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From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.

Tag: Birkie fever

Why Skiing (and Am I in the Right Birkie Wave?): Part III

Author Scott “Bjorn” Cummings racing the 2018 North End Classic in Cable, Wisconsin. (Courtesy photo)

In March of 2016, we published an article penned by Scott “Bjorn” Cummings, a Postbaccalaureate student working towards his Academic Behavorial Strategist K-12 (ABS) Special Education License at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), titled “Why Skiing? How a Sport Saved My Life”. He’s now teaching and even more in love with XC, and we published his “Part II” update in September. Here’s his latest Birkie leadup piece.

***

The annual benchmark nordic ski race is here. The American Birkebeiner in Hayward, Wisconsin, for nordic skiers is like the Hajj in Mecca for Muslims. Everyone who is physically and financially able has to do it at least once. The Birkie is a must-do. To help get myself pumped up for the race, I created a YouTube playlist of Birkie songs. I’m sure there are more out there, too, but these were my favorites from online a couple years ago. Plus, I had to contact Birkie Director Ben Popp to get the MP3 files and upload them to YouTube.

As most of you know, last year’s Birkie was canceled to the due to lack of snow. Second time in history since 2000. But what most forget is that canceling the 2017 Birkie delayed most of the changes to the up-and-coming year and has me rethinking of my Birkie-wave placement. The first big change that will happen in this year’s Birkie is the Korte. The Korteloppet race was moved from Saturday to Friday. There were a number of reasons of doing this, but one of them was to cut down on the number of Birkie race waves. In the past there had always been 10 waves but now there will be seven.

I used my awesome time of 3:16 at the 2016 50-kilometer Great Bear Chase to move up from Wave 4 to Wave 2. My honest “friend” Jenna pointed out that I was not that good enough for the Wave 2.

I could and I am sure most of you reading this could read this seven-year-old blog post on Birkie waves. I could also look at how I did mathematically. This Birkie regression website says I am good enough for Wave 2. By simply searching “Scott Cummings” on the Nordic Race Analysis Birkie Predictor, it factored my marathon times into a mathematical model to predict where I should be.

Do I really belong in Wave 2? Let’s look at my races this season and see how Bjorn matches up.

Noque 50 k

Here is a photo that epitomizes my love of the Noquemanon Ski Marathon. Everyone needs a picture like this. (Photo: Scott “Bjorn” Cummings)

My first big race of the ski season is a personal favorite. The race is called the Noquemanon Ski Marathon, or “Noque” for short, and is on the Upper Peninsula in Marquette, Michigan. The course is a hilly, hard but well-organized by the Uppers. At each aid station, volunteers get what you need in quick time. The first half of the course is more technical, highlighted by sharp turns on the downhills and many famous downhills ruts from timid skiers snowplowing.

(Side note: the Noque logo actually has the trail elevation drawn into it.)

One drawback is the seven-hour drive from the Twin Cities. Plus, a time-zone change to Eastern time. But the city of Marquette is affordable, super-outdoorsy, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and just fun. Another minor downside of this race is post-race food: chicken noodle or vegetarian noodle soup. Not as good as their fellow U.P. nordic ski race, the Great Bear Chase, which has post-race pasty.

I finished with a great time, in all types of conditions, fresh snow; ice on the lakes, slushy an each road crossing. Good enough for 3:23:17, which according to the Birkie Predictor makes me good enough for Wave 2. I still don’t believe it. Let’s look at another race.

City of Lakes Loppet 38 k Freestyle

Matt Liebsch on his way to winning the 2018 City of Lakes Classic Marathon. Notice the bib, with the skier on the gridiron. (Photo: Scott “Bjorn” Cummings)

After my U.P. trip, thus started the countdown to the next ski race on Super Bowl Sunday, the City of Lakes Loppet. Also, for those who live under a rock, some 4.5 miles away at US Bank Stadium, was the most popular sporting in the United States, the Super Bowl. In celebration for the Super Bowl LII, the American Birkebeiner put its International Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. The Loppet Foundation, which also runs the City of Lakes Loppet, held sprints in downtown. The photos here were magical and merit a look.

Now onto the City of Lakes Loppet ski marathon. First off, this is a great race if you live in the Twin Cities like myself. No travel, unique urban course, and this year they put it on Super Bowl Sunday. Notice on that this year’s bib has a skier skiing across a football field, or a gridiron.

