National Guard state teams from around the Western U.S. region attended, in addition to teams from the East Coast and several civilian competitors.

Two days of racing started with a 10-kilometer interval start race with three legs of skiing and two bouts of shooting. The following day, racers competed in a 12.5 kilometer (pursuit) format, starting racers in the order that they placed the first day. This race consisted of five legs of skiing and four bouts of shooting.

On the first day in the military division, Colorado Soldiers Spc. Andy Wilkens came in 1st, All Army athlete of the year Capt.  Robert Killian came in 2nd, Sgt. Tyler Donohue came in 19th, and Staff Sgt.  William Thiers came in 34th.

On day two, Wilkens held on to 1st place with Killian finishing in 3rd overall. Team member Pfc. Scott Bird was unable to attend the regional event. The team scoring secured Colorado's overall victory with Utah placing a close second followed by Montana in third.

We are looking forward to bringing our full team to compete at the Chief of  National Guard championships in March in Jericho, Vt. Prior to that, Killian and Wilkens will join a team representing the U.S. and compete in Spain. The Colorado National Guard has not had an active Biathlon team in more than 10 years. For us to enjoy this degree of success so quickly is a credit to the great support we have received from our unit and state.

National Guard Sports has taken notice of our quickly-evolving program and has commended our progress. We are looking forward to expanding our program to attract a broader representation of our talented Soldier-athletes in Colorado. With continued support, training and resources, we can expect Colorado to be one of the top contending states for the National Guard Championships in the future.