American Birkebeiner

Runners eager for a fall fitness challenge are invited to enter the 8th annual American Birkebeiner Trail Run, Relay and Trek coming up on Saturday, September 25, 2010 in Hayward and Cable, Wis. Last year over 600 runners and walkers participated on a crisp, colorful fall morning, and organizers are expecting over 1,000 participants this year.

Executive Director, Ned Zuelsdorff, said the American Birkebeiner Trail Run, Relay and Trek continues to grow in popularity.

“This year we are adding an individual Marathon to the list of events,” said Zuelsdorff. “Runners have been asking us for a marathon event and we decided it was time to roll it out. It is guaranteed to challenge even the strongest runners.”

“Also new for 2010, the course has been turned around and will now traverse the Birkie Trail from south to north,” explained Zuelsdorff. “We have outgrown the previous finish area at Hatchery Park, just outside of Hayward. The events will now finish at Telemark Resort in Cable with all events taking place on the hilly Birkie Trail at one of the most beautiful times of the year.”

Hatchery Park will now serve as the start area for the Marathon Run and Marathon Relay. Marathon runners will start their event at 8:00 a.m. and the first runners in the Marathon Relay will start at 9:00 a.m.

The Half Marathon Run and Half Marathon Birkie Trek will begin at the County Highway "OO" trailhead in Seeley. The Birkie Trek will begin at 9:00 a.m. followed by the Half Marathon at 10:30 a.m.

At 11:30 a.m. the 5K Run/Walk will take place at Telemark Resort.

Zuelsdorff said the 26.2 mile Marathon Relay includes categories for 3- and 6-person Open, Women’s and Mixed teams and is capped at 75 teams. Team result times are handicapped based on participant ages and genders to even out the fun oriented competition. Several teams have already entered.

Water, energy products and medical support will be available on the course, but Marathon Relay teams will be responsible for transporting their team members to specified relay exchange points using a single vehicle. The drive route includes sand and gravel forest roads and higher clearance vehicles are recommended.

All other athletes should park at Telemark Resort. Bus transportation will be provided to the Hatchery Creek start area for Marathon Runners and to the County “OO” start area for Half Marathon and 21K Birkie Trek participants.

Zuelsdorff said the individual 26.2 mile Marathon, individual 13.1 mile Half Marathon, and 5K Fun Run/Walk includes men’s and women’s divisions. Prizes will be given to the overall winners in each division and first and second place age class winners will also receive awards. Individual Marathon and Half Marathon runners will receive medals at the finish line.

The 21K Birkie Trek is a fun event with participants enjoying a Nordic walk on the Birkie Trail. Loaner poles are available for participant use. Nordic Walkers looking for a shorter distance are encouraged to bring their poles and participate in the 5K Fun Run/Walk.

In addition to a great day on the trail, there will be lots of goodies for participants including a great technical T-shirt for each participant, raffle prizes and live music provided by the Namakagon String Band at the finish line. Lunch will be provided by Brickhouse Café of Cable and includes pork sandwiches, baked beans, cole slaw and potato salad, with Marketplace Foods of Hayward donating beverages.

The 2010 Birkie Trail Run, Relay and Trek will start with a free Nordic Walking Clinic being held on Friday, September 24 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The clinic will allow Nordic walkers to fine tune their skills for the Birkie Trek. The mini-clinic will take place at Hatchery Park, two miles east from Hayward, and will be lead by the Queen of Nordic Walking, Linda Lemke from Hoigaards in the Twin Cities. Loaner poles will be available for both the Clinic and the Birkie Trek itself.

Zuelsdorff said “The 2010 Birkie Trail Run, Relay and Trek is a fun way for people to continue preparing for the 38th annual American Birkebeiner cross country ski races and events,” and he continued, “Birkie participants tell us this is the way they start getting back into the zone for the ski season. It’ll be a great day on the trail, and we encourage folks to be part of this fun event at a beautiful time of the year at a fantastic site.”

To register for the Birkie Trail Run, Relay or Trek or learn more about the events, log on to http://www.birkie.com or call 715/634-5025.

The Birkie Trail Run, Relay and Trek is sponsored by Salomon, Hammer Nutrition, Marshfield Clinic, Becker Law, Outdoor Ventures, Ideal Market, ActivEdge, Hoigaard’s, Marketplace Foods, Woodland Developments & Realty, Backroads Coffee, Tremblay’s Sweet Shop, LEKI, Kwik Trip, Vortanz Lumber, Berkeley Running Company, Revel Sports, and Midwest Mountaineering.

About the Birkie: Celebrating its 38th year, the American Birkebeiner, February 24-26, 2011, is the largest and most prestigious cross country ski marathon in North America. Spanning more than 50 kilometers from Cable to Hayward, the Birkie is part of the Worldloppet series of 15 international races, and part of the lives of citizen skiers from around the world. Sponsors of Birkie include Becker Law Office SC, Marshfield Clinic-Hayward Center, Swiss Miss, Johnson Bank, CenturyLink, Peoples Bank, Sawyer County Record, and other businesses throughout the region and country. Find out more at http://www.birkie.com or call 715/634-5025.