The City of Lakes was pushed back only 30 minutes, which didn’t make much of difference with temperatures around 1 degree Fahrenheit. The snow was cold; the wind blew around 10-15 mph. I was underdressed and without any wind-stopper base layers, but still safe from frostbite. The conditions were a little bit icy in Theodore Wirth Park and wind-blown in the golf course. The bog area was hilly and every hill had mashed-potato snow. The race was really a grinder; never in a race had I experienced such difficulty being positive.

Here is a photo of me after the race. The good news was, after the race a first-aid ski patrol double-checked my ice/snot mustache for frostbite. Nice to know the Loppet was looking for that. The area in question was just excess warm skin/Vaseline. I finished at 3:10:43. Not bad at all. But I still think I don’t belong in Wave 2. So let’s look at the Pre-Birkie.

Author Scott “Bjorn” Cummings after completing a grueling 2018 City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “My mom posted this photo of myself after the City of Lakes to show my ‘ice mustache’. I commented and pointed out to my high school students the next day that is actually snot. They were grossed out.” (Courtesy photo)

42 k Pre-Birkie

Again, the conditions for the 2018 Pre-Birkie had temperatures in single digits with 10-15 mph wind just like the previous week at the City of Lakes. But unlike the Loppet, this course was sheltered in the wind with the woods. The course is arguably harder than the actually Birkie Trail. This is great training for the Birkie and is the same weekend at the Mora Vasaloppet. The Vassaloppet is also a great race but it’s flat. So the Pre-Birkie got the nod this year.

The Pre-Birkie starts in Lake Hayward and follows the American Birkebeiner course backwards. As you can the see by the trail profile (read from right to left), the racers are climbing, climbing and climbing.

American Birkebeiner 51 k trail profile

From Lake Hayward, racers climb the hills past “00” (the Birkie course’s halfway point) and ski about another 10 k past it before turning around. The next 8 k or so, racers climb the toughest hills of the course on the Birkie Classic Trail. Again, this last stretch was tough. It beat me up. I finished with a 3:17:17 time. That was a time I was extremely proud of and I felt my best. I could tell I left it all out because post-race, I was coughing and hacking pretty well. A fellow skier saw me hacking post race and said, “That’s when you know you went hard.”

I don’t have a cool photo of me skiing, but here’s a great video of me finishing a tough course. I hit the finish Sign with poles.

North End Classic

I recommend the North End Classic, a great “little” classic race on the Sunday after the Pre-Birkie. This was my first classic race and I really liked the course. They were some nice uphills and downhills, with 3-4 classic ski tracks. That made for a fun 12.5 k course. If you registered for the long one, that would be two loops around for total of 25 k. Since, this was my first classic race after the grueling 42 k Pre-Birkie the day before, I settled for just one loop. With my long time of 1 hour, 12 minutes — not bad but as my “friend” Jenna pointed out — that was good enough for second in age group, out of two! Thanks Jenna for the support.

***

Now, back to the Birkie. Am I good enough for Wave 2?

To be honest, probably not. But as one coach said so well, people get too hung up on wave placements. So my strategy will be to just hang in the back of Wave 2 and let the good skiers go by. The fast Wave 3, Wave 4, and later-wave skiers will not intimate as they me pass me. I am just going to race like me, Bjorn. If you see me with my Norwegian race suit, please cheer on me!

February 23, 2018
Birkie and Korte Registration Closes on Tuesday

Slumberland American Birkebeiner and
Kortelopet race registration will close Tuesday, November 3, at 11:59 p.m. CST!

We don’t want you to miss out on the 2016 Birkie experience!
Based on registrations received as of this morning,
the participant cap will be reached by Tuesday night!

Please share this with family and friends who have yet to register!

Prince Haakon registration will remain open!

Slumberland American Birkebeiner – Skate & Classic! February 20, 2016

Register Now

Kortelopet 24K – Skate & Classic! February 20, 2016!

Register Now

Prince Haakon 13K! Space is Still Available! February 20, 2016!

Register Now

It is going to be a fabulous February! #BirkieFever

Questions? Call 715-634-5025 or email us at birkie@birkie.com.

