2020 Birkie Trail Run Festival is slated for September 25-26, 2020

Hayward, WI (September 29, 2019) – Autumn leaves, sunny skies, and cool breezes welcomed runners and trekkers to the 18th Annual Birkie Trail Run Festival, sponsored by Salomon. Over 1000 runners and trekkers, from 25 states and 2-countries, took part in the day’s events which included an ultramarathon, ultramarathon relay (new in 2019), marathon, marathon relay, half marathon, 5K, 10-mile Nordic trek, Dive for the Dirt obstacle course, and 1K fun run for kids.

All running and trekking events took place on the scenic and rolling hills of the Birkie Trail and single-track sections of the CAMBA (Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association) trail system. The festival was rounded out with live music, great food, Earth Rider craft beer, a Vendor Fair, and the Dive for the Dirt obstacle course for kids.

Saturday’s running events started early with the ultramarathon and ultramarathon relay race (100 kilometers) at 5:30 am. Ultramarathon runners left Birkie Ridge with headlamps aglow as they made their way into the woods and the beginning of their journey on the Birkie Trail. The ultramarathon runners, proving their endurance and determination, were the first to start and last to finish their event. Forty-two runners started the race and 30 hearty individual runners completed the race, with the first runner crossing the finish line 8-hours and 40-minutes later.

Birkie Ultramarathon Champions – Men (The Rivers Eatery – Presenting Sponsor)
1st Place – Andrew Schroeder, Madison, WI, 8:40:00
2nd Place – Andy Elvester, Minneapolis, MN, 9:09:00
3rd Place – Dustin Moench, Madison, WI, 10:41:00

Birkie Ultramarathon Champions – Women (The Rivers Eatery – Presenting Sponsor)
1st Place – Samantha Vanwechel, Fergus Falls, MN, 11:58:00
2nd Place – Katie Thompson, Eden Prairie, MN, 12:50:00
3rd Place – Erin Kelly, Maple, Plain, MN, 14:28:00

Birkie Ultramarathon Relay Team Resultswww.Birkie.com

The robin-egg-blue-sky-day continued with a variety of events for the hundreds of running and trekking enthusiasts in the festival. While the breeze was cool, the pace was hot for the following competitors:

Birkie Marathon Champions – Men (CARLSON MD – Presenting Sponsor)
1st Place – Ben Vaske, Minneapolis, MN 3:19:38:53
2nd Place – Chad Millner, Chanhassen, MN 3:56:07:27
3rd Place – Grant Braasch, Edina, Mn, 4:00:42:05

Birkie Marathon Champions – Women (CARLSON MD – Presenting Sponsor)
1st Place – Josie Nelson, Medicine Lake, MN, 3:40:47.86
2nd Place – Nicole Finstad, Birchwood, WI, 4:30:50.71
3rd Place – Cassandra Engel, Oostburg, WI, 4:38:03.60

Birkie Half Marathon Champions – Men
1st Place – Nicholas Tseffos, Appleton, WI, 1:30:02.56
2nd Place – Jacob Brown, Duluth, MN, 1:31:54.72
3rd Place – Joe Kinscher, Ladysmith, WI, 1:32:19.97

Birkie Half Marathon Champions – Women
1st Place – Jessica Gravesen-Seis, Chetek, WI, 1:51:07.04
2nd Place – Emily Tseffos, Appleton, WI, 1:51:19.32
3rd Place – Danielle Liubicich, Chicago, IL, 1:58:06.23

Birkie 5 Kilometer – Men
1st Place – Joshua Halverson, Cameron, WI, 19:01.31
2nd Place – Tristan Smith, Lake Elmo, MN, 19:04.34
3rd Place – Tim Westmark, Minneapolis, MN, 19:46.82

Birkie 5 Kilometer – Women
1st Place – Erin Schmitt, Sheboygan, WI, 23:08.40
2nd Place – Emma Bratvold, Hastings, MN, 23:43.58
3rd Place – Renee Tomasula, Allenspark, CO, 23:59.16

Additional results for age-class and relay events are available at www.Birkie.com.

The 2020 Birkie Trail Run Festival is slated for September 25 -26, 2020. Registration opens January 1, 2020. The 2020 Birkie Trail Run Festival will once again host the USATF National Half Marathon Trail Championship drawing elite runners from across the nation.

The Birkie Trail Run Festival is sponsored by: Salomon – Title Sponsor Birkie Trail Run Festival; CARLSON MD – Presenting Sponsor Marathon; FITS – Presenting Sponsor Marathon Relay; The Rivers Eatery – Presenting Sponsor 100K Ultramarathon and Ultramarathon Relay; Corner Deli – Post-Race Lunch; Hayward Area Memorial Hospital & Waters Edge – Presenting Sponsor — Dive for the Dirt and 1k Kids Fun Run; Earth Rider Brewery – Official Beer of the Birkie; Anderson’s Maple Syrup – Gold Circle Elite Sponsor; GU – