Up next we have what will quite likely be the last XC Ski report of the season. Dr Mike’s annual trip to the Ice Planet Hoth Wisconsin. No further explanation is needed. Full saga is after the break.
This was my 15th running of the American Birkebeiner – An annual pilgrimage back to Wisconsin for me and 10,000 other skiers! It’s the third largest on-snow event in the world, and this year’s crowds included racers from 48 states and 22 countries. As usual, I had a personal goal of qualifying for the “Elite” wave in next-year’s race– an honor reserved for only the top-100 finishers in the “Classical-style” marathon, and the top-200 of “freestyle” (skating) skiers from the year before. It was only my 2nd-ever Classical-style marathon, but it was definitely one to remember!
This race report is exceptionally long, so I hope you find time to read the rest.. I think you’ll like the ending!! In short, the warm winter here left me a bit under-trained, but I decided to give it my best anway! I started too fast, and got totally CRUSHED by the large hills (and some tough breaks) early-on! I almost stopped racing before the half-way point, but after some serious soul-searching and I managed to put-together a substantial come-back…
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spin / second sole multisport team 