American Birkebeiner
Encyclopedia
The American Birkebeiner (or Birkie) is the largest, and one of the longest cross country ski races
in North America
. The two premier events are the 54 km (33.6 mi) classic and the 50 km (31.1 mi) freestyle race from Cable
to Hayward, Wisconsin
. The 2011 race will be held on February 26. The Birkie is a member race of the Worldloppet Ski Federation
, a federation which includes the world's most famous cross country ski marathons such as Sweden's
Vasaloppet
and Norway's
Birkebeinerrennet
. Each year approximately 9,000 skiers participate in the Birkie and related races.
The Birkie is one of the few races worldwide that is named after and commemorates a historical episode — in this case an episode from 1206 when a group of Birkebeiner
s, soldiers who fought for Sverre Sigurdsson
and his descendants in the Norwegian civil war — smuggled the illegitimate son of Norway's King Håkon Sverresson
from Lillehammer
to safety in Trondheim
. At Birkebeinerrennet in Norway, skiers still carry packs symbolizing the weight of an 18-month-old child; this tradition, although not required, is also respected by some skiers in the American Birkebeiner.
, Minnesota
, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
, and the Birkie draws a large number of skiers from this area who otherwise ski only recreationally. In addition to the Birkebeiner itself, the race day includes the shorter Kortelopet, a race geared more toward recreational skiers. Each year the Birkie and Kortelopet draw about 7,000 skiers and 20,000 spectators.
The Birkie course is quite hilly, and is recognized as one of the more difficult cross country ski marathon courses in the world. The current north-south alignment (used since 1992) has skiers traversing a 2 km (1.2 mi) flat section before turning up "Powerline Hill", a series of climbs to the 4.5 km (2.8 mi) mark. The trail then rolls until 12 km (7.5 mi), when Firetower Hill takes competitors to 1730 ft (527.3 m), the high point of the race and a climb of nearly 400 ft (121.9 m) from the race start. In early years of the race, the Birkie began with a climb up the alpine slopes of Mount Telemark, but larger field sizes made this impractical. It was done mainly as a publicity stunt. Beyond High Point is a series of downhills, including "Bobblehead Hill" or "Sledder Hill" which has a rather tricky downhill, right turn near a snowmobile trail — allowing dozens of snowmobilers to watch and "score" skiers' falls. The trail rises steeply to the crossing of County Road OO (Referred to as "Double-Oh") which, at 22.8 km (14.2 mi), is the unofficial halfway point of the race. Until 2001, the 23 km (14.3 mi) Kortelopet race ended here but has since been rerouted back to Telemark after splitting off from the main course at 9 km (5.6 mi).
Beyond OO the course is less hilly, but by no means flat. After 40 km (24.9 mi) is the aptly named "Bitch Hill" where spectators cheer skiers up the steepest climb of the race. Several kilometers later (just south of Highway 77) is the last lengthy ascent of the race—El Moco—known for its numerous bends, each offering the empty promise of a summit. From the top, Hayward's watertower is a most welcome sight. There are several road crossings and open fields before the course empties onto Lake Hayward
. Warm conditions have occasionally required the finish line be moved to a flat field just west of the lake. The 4 km (2.5 mi) crossing of the lake is obviously flat, but unprotected from wind. Once off the lake the trail twists through the outskirts of Hayward on snow trucked in for the event. Over the course of hours thousands of tired and proud skiers make their way past three blocks of cheering spectators lining Hayward's Main Street.
The race begins with several waves in order to thin skiers out along the course. The first wave is made up of Elite skiers (generally around 200) who depart Cable at 8:20 am, followed by Elite Women (generally around 50) at 8:22. Alternating skate and classical waves then depart every five minutes until the tenth and final wave leaves at 10:00 am. New skiers must ski in Wave 10 unless they use another ski marathon time to qualify up to Wave 4. Waves 3, 2 and 1 are open only to skiers who have skied in previous Birkies. The 23 km (14.3 mi) Kortelopet starts with the Birkie, with the Korte skiers mixed in with the Birkie waves, distinguished by their yellow bibs. There are three men who have completed every Birkie since the first one in 1973; they are John Kotar, a retired senior professor at UW-Madison, Dave Landgraf, a teacher and nordic ski coach for middle and high school teams, and Ernie St. Germaine, a former employee of the Telemark Resort, where the Birkebeiner starts every year.
Racing
A sport race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The two premier events are the 54 km (33.6 mi) classic and the 50 km (31.1 mi) freestyle race from Cable
Cable, Wisconsin
Cable is a town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 836 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Cable is located in the town...
to Hayward, Wisconsin
Hayward, Wisconsin
Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, next to the Namekagon River. The population was 2,129 at the 2000 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Hayward.-Transportation:U.S...
. The 2011 race will be held on February 26. The Birkie is a member race of the Worldloppet Ski Federation
Worldloppet Ski Federation
The Worldloppet Ski Federation is a federation of long distance cross-country skiing events whose aim is to promote cross-country skiing through various ski races. The federation was founded in 1978 in Uppsala, Sweden.-Locations:...
