| BIRKIE 2002
Skiers pray to the weather gods
as the Birkie and Kortelopet approach
By Leslie Hamp and Greg Marr
The Birkie. Say those words anywhere in the ski community of North America and they are magical. Say them in the Upper Midwest, and they are almost holy. Here, the home of North America's largest cross country ski race, the Birkie is well–known even among non–skiers, among people who would never dream of skiing 5K, much less 51K. It might not have the exalted status of a Packers–Bears game in the eye of
sports fans, but the Birkie is indeed one of the major sports events in the Midwest.
The Birkie, as with any ski race, is uniquely weather sensitive. It has survived cancellation, extreme cold, heavy snowfall, rock hard icy trails, thaws and rain. Despite it all, skiers come back year after year by the thousands. It's hard to imagine any other event enduring such weather challenges and still not dampening the spirits of the participants. Even when it was cancelled two years ago, some people skied the course anyway. It has that kind of hold on people.
This year, the Birkie is right on track with early registration deadlines running ahead of last year.
"The response has been very, very positive," says Cherie Morgan, executive director of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation. "We're seeing an increase in the Kortelopet this year."
The Kortelopet was run on a new course last year, one that breaks off from the main Birkie Trail at nine kilometers and continues on scenic and
hilly Bayfield County and Telemark trails, and finishes as a race of its own at Telemark Resort in Cable. The reasons for the increase interest in the Kortelopet is probably twofold: a lack of snow for training and curiosity about the new course (which, other than a snakey downhill finish, was roundly praised by skiers last year).
"For this year," Morgan adds, "we've changed the ending of the Kortelopet. Skiers will come into it a lower elevation and instead of
traversing down, will go at it more directly across. We've tried to eliminate as many switchbacks as possible."
The 51K 2002 Johnson Bank American Birkebeiner, which is part of a Worldloppet series of 14 international ski marathons, part of the International Ski Federation Marathon Cup series and part of the American Ski Marathon series, takes place on Saturday, Feb. 23. The largest cross country ski race in North America starts at the Cable
Union Airport, continues on some of the most beautiful and challenging terrain of any location in the Worldloppet series, and finishes in downtown Hayward. The Kortelopet, a 23K race, also starts at the Cable Union Airport.
While the race's home is the Midwest, skiers from around the world make their annual pilgrimage each February to test their strength and endurance on the Birkie Trail's ruggedly glaciated terrain. As they
gracefully, and arduously, slide up and down hills better left to downhill skiers, the racers have one goal in mind: to finish their event with a personal record, a smile on their face, and a little kick left in their stride.
It may be an Olympic year for professional athletes but for the expected 6,500 citizen skiers, like David Sachs of Seymour, Wis., their sights are on a different kind of gold – a finisher's medal.
It is seldom easy, even for a seasoned athlete like Sachs, an accomplished marathon runner and mountaineer. With 52 marathons and 30 mountains under his belt, Sachs was determined to ski the 51K Birkie. Yet he remained reluctant to enter this grueling event.
"Once I learned to ski I wanted to do the Birkie, but I was afraid of it," Sachs says.
This comes from a man who has completed the Boston and New York City marathons and climbed Killamenjaro in Tanzania, Ama Dablan in
the Himalayas and Mt. Baker and Rainier in Washington.
Call it machismo or just plain daring, but Sachs entered the race because it kept nagging at the back of his mind.
"When I am afraid of something, that is what I take head–on," he says. "I signed up early for the 2001 race but wasn't sure how I would do because I'm not that good of a skier. Then there was the race–day blizzard and eight inches of new snow on the ground. I told my wife I
would go to the half–way point. When I got there, I just kept going and finished the race. It is by far the event that I have done in my life that makes me the proudest."
Sachs says the finish line was a "magical experience" with his family waiting for him, people lined up along Main Street cheering him on, and the realization that the race was not out of his reach after all.
With a light chuckle he says Birkie 2001 gave him a personal record of
5:49. Now, like countless others, Sachs has Birkie Fever big time.
As Olympians compete in Salt Lake City, Sachs will be lining up at the starting gate for his second ski marathon in Cable, Wis. His wife and 12–year–old son will be at their own gate as they enter their first Kortelopet. They'll all be going for their own type of gold.
Sachs will be toeing the line for a first or second Birkie and others, like Silent Sports columnist Mitch Mode with his 25th this year (see
separate story this issue), will be looking at a few more than that.
