Parkite cross country skier Rosie Brennan has been battling injuries and illnesses all World Cup season. The 36-year-old has been a star for the U.S. team, finishing three of the past four seasons in the world’s top seven. Brennan’s injuries forced her out of the Val Di Fiemme Cup earlier this month. The Val Di Fiemme Cup compounded what’s been a frustrating season for the Parkite – Brennan sits 27th in the world with seven Cups and a world championships left. “This has been a challenging season so far,” said Brennan. “Haven’t been able to find my form.”“This is one of the hardest parts of an athletic career.”Brennan is in her 11th season on tour, the seasoned veteran of the U.S. team. She’s prepared for the season properly but is being nagged by these unforeseen injuries. Friday at the Les Rousses, France World Cup, she returned to a 28th place showing in the 10km race. Her teammate Jessie Diggins took the title, her fourth of the season. Diggins is ranked atop the women’s game. Brennan’s fellow U.S. teammate Ben Ogden had a podium finish – third, on the men’s side. Left to right, Gus Schumacker, Ben Ogden, Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan of the U.S. cross-country ski team are introduced prior to the start of a question and answer session in October at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Center of Excellence. Credit: Park Record file photo by Clayton Steward“You can prepare perfectly, and life and things out of your control happen and you have to find a way to deal with it,” added Brennan on her season. Saturday, Les Rousses will play host to a sprint race, and Sunday a 20km mass start one. The skiers won’t have much of a break following Les Rousses, with two consecutive Cups following in Switzerland and Italy. Brennan finished with a top-five result in Les Rousses in a 2023 10km race. Brennan is trying her best to navigate her injuries on the road and while competing. She described an incredibly complex situation as it relates to when to push, when to rest and when to compete. “Answers aren’t always clear in the medical world, especially around high performance,” said Brennan. “Doing what I can to make the best decisions for my health and performance.”Brennan will be careful moving forward about what Cups to compete in. She anticipates trying to peak at the world championships. The championships will run late-February through early-March in Trondheim, Norway. Brennan has posted several top-five finishes at previous championships, most recently in Planica, Slovakia in 2023. “I don’t know what the rest of the season will look like,” said Brennan. “The world championships are still a ways away, so I still have time to make progress and have a good championships.”To track Brennan’s results in Les Rousses and beyond, see her FIS page.For further information on how to stream future cross country events, see the U.S. Ski Team’s website. The remainder of the Les Rousses Cup can be found on Ski and Snowboard Live.The post Rosie Brennan returns from injury at Les Rousses World Cup appeared first on Park Record.