American Birkebeiner
Statusactive
GenreSporting event
Date(s)February
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Cable-Hayward, Wisconsin
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1973 (1973)
ActivityCross-Country Skiing
Websitehttps://www.birkie.com/

The American Birkebeiner (or Birkie) is the largest cross-country skiing race in North America. It debuted in 1973 and is a founding member of the Worldloppet federation of cross-country ski marathons.[1] The two premier events are the 50 km (31 mi) skate and the 55 km (34 mi) classic races from Cable to Hayward, Wisconsin. Each year more than 10,000 skiers participate in the Birkie, 29 km Kortelopet,[2] and 15 km Prince Haakon events.

Origin

The race, which is held annually in February, was started in 1973 by Tony Wise. Wise, who started the Telemark Ski Area in Cable, Wisconsin 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 was named after the Norwegian Birkebeinerrennet, which commemorates an important historical event. In 1206 a group of Birkebeiner party 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. In the Norwegian Birkie, classical ski participants still carry 3.5-kilogram (7.7 lb) packs symbolizing the weight of the young child-prince, Haakon.[3]

Race

Skiers from around the world come to Hayward, Wisconsin, for the race. The Birkie has a reputation for attracting skiers of varying ability levels. Olympians, national team members, and foreign professionals have competed in the event, and the Birkie also draws recreational skiers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and countries such as neighboring Canada as well as Norway, Sweden, and other European nations. Typically almost every U.S. state is represented at the Birkie. The race weekend also includes the shorter 29 km Kortelopet "Korte", a race geared more toward recreational and elite junior skiers, and the Prince Haakon 15 km event for those who are not ready to take on the challenge of the longer courses. In 2013, registration was capped at 10,000 skiers, with an additional 20,000 spectators on the sidelines cheering on the competitors.

The Birkie course is quite hilly and is recognized as one of the more difficult cross country ski marathon courses in the world, despite the fact that there are several WorldLoppet events in Europe that are much longer.[4] The current north–south alignment (used since 1992) has skiers traversing a 2 km (1.2 mi) flat section before turning onto the "Powerline Hills", 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 1,730 ft (530 m), the high point of the race and a climb of nearly 400 ft (120 m) from the race start. In the early years of the race, the Birkie began with a climb up the alpine slopes of Mount Telemark, mainly as a publicity stunt, but larger field sizes made this impractical. Beyond High Point is a series of downhills, including "Bobblehead Hill" or "Sledder Hill", which has a rather tricky downhill, left 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 mi) Kortelopet race ended here but was rerouted back to Telemark after splitting off from the main course at 9 km (5.6 mi). Since 2017, the Kortelopet is 29 km (18 mi) and begins at OO and finishes on Main Street the day before the 50 km race.

Beyond OO the course is less hilly, but by no means flat. After 40 km (25 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) the last lengthy ascents of the race---Sunset Hill & Duffy Hill---challenge tired skiers. From the top, Hayward's water tower is a most welcome sight. There are several road crossings and open fields before the skiers cross frozen Lake Hayward. The 4 km (2.5 mi) crossing of the lake is 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. Warm conditions have occasionally required the finish line to be moved to a flat field just east of the lake.

The race begins with several waves in order to thin skiers out along the course. Alternating skate and classical waves depart every five minutes. New skiers must ski in the last wave unless they use another ski marathon time to qualify for a higher wave. One man—Ernie St. Germaine, a former employee of the Telemark Resort, where the Birkebeiner starts every year—has completed every Birkie since the first one in 1973.

In 2020 it was announced that the 2021 Birkie would be a shortened 43-kilometer race that would take place over the course of February 24–28, 2021. The course was modified as well with skiers starting and finishing at the starting line in Cable, WI. The Birkie reverted to its normal Cable to Hayward format for 2022 with the new addition of an "open track" event where participants could ski the race in a more relaxed manner on the Wednesday before the main race with less crowds and more open trail.

Winners

The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation website lists winners of the Birkebeiner and Kortelopet from 1973.[5]