When the cannon sounds for the 2002 Birkie, Dennis Isley of Washburn, Wis. will shoot out of the starting gate with one goal in mind – to earn another finisher's medal. With 23 races under his belt, Isley has seen everything from race day blizzards to ice–covered hills to warm, slow snow to perfect skating and striding conditions. He says the weather makes the race interesting.
Ah, yes – the weather. Rained out two years ago, a heavy dump of snow for the race last year. This year? Well, as of mid–January, the trails was skiable – barely. It's unlikely a race could be held under those conditions.
"At this time, we're not worried that it's going to stay this way, says an optimistic Morgan. If it stays like this for another couple of weeks, we'll have to start thinking about what we'll do."
Isley, along with fellow skiers, understand a lack of snow as they train year–round for this grueling event. His roller skis are in heavy use all fall and into early winter as he waits for adequate snow fall and well–groomed trails. He's driven to keep racing and motivated by the special Birch Leggings bib he and select others wear on race day.
The idea of a special Birch Leggings bib came about when long–time skiers John Kotar, Karl Andresen, David Landgraf, Ernie St. Germaine,
Jacque and Wayne Lindskoog, Fred Constalie, John Gannett, John Holmquist, Nils Meland and Richard Scott got together to brainstorm ways to recognize other skiers.
These long–time skiers had been designated "Founders" in 1983 by Tony Wise, the man behind establishing this international event, because they had completed all 10 races since the Birkie inception. Wise noted that no one could be added or deleted from the group, even if they did
not continue skiing the Birkie. Founders can be easily spotted on race day because of their red race bibs.
The Founders, wanting to recognize other skiers who complete the 51K race year after year, created the Birch Leggings Club in 1992. Those skiing their 20th race or beyond are entitled to wear the purple Birch Leggings bib.
"I really wanted to get it going," Kotar says. "After we did 20 races, the
Founders wanted to also give others recognition. Now the group is around 300 people. It's one enthusiastic bunch! We meet on Sunday for brunch and awards. They are so proud of that Birch Leggings bib, and it feels good to be passing on the tradition."
It's a tradition that has gotten under the skin of Isley. On race day he'll be wearing his purple bib and going for broke as he embarks on a journey to earn another Birkie finisher's pin.
For more information or to register for the 51K Birkebeiner, 23K Kortelopet, Hayward Chamber of Commerce Citizen Sprints, Junior Birkie presented by Century Tel, Chequamegon Telephone 10K, or the Sons of Norway/Swiss Miss Barnebirkie, call 715/634–5025, e–mail birkie@birkie.com, or log on to www.birkie.com
Birkie 2002 is sponsored by Johnson Bank, Subaru, Murphy McGinnis Media and other businesses throughout the region and country.
NEW FOR 2002 When skiers of the 2002 Johnson Bank American Birkebeiner pick up their race packets for the Feb. 23 cross country ski races in Cable and Hayward, Wisconsin, they'll discover a new addition to their bags containing bib numbers, energy bars and race information. This year skiers will receive a chip timing device to attach to their ankles on race day.
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) has been looking
into chip timing as a way to increase timing accuracy and rapid results for the 6,500 skiers who participate in the event each year. Advances in chip timing systems as well as a company with timing expertise in running, cycling and skiing events were key in the Foundation's decision to adopt the chip timing system.
Chuck Olson, White River Sports of Iron River, Wis., will use Winning Time International's chip timing technology to time the Birkie and 23
Kortelopet. Skiers wear the chips – 1 inch long and a half–inch wide – as a Velcro ankle bracelet worn on the left ankle. The chips have a passive transponder with unique coded identification information for each skier. When activated, the skier's chip ID code is passed through an antenna to a Winning Time controller box that records it together with relevant time.
At the finish line when racers glide over mats crossing an
electromagnetic field, finish times are transmitted to the computer where the fully automatic technology provides quick, accurate race times. Olson anticipates Web posting of results within an hour of finishing times.
Not that traditional manual timing is a thing of the past. Olson backs up chip timing with a second row of mats and manual backup procedures. He'll have a crew — including wife Cindy, daughter Jessica Hirsch, son
Todd and a dozen other workers — at each finish monitoring the electronics, staffing the computers, videotaping the finish, and providing manual backup systems.
The other major change will be an increased recognition of classic skiers this year. "Instead of stamp or seal on bib," says Cherie Morgan, executive director of the ABSF, "classic skiers will wear a sticker that stands out more. We will be publishing, in addition to a full list of results, a secondary list of classic skiers."
There will be separate awards for classic skiers: top three men and women in both the Birkie and Kortelopet will receive special awards and there will be age class awards three deep but at ten year increments.
"We went to ten as we looked at certain age classes that just didn't have enough people to go to five."
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