What a rollercoaster of a trip, and a quick trip at that! I flew out to MSP on Wed, drove up to Cable on Thursday, did race prep on Friday, raced on Saturday, and flew back to AK on Sunday. A little back story or history if you will. The Birkibeiner 50km race is the largest single race in the United States, (12,000 racers, each of the 50 states represented, as well as 26 countries) held in Wisconsin. It is typically a point to point race, which is really unique, as there are only a handful of these in the US. It starts in Cable and finishes in downtown Hayward on spectator filled main street. On top of that, it was the 50th running of the Birkie. Unfortunately, with the lack of snow this year in the Midwest, the race was a completely different beast and would be held on the Birkibeiner ski trails in Cable. The 5x10km race course was on 100% man-made snow groomed 2 feet deep and 15m wide. The organizers did a fantastic job of giving everyone the best Birkie experience they could. The “Birkie Fever” was alive and well, the vibe was still there, the energy was amazing, and the racing was top notch, (including 10 elite skiers fresh off
the Minneapolis World Cup)
The race was pretty crazy, there were tons of fans out on course and the conditions were fast! So fast, that I actually posted my top 3 fastest 10k’s of the season in the first 30km of the race. That said, despite the speed being high, the effort didn't feel too bad at all, which is why I was quite perplexed as to why and how my legs absolutely fell off at about 31.5k. I wanted to push harder, but my quads just felt shot, it was so strange. It felt like in a dream, when you’re trying to run faster but are just stuck in slow-mo. Makes you think, “This is wild.” My mind was more than willing, but my legs were nowhere to be found.
All in all, it was a good experience. I finished 17th overall, 9th American, learned a fair amount, (this being my 3rd 50km and first one outside the Tour of Anchorage) and I’m already looking forward to the next one!
This newsletter is a week late because I was originally going to do the Tour Of Anchorage 50k (TOA) the following Sunday after the Birkie, and then recap both of them. However, all the travel mixed with a 50k race caught up with me and I caught a cold. As such, I decided not to partake in the TOA knowing that racing a 50k in single-digit temps would undoubtedly take a lot from the body. Now, I’m on the up, the cold was only ever minor, and I’m starting to build back up for one last go at Super Tour Finals in Duluth, MN - March 21-26. These are the last races of my season and I hope to end the season on a high note.
Stay tuned for info on those races.
Until next time,
Garrett