November 2, 2015
Only 100 Spots Left for 2015 Birkie

(Birkie Alert)

Only 100 Spots Left!

We’re really excited about all the final registrations coming in from people all over the country, including plenty of first-time Birke skiers. We are in full Birkie “Go Mode” here, getting ready to see you all again in February for the big day on Saturday, Feb. 21, and for all the other events and happenings going on Birkie Week, from Thursday to Sunday.

* If you know someone who wants to ski the Birkie or Korte and hasn’t signed up, please pass this email on to them. Thanks, we want to include everyone who wants to ski!

SIGN UP NOW

Grab your spot at the starting line of Birkie 2015!

Click Here for Event Details

and to Register! *

When a wave closes, upon registering you will

be placed in the next available wave.

*Please remember, due to our new registration system, you must REGISTER AS A GUEST

Questions? Email birkie@birkie.com or call 715-634-5025

Fundraise and Get a FREE Birkie or Korte Entry!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

This year JDRF is again offering 50 “Charity Registration Slots” for the Birkie and Korte. By fundraising a minimum of $500 for JDRF, you will receive an entry in the 2015 American Birkebeiner or Kortelopet, a JDRF cross-country ski hat, and be entered into a drawing to win a trip to the 2016 Norwegian Birkebeinerrennet (includes three nights lodging for two people, air travel allowance up to $1000 per person). JDRF will also offer fundraising opportunities for skiers who register directly with the Birkie.

Get the whole story, including how JDRF, through Birkie Skiers for Cures, has already raised $120,000 to help fund research and a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D) research … Keep Reading!

For more information about fundraising for a 2015 Birkie or Korte registration and other perks, call 866-233-3354.

October 22, 2014
Adventures in Birkie Land: A First-Timer’s Experience at the American Birkebeiner

Birkie Fever.

HAYWARD, Wis. — This past weekend, nearly the entirety of the adult population of Midwestern skiers made their way to Hayward for the annual get-together of the ski community: The Birkie. The American Birkebeiner (or Birkie, for short), is the biggest ski race in North America. For many skiers, the race represents their culmination of training for the whole year.

The commemorative sweatshirt for the Pre-Birkie, circa 2012.

Accordingly, the level of excitement and attention towards this race is high enough that there is actually a term for it — Birkie Fever. There is even a fairly large race dedicated to preparation for the Birkie itself, logically named the Pre-Birkie, which races on the Birkie trails two weeks prior to the big race.

Growing up in the Midwest, I had been fully aware of the Fever, but as a junior and collegiate skier, this time of year was often filled by preparation for Junior Nationals or other races. This year, I finally decided to make the trek to Hayward from Canmore, Alberta (my current residence), for my first-ever Birkie. My plan was to meet up with my family and my friend Julie, who lives on the East Coast.

T-minus 6 weeks: I decide to start mixing some interval sessions into my usual workout schedule, which generally consists of easy skiing and lots of mixed and ice climbing. I also discover some amazingly colorful workout spandex online and have an in-depth discussion on race day wear with Julie on whether we should start our own team and wear said spandex.

T-minus 4 weeks: A last-minute three-week climbing trip is organized, and I leave for the climbing trip. The trip is fantastic, but with temperatures dropping to -20F, I sustain moderate frostbite in my feet.

T-minus 7 days: I start noticing in-depth wax discussions for the Birkie popping up on major ski shop websites based on the 10-day forecasts. Info emails from the Birkie, which had previously been arriving several times a month in my inbox, start arriving every other day. I also learn that there are no less than three songs that have been written about the Birkie (available for listening here).

T-minus 4 to 5 days: Comments start popping up on Facebook about the Birkie. Focus is centered on the weather forecast, which has changed significantly. A mega-snowstorm predicted to arrive Thursday afternoon is dubbed “Birknado” and spawns the hashtag #BirkiePanic.

Commemorative Birkie Merchandise.

T-minus 2 days: I travel to Minneapolis, arriving just before all of the flights are canceled coming into town, due to the mega-snowstorm that’s about to hit. Julie’s flights are all canceled, and now she’s not scheduled to arrive until late Friday night. My dad and I travel to Hayward. Bib pickup is the most elaborate set up I’ve ever seen. I have to show photo ID twice. Wandering around the vendor booths afterward, we notice the Birkie memorabilia stand, where one can choose from hundreds of items with which to display one’s Birkie pride.

