Belated praise for the 35th anniversary Birkie
I feel spoiled. I’ve now skied two American Birkiebeiners – first in 2006, then this past Saturday – on days with ideal conditions for a hilly, 50-plus kilometer grip-and-glide. (Last year, when 50-degree temps melted the course to a 20K recreational ski outing, I just skipped it; packed up my skis and high-tailed it home.)
I’m a bit late with these observations, but Saturday was lovely. Cloudy and a few degrees below zero at the start, but by the end we had a clear blue sky, a radiant sun and temps in the mid 20s. Although the new classic trail added 2K to my fellow striders’ race, it was a wonder to behold. I imagine elite and Wave 1 skiers are accustomed to trails that pristine. But for mid-packers like me, it was a welcome gift. And the hills on it were not so easily scaled, as some predicted. I had waxed for grip wisely so I was able to stay in the tracks for the most part.
I was practically out of gas by about 30K, though. But at 35K, Adam caught me. That’s the same brother-in-law who, a month earlier, had finished the Noquemanon an hour after me. But having set aside his waxless classics for this, his first Birkie, he pulled me for the next several K. I went out ahead of him after the last feed stop and he fell back. I finally found my stride again on Lake Hayward – “Someone who still has grip!” a spectator observed with as much surprise as I had – and finished just three minutes ahead of Adam.
We were pleased with our sub-five-hour finish. Then we were humbled to learn that John Kotar, 68 – who was about 5K from the finish of his perfect streak of skiing all 35 Birkies when Adam and I passed him – beat us by more than 30 minutes because he started in an earlier wave.
Actually, I was pretty pokey compared to the rest of “Team Silent Sports.” It proved to be a much faster race for columnists Mark Parman and Mitch Mode, who also classic skied the full distance, and Donna Marlor, Tom Kaufman, Bruce Steinberg, Bob Richards and advertising manager Jim Wendt, all of whom skated from start to finish.
Goat Farm proprieter and trail groomer Paul Walker, despite passing away Feb. 12, was still very much present at the race he skied some 25 times. A giant banner reading “We Love You Paul Walker” greeted us at the top of Bitch Hill, and several skiers wore “Team Goat Farm” signs on their backs. Walker’s friend and ours, Phil Van Valkenberg, toasted him at The Moccasin after the race. Written tributes can be found here and in the March issue.
Yes, the 35 anniversary Birkie is another for the history books. I was just thrilled to be a part of it.
– Joel Patenaude