| Topic - Races: Norway -
Birkebeiner
Date first posted on eCommunity - 24
December 2006
New Year's Resolution time looms imminently. So for
those of you who have unshakeable intentions of regaining youthful
figure and vigour, here are details of a race you might just want to
consider.
The Birkebeiner is Norway's Worldloppet event. It has been run since
1934 over a course from Rena to Lillehammer. For many years the
direction of the race alternated from Rena-Lillehammer one year to
Lillehammer-Rena the next, but since the building of the
Birkebeinere Stadium in Lillehammer for the Olympic Winter Games in
1994, the race has always finished at that stadium.
The race commemorates an important event in Norway's history. In 1206,
during a time of civil unrest, the infant prince Haakon Haakonson was
rescued from his enemies, known as the Baglers, by his bodyguards, the
Birkebeinere or Birchlegs, so called from their custom of wrapping birch
bark around their legs as protection against the cold. Two of them,
Torstein Skevla and Skjervald Skrukka, carried the prince across the
mountains from near
Lillehammer to the safety of Rena, in Osterdalen, from whence he escaped
northwards to safety.
Held every March, the Birkebeiner attracts around 10,000 participants
each year. It's a 54km event, run in classic technique, and it follows a
tough course. It climbs fairly continuously for
almost 20 km from the start, gaining several hundred metres of height in
the process. Then it follows a more level line (but not a flat one) for
about 20km – as far as Sjusjøen. From Sjusjøen it descends steadily –
and in places steeply - for almost 15km to the finish. You need a fair
degree of stamina simply to complete the course, and you need good
skiing skill to get you down the hills to Lillehammer. You also need to
be confident in ski waxing: you gain a lot of height at the start, which
will probably take you through several waxing zones – and take you from
warmer conditions into colder conditions (which is a tricky
progression).
In 2006 the first man home (Anders Aukland) finished in 2 hours 52
minutes and 13 seconds. Many of the other participants took well over
six hours to reach the finish line.
REGISTRATION
The entry fee varies, the rate being lower for early entries:
If you enter before 30.11.06 it is NOK 875.
If you enter between 01.12.06 and 25.01.07 it is NOK 975.
If you enter between 26.01.07 and 13.03.07 it is NOK1175.
RULES
You have to be dressed and equipped for harsh mountain weather.
All participants must carry a rucksack weighing at least 3.5 kilos
throughout the race (bumbags are not allowed). The pack must contain a
windproof jacket, food and drinks. The pack will be checked at the
finish – it should still weigh 3.5 kg at the finish, so you can't simply
fill it with food and drink that you will consume en route.
For safety reasons there are dead-lines. If you start at 10.00, for
example, you need to each the 9km point by 12.30, the 27km point by
15.00 and the 41km point (in Sjusjøen) by 18.00. If you miss any of
these you will be taken out of the race.
BAGGAGE:
Transportation of baggage from the start to the finish is included in
the entry fee.
For more details of the race, go to the official website:
http://www.birkebeiner.no/index_eng.php
Apart from the normal kind of information, you will find a useful forum
on the website. Intending participants can post questions, to which the
race organisers reply. In one case, for example, there was a question on
whether to use waxable or no-wax (fish scale) skis.
The answer was:
"This is a difficult question. Out of 10 situations you will probably
find one or two in March where scaled skis is a better choice than skis
with wrong waxing. Don't forget that also scaled skis have to be glider
prepared and waxed under most conditions to be good enough for a race.
Under such conditions I would definitely choose racing skis instead. So
that would also be my advice, but then you should follow these
guidelines:
At the Birkebeiner Market (bibs pickup) both in Lillehammer and at Rena
on Friday afternoon, SWIX will give their waxing advice based on the
weather forecast for the next day. Follow that advice. It has been
almost perfect the last 10 years. Therefore you may as well
prepare your skis on Friday. And bring some softer and harder wax for
last minute preparations at start if needed. If it is klister conditions
at start you should definitely consult
some "experts". Don't forget that klister at start may be very wrong
just a few kilometers up the trail where it tends to be colder. Then you
must cover a thin film of the klister with wax depending on the
conditions. At the market you may even get your skis prepared on Friday
for the race next day by skilled people at many of the exhibitors."
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