T-minus 1 day: I head back into Hayward, armed with a hat, a Buff, and a photo of a photo ID of Julie. The goal is to pick up Julie’s bib via impersonation, and it is a stunning success at first. At the second ID check, however, I’m asked what my birthday is, and in a worst-friend-ever maneuver, I totally blank. I tell my story to the bib lady, and she lets me take the bib anyway.

I am also informed by a seasoned Birkie skier that the road “00,” which marks the rough midway point of the race, is actually pronounced “double-oh,” and not “double-zero,” as I had been calling it. This is a serious faux-pas. #BirkieFail.

Race Day: After at least five Birkie emails in the past 24 hours, we arrive at the Birkie start. There has been so much snow that the start area warm-up tent is partially collapsed, but the bitter cold has driven many people inside the tent anyway. It’s 1F at 8 a.m., and there’s a strong headwind. There’s a helicopter shooting video circling above us. The cost basis of helicopter filming is absurdly high, so I know that this is serious business.

I move into the start area and file into my wave zone. I’m lucky enough to be in Wave 1, but I notice that as the start countdown for the wave ahead of us (Classic Wave 2) begins, all of the people around me start to shift into a crouching position. Confused at first, I realize that they are setting up to run to the start line once our wave moves up. Classic Wave 2 goes off, and my wave starts a full-on sprint to the start line. Realizing that this is how stampedes begin, I, too, break into a sprint and score a great starting spot.

Lots of restrooms at the Birkie start.

The start itself is pretty standard, but I’m impressed to see bins of poles on the side of the trail after the chaos has settled out. Replacement poles, sorted by length, are available to all. I later find out that this is standard at the aid stations, as well.

As my wave settles in a rhythm, all goes smoothly. There is great cheering from supporters on the sides of the trail, and there are sometimes massive slowdowns on the uphills as skiers bog up in the very soft, very cold snow, but otherwise, the race is fairly normal.

At 00, I end up dropping out due to cold feet (a carryover from the cold injuries sustained on the climbing trip), but Julie, also in her first Birkie, finishes the race. She is stoked about the shot-ski at the top of Bitch Hill and, like the Dartmouth alum that she is, fully indulges. Later on, she is not so stoked about the ski across the lake to the finish (due to the headwind, not the shot), but finishes strong.

The author and her dad out for a ski before the Birkie.

I hitch a ride to the finish area. I find my clothes bag in the meticulously organized and enormous bag area just as Julie finishes the race. She’s tired, but mostly extremely impressed at how nice Midwestern skiers are. The streets are packed with people. Everyone is exhausted, but the sun is just warm enough to make the cold manageable. There is serious revelry going on, and even though I’m a little disappointed about my race, the atmosphere is so fun that it more than makes up for it.

Overall, the Birkie was a great experience. It’s pretty amazing to see how many people are excited enough about skiing to want to ski a hard, cold, 50 k skate race hours away from any population center. I was stoked to finally experience “The Fever,” and I will definitely be back next year.

February 24, 2014
Birkie Sells Out in Record Time, Again, with 10,000 Skiers

(Photo: JDRF, Birkie “Skiers for Cures” Partner)

(Press release)

Registration for the 2014 Swix American Birkebeiner officially closed October 8, 2013, at 2:00 pm (CST) as the Birkebeiner 50/54K and Kortelopet 23K events reached a combined total of 10,000 skiers and an historic new race cap. Another first, this is again the earliest in the 41-year history of the American Birkebeiner that registration for the Birkie and Korte has closed.

“We are excited to welcome all these participants, their families, and friends to the 2014 event. It is shaping up to be a fantastic year! Let the training begin!” said Ben Popp, Executive Director of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation.

Each year the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation has allowed more skiers to participate and done this at a rate that allows the ABSF to assure a great experience for all involved.

The first year registration closed earlier than January was the 2012 Birkie, when registration closed on November 21. This was the first year the ABSF set and reached a predetermined cap. Then, registration for the 2013 Birkebeiner closed on October 15. This year, even with registration opening in June rather than in April as it typically does–because of the transition to all-online registration–it still closed in just over four months.