, a federation which includes the world's most famous cross country ski marathons such as Sweden's
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March in northwestern Dalarna, Sweden between the village of Sälen and town of Mora. It is the oldest, one of the longest, and in popular consideration the biggest cross-country ski race in the world...
and Norway's
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Birkebeinerrennet
Birkebeinerrennet
Birkebeinerrennet is a long-distance cross-country ski marathon held annually in Norway. It is Norway's race in the Worldloppet Ski Federation....
. Each year approximately 9,000 skiers participate in the Birkie and related races.
Origins
The race, which is held annually in February, was started in 1973 by legendary Northwoods Wisconsin promoter Tony Wise. Wise, who started the Telemark Ski Area in Cable, Wis., in 1947, helped to popularize modern-day cross-country skiing when he built trails at Telemark in 1972. In February 1973, Wise drew on his Norwegian heritage in starting a race named after a famous event in Norway.The Birkie is one of the few races worldwide that is named after and commemorates a historical episode — in this case an episode from 1206 when a group of Birkebeiner
Birkebeiner
The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla...
s, soldiers who fought for Sverre Sigurdsson
Sverre of Norway
Sverre Sigurdsson was king of Norway from 1177 to 1202. He married Margareta Eriksdotter, the daughter of the Swedish king Eric the Saint, by whom he had the daughter Kristina Sverresdotter....
and his descendants in the Norwegian civil war — smuggled the illegitimate son of Norway's King Håkon Sverresson
Haakon III of Norway
Håkon III was king of Norway from 1202 to 1204.-Biography:...
from Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
to safety in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. At Birkebeinerrennet in Norway, skiers still carry packs symbolizing the weight of an 18-month-old child; this tradition, although not required, is also respected by some skiers in the American Birkebeiner.
Race
The Birkie has a reputation of attracting skiers of various ability levels. Cross country skiing is particularly popular in WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
, and the Birkie draws a large number of skiers from this area who otherwise ski only recreationally. In addition to the Birkebeiner itself, the race day includes the shorter Kortelopet, a race geared more toward recreational skiers. Each year the Birkie and Kortelopet draw about 7,000 skiers and 20,000 spectators.
The Birkie course is quite hilly, and is recognized as one of the more difficult cross country ski marathon courses in the world. The current north-south alignment (used since 1992) has skiers traversing a 2 km (1.2 mi) flat section before turning up "Powerline Hill", a series of climbs to the 4.5 km (2.8 mi) mark. The trail then rolls until 12 km (7.5 mi), when Firetower Hill takes competitors to 1730 ft (527.3 m), the high point of the race and a climb of nearly 400 ft (121.9 m) from the race start. In early years of the race, the Birkie began with a climb up the alpine slopes of Mount Telemark, but larger field sizes made this impractical. It was done mainly as a publicity stunt. Beyond High Point is a series of downhills, including "Bobblehead Hill" or "Sledder Hill" which has a rather tricky downhill, right turn near a snowmobile trail — allowing dozens of snowmobilers to watch and "score" skiers' falls. The trail rises steeply to the crossing of County Road OO (Referred to as "Double-Oh") which, at 22.8 km (14.2 mi), is the unofficial halfway point of the race. Until 2001, the 23 km (14.3 mi) Kortelopet race ended here but has since been rerouted back to Telemark after splitting off from the main course at 9 km (5.6 mi).
Beyond OO the course is less hilly, but by no means flat. After 40 km (24.9 mi) is the aptly named "Bitch Hill" where spectators cheer skiers up the steepest climb of the race. Several kilometers later (just south of Highway 77) is the last lengthy ascent of the race—El Moco—known for its numerous bends, each offering the empty promise of a summit. From the top, Hayward's watertower is a most welcome sight. There are several road crossings and open fields before the course empties onto Lake Hayward
Lake Hayward (Wisconsin)
Lake Hayward is in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, and is fed by the Namekagon River and is part of the Saint Croix National Scenic RiverwayThe Lumberjack Bowl is a large bay on Lake Hayward that is used for the Lumberjack World Championship....
. Warm conditions have occasionally required the finish line be moved to a flat field just west of the lake. The 4 km (2.5 mi) crossing of the lake is obviously flat, but unprotected from wind. Once off the lake the trail twists through the outskirts of Hayward on snow trucked in for the event. Over the course of hours thousands of tired and proud skiers make their way past three blocks of cheering spectators lining Hayward's Main Street.
The race begins with several waves in order to thin skiers out along the course. The first wave is made up of Elite skiers (generally around 200) who depart Cable at 8:20 am, followed by Elite Women (generally around 50) at 8:22. Alternating skate and classical waves then depart every five minutes until the tenth and final wave leaves at 10:00 am. New skiers must ski in Wave 10 unless they use another ski marathon time to qualify up to Wave 4. Waves 3, 2 and 1 are open only to skiers who have skied in previous Birkies. The 23 km (14.3 mi) Kortelopet starts with the Birkie, with the Korte skiers mixed in with the Birkie waves, distinguished by their yellow bibs. There are three men who have completed every Birkie since the first one in 1973; they are John Kotar, a retired senior professor at UW-Madison, Dave Landgraf, a teacher and nordic ski coach for middle and high school teams, and Ernie St. Germaine, a former employee of the Telemark Resort, where the Birkebeiner starts every year.