectomy, was waged in 2003.

“When I got it again, it knocked me down a peg. But I’ve been able to do the right things and remain healthy,” she said.

The following year, Tom was diagnosed with prostate cancer . After treatment, he was not able to continue bicycling as part of his training regimen for a 2-month period.

“It made me crazy not being able to bike, but I continue to run and roller ski,” Tom said. “The specialists all say it’s important to remain active. I wasn’t going to let cancer slow me down.”

For the seventh straight year, a portion of entry fees paid by participants will benefit Munson Medical Center’s Women’s Cancer Fund. The funds raised through the race have been used to pay rent, provide child care during chemotherapy sessions, assistance for heating fuel, and putting medical equipment into the home. Last year, the race raised $1,270 for the fund.

Marnie is challenging herself Saturday and intends on skiing the 50K event with Tom, rather than the shorter route she usually takes.

“This year, I really put the time in (training),” she said. “I’ll be disappointed if the weather shortens it.”