It hasn’t always been the same race, but it has always been the American Birkebeiner. Courses have changed, directions have changed, ski techniques have changed, conditions have changed, field sizes have changed, reputations have changed. Thin snow conditions across the American Midwest even necessitated that his year’s race was not even contested on the Telemark trail between Cable and Hayward, but over five laps of a ten kilometer loop painstakingly preserved just for this event. Everything was quite different this year—one of the lowest snow-accumulation years in Wisconsin’s history—but the result may become the most memorable ever . . .
Hot on the heels of their podium performances at the World Cup events in Minneapolis, Jessie Diggins and Gus Schumacher raced to victory across the 50 kilometers of the 50th American Birkebeiner, authoring a suitable conclusion to the story of Team USA’s North American tour, and punctuating the success of America’s most loved, most famous, and most traditional cross-country ski race.
Gus Schumacher confirmed the fine form—and the world-beating potential—that he unveiled during his historic victory last week in the World Cup 10 k Freestyle at the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis. Evidently, his form is still holding as he handled the best efforts of a national-class field in this much longer 50 kilometer race. Sharing the American Birkebeiner podium with Schumacher were Sam Hendry (CAN/Univ. Utah) and David Norris (USA).
Way back in 2008, a teenage Jessie Diggins won the 23 kilometer Korteloppet. It’s likely that, at that time, a dream may have been born in the imagination of this talented young American skier: one day, she could stand atop the elite podium at the American Birkebeiner. 2024 will be remembered as the season when she realized that dream, standing on that podium with Flora Dolci (ITA) in second, and Alayna Sonnesyn (USA) third. While this podium will not be the most famous, the most coveted, or the most lauded of those in Diggins’ career, today’s podium certainly represented the realization of a long-cherished dream. Jessie Diggins came home to the American Midwest, and was crowned the champion she may always have imagined she could be. She’ll remember this podium for a long long time . . . and fans of the American Birkebeiner will always remember her standing atop it.
2024 American Birkebeiner RESULTS
