Sochi, Russia is a long way from Jefferson, Maine.

Make that 4,974 miles, to be exact.

But, despite the vastness and vast differences, Jefferson looked Olympic on Sunday, Jan. 26 during the third annual Liberal Cup Biathlon at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

More than 130 skiers, including children and seniors, took to the woods on Sunday for an event that is officially timed, but the times are hardly official.

The event has stretched from a few people gathered out in the woods to a mass gathering of more than 150 people camped around fire pits, rooting for racers and generally having fun, Hidden Valley Director Andy McAvoy said.

“It started as just a group of friends with a good idea to get community members out there skiing and enjoying the woods,” he said. “It just sort of slowly grew. We got a bunch of volunteers willing to help out and it got way more attention than we thought it would.”

The biathlon, here meaning skiing and shooting, comes from Norway (not Norway, Maine). Maine does have an Olympic connection to the sport, however; Stockholm, Maine native Russell Currier will represent the United States at the Winter Games in Sochi beginning next month.

So, the Liberal Cup Biathlon is something of a primer to those who are unfamiliar with the sport, McAvoy said. Except, unlike the Olympics where timing is everything, it's more about the introduction of the sport and having fun at Hidden Valley, McAvoy said.

“We try to keep the focus on fun and introduce a lot of people to biathlons and the idea of Maine wintertime sports,” he said. “We try to keep it as welcoming as possible.”

Sunday's winners included Lily Blake in the girls' youth division and Miles Thompson in the boys youth division while the Midcoast Aimers took first place in the youth team category, and Sarah Oberink and Cooper Schulz in the high school girls and boys divisions.

Jean Berg won the master women division, William MacDonald won the mens master race, Bill Hinckley and Aidan Cole won the mens and womens open categories respectively. For another year it was the Liberal Cup crew that won the team division.

Next year, the format won't change too much. But, the hope is that the conditions are even more favorable, McAvoy said.

“Hopefully next year we get a little more snow and a little less wind,” he said.

For a complete list of results, visit Hidden Valley’s website.