Doug Hartnett and Mary O’Rourke were hoping that 200 people would show up to the first annual “Ski for Soren” race event at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center last January, but the response was overwhelming.
More than 400 people registered for the races, making the cross country ski event Bozeman’s largest on record, Hartnett said. It was organized to honor the life and legacy of Soren Hartnett — a Bozeman High School junior and a dedicated athlete who loved skiing and his teammates.
“He was an amazing kid. He was super competitive and very active academically. … He was a very outgoing kid. He would walk up to younger kids on the team and ask what they were doing and how it was going,” Hartnett said.
Soren suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, but his condition went undiagnosed. In July 2020, he experienced a cardiac arrest at the Montana State University track while training with his Bridger Ski Foundation Nordic ski team. He died three days later at age 16.
In his obituary, Soren’s family wrote that he “dedicated himself to becoming the best Nordic skier he could be. He never missed a practice (unless forced to by family trips) and even did extra training on rest days. His BSF and Crosscut Biathlon teams were his second family.”
After Soren died, his parents Hartnett and O’Rourke and his older brother Rowland Hartnett received an outpouring of support. The family wanted to direct it somewhere, so they set up the Soren Joseph Hartnett Legacy Scholarship Fund. The first donation came from Soren himself.
“Soren was a super frugal kid. He had an allowance of $10 per week and he wouldn’t spend the money,” said Hartnett.
“He had about $2,400 in there, and we wanted to keep it going. It was a way for us to remember Soren.”
To keep the fund going, Soren’s family organized a “Ski for Soren” event at Crosscut. It was a resounding success. Between registration fees, sponsorships and donations, it netted the scholarship fund more than $17,000.
Registration fees vary based on ages, but Harnett said he wants to keep the event affordable. Anyone can participate, and they can sign up online through Jan. 27. He encouraged participants to arrive early and carpool as much as possible, since the lower parking lot is limited to 250 vehicles.
After the races wrap up, competitors who are 21 and over can enjoy a post-event beer. There will be snacks and an aid station on the course. People can help out by signing up to volunteer or by donating to the fund, which is housed at the One Valley Community Foundation.
Proceeds from the second annual “Ski for Soren” will cover the race’s expenses, and they will also be deposited into the fund, which provided 36 Bridger Ski Foundation Nordic and Crosscut Biathlon youth athletes with $39,000 in scholarships last year.
The fund also supplied a $10,000 grant that allowed youth athletes to attend a cross country ski camp in Norway. Some of the money went toward purchasing eight automated external defibrillators, which were distributed to local gyms and sports teams.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday Night Football game on Jan. 2, and Hartnett thinks the medical emergency has improved awareness around making AEDs widely available and easily accessible.
According to the American Heart Association, over 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year, and 90% of those incidents are fatal. Nine in 10 cardiac arrest victims who receive a shock from an AED within the first minute live.
After Soren died, around 40 of his teammates ran from Crosscut up to Sacajawea Peak, where they told stories about their times with him, Hartnett said.
“We learned so much about Soren that we never really knew. I think it’s nice we’ve been able to stay in touch with a number of his friends, who call us,” he said.
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