The 51K American Birkebeiner is the biggest cross country ski race outside of the olympic games. The American Birkebeiner was founded in 1973 to honor and re-create a historic Norwegian event when in 1206, two warrior soldiers, called "Birkebeiners" because of the birch-bark leggings they wore, skied infant Prince Haakon (Hō-ken) to safety during the Norwegian civil war. Prince Haakon subsequently became King of Norway, and the Birkebeiner soldiers became a Norwegian symbol of courage, perseverance and character in the face of adversity.
Over the years many thousands of people, both elite and "Citizen Skiers," have enjoyed the thrill of personal triumph crossing the finish line of the Birkie and earning their prestigious award medallions.
We were both semi-inspired to ski next year, so we'll see how that idea turns out. It would be fun to do as a family someday - at least the 23K sounds fun, I'm still not sure about the 51K :-)
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