More skiers means more volunteers, bananas, oranges, the list goes on. The American Birkebeiner, like other events in the international Worldloppet series of ski marathons, is a citizen race. It’s all about creating a very special experience for skiers of all ages and abilities, from the elite to the 10th waves.

“The ABSF welcomes all those returning skiers and many skiers that we know are new to the Birkie and to the sport of cross country skiing!” added Popp.

12K Skiers Still Welcome to Register

The Prince Haakon 12K, which also takes place on February 22, is a great entry-level event for skiers who want to be part of the Birkie party at the start line but are looking for a more recreational distance. There are still slots open for this event. giving new skiers a chance to sign up even once the ski season gets underway. Click Here for details.

Help for Those Who Did Not Get Into the Birkie or Korte

Once registration for the American Birkebeiner and Kortelopte races closed on October 8, our Birkie “Skiers for Cures” charitable partner, JDRF, opened up sign-up for 50 “Second Chance” entries. You simply fundraise a minimum of $500 for JDRF and you get one of these entries that you can use for either the Birkie or the Korte. The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation started making this fundraising-for-entries opportunity available when we supported Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as our charitable partner, and now as we work with JDRF, which researches treatments and a cure for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. To Sign up for one of these 50 spots, go directly to www.jdrf.org/birkie.

Make your skiing count for even more this year!
Click Here for complete details on How to SKI FOR A CURE

Or … Volunteer!

Come experience the Birkie events as a volunteer. “Birkie Fever” takes many forms. There are lots of positions and ways to help, inside and outside, for a couple of hours or a couple of days—there are many options. Contact the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation office at 715-634-5025 or email birkie@birkie.com.

Questions? Call 715-634-5025. Or, email registration or skier confirmation questions to registration@birkie.com.

Thanks to our Sponsors: The 2014 Swix American Birkebeiner events on February 22 are co-presented by Marshfield Clinic – Hayward Center / Kortelopet, and Timber Ford / Prince Haakon.

October 9, 2013
Elite Racers Ready for Birkie

Tad Elliott (l) of the U.S. Ski Team/Salomon and Matt Liebsch (r) Team Strong Heart/Team Birkie/Gear West stand outside the American Birkebeiner expo, clearly ready for Saturday's 50 k skate race with Liebsch wearing a "Birkie Fever" face mask. Courtesy photo.

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of Concept2, makers of the SkiErg.

CABLE, Wis. – Matt Liebsch’s wife had been in a car accident.

Lars Flora couldn’t feel his fingers nearly two weeks after a ski mountaineering race in Vail, Colo.

Holly Brooks had just returned home to Alaska to recharge. Caitlin Gregg was waiting for an OK from her doctor.

Holly Brooks (APU) toughing it out in this year's Tour de Ski 10 k skiathlon in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Tad Elliott wasn’t sure what to do with a weekend off from the World Cup. His U.S. Ski Team coaches suggested he look for a ski marathon in Europe.

Brent McMurtry and Graham Nishikawa felt like flying down from Canada, Adam Swank made the short trip south from Duluth, Minn., and Bryan Cook and Maria Stuber returned to their roots in Wisconsin.

Former Central Cross Country (CXC) racer and 2012 Winter Triathlon National Champion Rebecca Dussault was back with three kids cheering her on. Last year’s classic champion, Jennie Bender couldn’t wait to give the skate race a try.

Norway’s Tore Martin Gundersen knew he’d be back as soon as he won here last year.

The paths nearly 350 elite racers took to the 39^th American Birkebeiner were varied, but they made it. On Saturday, about 300 skiers will compete for the top-six money spots in the 50-kilometer men’s and women’s freestyle races from Cable to Hayward, Wis. Another 50 will contend for glory rather than cash in the 54 k classic race.

Nearly 6,000 skiers will follow them in waves 1 through 10, but the elites will likely keep their attention forward. If they look back, it will likely be to see where their familiar friends or foes are.

Really, the American Birkebeiner as North America’s largest ski marathon breaks down into several separate races. From elites to beginners, every participant enjoys or suffers through their own journey. If they’re lucky, they will all end up together after the finish on Main Street in Hayward.

That’s if they finish.

For the racers at the highest level of the sport, like more than a dozen Norwegians that ventured to the states, the event is about winning. And if they don’t win, they want to come close.

