American Birkebeiner

It was a tense week prior to the Birkie for registrants as they followed the trail reports and weather forecasts.   Snow has been scarce in Northern Wisconsin this winter, but with one week to go before race day, the Birkie website assured skiers that a full distance race, with finish on the main street of Hayward, was anticipated. Careful reading of the detailed report was not so reassuring. Conditions were listed as fair to good on a 1 to 3 inch base!

By Wednesday, the announcement was that the Birkie would finish at Highway OO, normal finishing point for the Kortelopet, and included the statement   that “Worldloppet Passports will be satisfied with the 23 kilometre Birkie”. After the confusion about WL stamps at this year’s Dolomitenlauf this statement was far too vague.

On Thursday evening it was announced that the final decision about holding the race would be made at 9PM Friday evening, less than 12 hours before the scheduled start. Unbelievable!

Friday morning the Birkie organization announced a final decision: a 23k race to OO for the elite, with everyone else skiing the same course in an untimed “open track”. Skiers were to start in groups, Waves 1-3, 4-6, 6+ in half hour intervals.

Saturday was cloudy with the temperature about -6C. The start plan was quickly abandoned after the Elite wave. Skiers from any wave started whenever they wished which meant that much slower participants from higher number waves caused some traffic problems. Snow cover was very thin at the start area and along the first few k but improved in the wooded areas. There were some icy patches but overall the trail conditions were not as poor as anticipated or as have been experienced in some other races. Many skiers felt that conditions were good enough to permit a timed race, although they seemed relieved that there had been an event which counted as a completed Birkie and qualified for a WL gold stamp.

The much needed snow finally arrived Saturday evening and by Sunday morning about 25cm had accumulated. How unfortunate that the race could not have been postponed for one day.

This page was last revised on September 7, 2007