This years American Birkie was the 3rd largest birkie ever, with 6,992 racers. It was also the 35th year of the famous grueling 51k race, the course starts off hard with a steep climb up a toll road for 5k, than it's rolling terrain with a few steep long climbs in the middle. I can't recall k for k anymore but I can recall the hardest steepest hill I have done in a long time, I will never forget this hill and I think the biggest reason for this is because it was at 41k. The last thing I wanted to do at 41k was go up hill.
A lot of people look at me like I have four heads when I tell them I am going to race the American Birkebeiner; there are several reasons for this of course, one being: "what the heck is that" and after I give them a discription they think I am nuts.
Today, the historic event of the rescue of Haakon Haakonsson is honoured in Norway by three annual sporting events, a run, a mountain bike race and a cross-country ski race, Birkebeinerrennet or the Birkebeiner Run. Common for these events is the requirement of carrying a heavy backpack weighing 3.5 kg as a remembrance of the child the Birkebeiners had to carry on their journey. The events are located in the Lillehammer and Rena area.
There are also sister cross-country ski races held in Hayward (USA), the American Birkebeiner, and in Edmonton (Canada). The difference is that We didn't carry a pack weighing 3.5 kg (thank goodness)!
This is the first official 50k that I have ever done, it was a great experience and I will do it again for sure. I was here last year but due to the lack of snow the race was shortened to half the distance.
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