The fastest male and female in the Birkie’s 50 k skate race get $7,500 – more than twice the amount winners received at the five-stage Tour de Twin Cities SuperTour event last month. Second place in the Birkie skate race earns $4,500 and the purse trickles down to sixth place, which gets $1,000. That’s enough of a draw for most skiers.

“I think that this year might be the strongest field we’ve had in a long, long time,” said American Birkebeiner Executive Director Ned Zuelsdorff. “We have the past champions back, both in the men’s and women’s skate division.”

Norwegian Olympian and FIS Executive Director Vegard Ulvang skis with some multiple-sclerosis fundraisers at a "Ski with Vegard" event in Cable, Wis., on Thursday.

The top nine women from last year’s skate race returned, including Gregg as the defending champion who set a course record last year in 2:16.07. Seven of the top 10 men also came back, including Gundersen and Benoit Chauvet (FRA), who placed first and second, respectively, in the 2011 Birkie.

In the classic race, Norway’s six-time Olympic medalist, Vegard Ulvang, will be the man to beat – even if he isn’t really racing. He was invited as a research ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Birkie’s Skiers for Cures cause. Regardless, he still gets the top elite bib in the classic race.

“I haven’t competed in a few years,” Ulvang told FasterSkier on Thursday. “If I race too much I will be disappointed because the feeling will never be as it was, so I prefer staying with the old memories.

“I will ski quite fast, I think,” he added. “But I don’t know, I have no ambitions.”

His wife and former Norwegian national team biathlete, Grete Nykkelmo, has the lowest bib among the elite women in the 50 k state.

Female Contenders

Caitlin Gregg: The reigning skate champion from CXC is back for more, although a week ago, it seemed uncertain whether she would be healthy enough to race. Upon coming down with a cold last weekend, Gregg skipped the SuperTour sprints in Madison, Wis.

Caitlin Compton Gregg (CXC) celebrates winning the 2011 American Birkebeiner 50 k skate in frigid temperatures below zero. Photo: Andy Canniff, Swix Sport USA.

“I think it was a good move,” Gregg wrote in an email. “That was my first weekend off since Nationals and it was very refreshing to be at home and catch up on sleep and rest.”

She stayed off her skis for a few days, which wasn’t a big deal because that’s what she would have done for a taper anyway.

“I am feeling much better now and got the OK from the doctor to get after it in the Birkie!” she wrote.

Last year’s win helped her pay off her debt from the 2010 Olympics, and she and her husband, Brian Gregg, bought their first house. Brian was eighth in the men’s 50 k skate last year.

Holly Brooks: After starting out on the World Cup for what she expected would be a six-week stint, this Alaska Pacific University coach and athlete remained with the U.S. Ski Team in Europe for about 13 weeks.

Despite breaking her wrist in the Tour de Ski and fighting a stomach bug in Russia, she kept competing. Two weeks ago, Brooks decided she had enough after she was unable to finish her first race in several years because of her illness. On Feb. 11, she bought her plane ticket for home and left the following day, a few hours after she helped the U.S. women nab a historical fifth in a World Cup relay.

Less than a week ago while in Anchorage, she signed up for the Birkie. Her husband and former U.S. Ski Team member, Rob Whitney, had already entered the 50 k skate.

“This is going to be my first domestic race of the entire season, my first race that’s not a World Cup, and so I think it’ll be really fun to mix it up,” Brooks said. “It’s different, not only doing a marathon, but going into a race where you’re like, ‘OK, I’m in contention for the podium or a win.’ ”

Three years ago, Brooks was second to Dussault in the Birkie skate race by one-tenth of a second. She figured now would be a good time to shoot for the podium again before heading to Lahti, Finland, for the World Cup next weekend.

“You get in a groove; it’s a physical groove, it’s a mental groove, and it feels good to keep racing,” Brooks said. “As long as you’re healthy, that’s a great thing to do.”

Other Notables

Morgan Smyth (APU) finished second to Gregg last year by three seconds. Evelyn Dong (Rossignol) was third after her pole grip slipped out of her hand and she had to ski back down a hill to retrieve it.

Nicole Deyong (Sun Valley) was fourth last year and Maria Stuber (formerly of CXC, now with Craftsbury) was fifth. Stuber rolled her ankle a few days before this year’s skate race while running in the dark, but said she would be fine to race.