Year Men Women
1973 Eric Ersson,  Sweden Jacque Lindskoog,  USA
1974 Dave Quinn,  USA Jacque Lindskoog (2),  USA
1975 Chris Haines,  USA Vigdis Snekkevi,  USA
1976 Audun Kolstad,  Norway Jana Hlavaty,  USA
1977 Audun Kolstad (2),  Norway Berit Lammedal,  Norway
1978 Alfred Kaelin,   Switzerland Valborg Ostberg,  Norway
1979 Arnt Haarstad,  Norway Judy Rabinowitz,  USA
1980 Per Notten,  Norway Gry Oftedal,  Norway
1981 Jean-Paul Pierrat,  France Marianne Hadler,  USA
1982 Ola Hassis,  Sweden Gry Oftedal (2),  Norway
1983 Rudi Kapeller,  Austria Jennifer Caldwell,  USA
1984 Bengt Hassis,  Sweden Vigdis Rønning,  Norway
1985 Oddvar Brå,  Norway Muffy Ritz,  USA
1986 Anders Blomquist,  Sweden Muffy Ritz (2),  USA
1987 Konrad Hallenbarter,   Switzerland E.J. Holcomb,  USA
1988 Örjan Blomquist,  Sweden Kelly Kimball,  USA
1989 Örjan Blomquist (2),  Sweden Betsy Youngman,  USA
1990 Manfred Nagl,  Austria Lynne Cecil,  USA
1991 Manfred Nagl (2),  Austria Ingrid Butts,  USA
1992 Todd Boonstra,  USA Nina Skeime,  Norway
1993 Manfred Nagl (3),  Austria Suzanne King,  USA
1994 Tomas Caslavsky,  Czech Republic Heike Wezel,  Germany
1995 Andre Jungen,   Switzerland Maria Theurl,  Austria
1996 Silvano Barco,  Italy Gudrun Pflueger,  Austria
1997 Mikhail Botwinov,  Austria Gudrun Pflueger (2),  Austria
1998 Carl Swenson,  USA Jennifer Douglas,  USA
1999 Johann Mühlegg,  Germany Laura McCabe,  USA
2000 "Mother Nature" "Mother Nature"
2001 Gianantonio Zanetel,  Italy Nadezhda Slessareva,  Russian Federation
2002 Maurizio Pozzi,  Italy Jeannie Wall,  USA
2003 Gianantonio Zanetel (2),  Italy Lara Peyrot,  Italy
2004 Gianantonio Zanetel (3),  Italy Lara Peyrot (2),  Italy
2005 Marco Cattaneo,  Italy Lara Peyrot (3),  Italy
2006 Marco Cattaneo (2),  Italy Anna Santer,  Italy
2007 Zack Simons,  USA Kate Whitcomb,  USA
Year Men skating Men classic Women skating Women classic
2008 Ivan Babikov,  Canada Yuri Kozlov,  Russian Federation Evelyn Dong,  USA Kelly Skillicorn,  USA
2009 Matthew Liebsch,  USA Gus Kaeding,  USA Rebecca Dussault,  USA Martina Stursova,  Czech Republic
2010 Fabio Santus,  Italy Juergen Uhl,  USA Rebecca Dussault (2),  USA Audrey Weber,  USA
2011 Tore Gunderson,  Norway Juergen Uhl (2),  USA Caitlin Compton,  USA Jennie Bender,  USA
2012 Tad Elliot,  USA David Chamberlain,  USA Holly Brooks,  USA Carolyn Ocariz,  USA
2013 Sergio Bonaldi,  Italy Doug Debold,  USA Caitlin Gregg (2),  USA Ingrid Saupstad,  Norway
2014 Tom Reichelt,  Germany Santiago Ocariz,  USA Caitlin Gregg (3),  USA Natalja Naryshkina,  Russian Federation
2015 Sergio Bonaldi (2),  Italy Ole Christian Mork,  Norway Holly Brooks (2),  USA Natalja Naryshkina (2),  Russian Federation
2016 David Norris,  USA Welly Ramsey,  USA Caitlin Gregg (4),  USA Deedra Irwin,  USA
2017 "Mother Nature" "Mother Nature" "Mother Nature" "Mother Nature"
2018 Anders Gløersen,  Norway Ben Saxton,  USA Caitlin Gregg (5),  USA Felicia Gesior,  USA
2019 Akeo Maifeld-Carucci,  USA Peter Holmes,  USA Alayna Sonnesyn,  USA Cate Brams,  USA
2020 Niklas Dyrhaug,  Norway Peter Holmes (2),  USA Jessica Yeaton,  Australia Nichole Bathe,  Great Britain
2021 Johnny Hagenbush,  USA Ian Torchia,  USA Alayna Sonnesyn (2),  USA Rosie Frankowski,  USA
2022 Gerard Agnellet,  France Leo Hipp,  USA Alayna Sonnesyn (3),  USA Delaney FitzPatrick,  USA
2023 David Norris,  USA Scott Hill,  Canada Alayna Sonnesyn (4),  USA Julie Ensrud,  NOR

References

  1. "American Birkebeiner". Worldloppet. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  2. Lake, Jenna (February 23, 2019). "Thousands compete in Kortelopet, just one day before the Birkebeiner". CBS 3 Duluth. Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  3. Clarke, Ted. "Kassel captures gold again at world champs". Prince George Citizen. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  4. "Races". Worldloppet. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  5. Documentation Committee (March 2017). "Champions – American Birkebeiner & Kortelopet – 1973 to Present". www.birkie.com. American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation. Retrieved 2017-03-04. The races are grouped by decade and also include details about the number of race entrants and event highlights.
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