Jennie Bender as the 2011 classic champion and course record holder decided to test herself in this year’s 50 k skate.

“The classic was a lot of fun,” Bender said of last year’s race. “I was really happy with how that brought me into the Midwest community, like, ‘Oh we don’t know you, but you won the classic Birkie.’ ”

While classic distance races remain her known strength, Bender tried not to downplay her potential in a marathon skate race.

“I don’t know how Saturday will go so I can’t start dismissing anything yet,” she said.

Male Contenders

2011 American Birkebeiner champion, Tore Martin Gundersen, poses for pictures. Photo: Andy Canniff, Swix Sport USA.

Tore Martin Gundersen: At one of the coldest Birkies on record, with temperatures around minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit last year at the start, this Norwegian said it didn’t faze him.

“That wasn’t hard at all,” Gundersen said on Thursday. “It’s a great event and doing so great, I just had to go back.”

He won the 2011 skate race by just over three seconds in 2:00.32.8.

“I think the trail suits me, it’s a very nice trail,” Gundersen said of the 50 k Birkie course, which winds through rolling forests and includes several short but steep hills. “I can go long distances and I am pretty fast in the end.”

Tad Elliott: Two years ago, Elliott was second to the man who set the Birkie course record, Fabio Santus of Italy. Santus won in 1:56.58, and Elliott was about eight seconds back.

That probably factored into his decision to fly to the U.S. earlier this week for the Birkie. His coaches and father, three-time Olympian Mike Elliott, suggested he skip the unnecessary travel and find a long race in Europe to keep him sharp during the bye week.

Elliott said he was on the fence about the Birkie, but his mom talked him into it. He said she loves the race, and he fed off her excitement.

Matt Liebsch: A week and a half ago, Liebsch wrote in a blog post that his wife, Marybeth, was on several medications and resting to recover from an injury to the back of her neck, which she suffered in the car accident.

On Friday, Liebsch wrote in an email that she had improved dramatically over the last few days and would watch him finish the Birkie. After placing ninth last year, he was focused on topping the podium.

“Birkie fever big time,” wrote Liebsch, a Midwest hero and Gear West employee who races for Team Strong Heart and Team Birkie.

Earlier this month, he won back-to-back distance races one weekend: the 32 k Boulder Mountain Tour in Sun Valley, Idaho, and then the City of Lakes 17 k loppet in Minneapolis.

Other Notables

Benoit Chauvet of France was last year’s runner-up by three seconds and already has two 42 k races under his belt this season. He won the Trans’ Champsaurine in early January and placed second in the White Stride in the French Alps at the end of last month. Bryan Cook (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) was fifth last year while racing for CXC. Originally from Rhinelander, Wis., he relocated to North Petersburg, N.Y., last spring with Stuber, his longtime girlfriend.

Brent McMurtry and Graham Nishikawa, both Canadian Senior Development Team members, traveled from Calgary to Cable, Wis., on Thursday for their first Birkie.

“The prize money is definitely higher than all other races I have competed in beside World Cups,” McMurtry wrote in an email. “But I feel like I have a much better chance to take home some cash here compared to on the World Cup circuit.”

“I really don’t what to expect,” Nishikawa wrote. “I am just going to try a stay out of trouble and enjoy the weekend.”

Easier said than done. Lars Flora (APU) could have won the 51 k Gatineau Loppet last weekend if not for a crash that took down three of four frontrunners shortly before the finish. Adam Swank, Flora’s roommate at the Birkie and an ER doctor in Duluth, Minn., won the Canadian event. Also from Rhinelander, Swank is back for his 14^th Birkie.

Meanwhile, Flora wrote in an email that he is still trying to feel his fingers “due to the worst bonk of my career” at the Teva Mountain Games two weeks ago.

“The Gatineau Loppet was a great experience,” he wrote. “Being a World Loppet, I thought it would be a great warmup for the Birkie. The whole trip (minus the fall at the end of the race) was a blast. … No big lessons, other than stay on your feet in the last few kms if you want to win.”

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While FasterSkier will be tweeting as much as possible from the 39th American Birkebeiner (@fasterskier) on Saturday, this Birkie Live webcast is also available via CXC.

If you happen to miss the races starting at 8 a.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern), check out archived videos here.

February 25, 2012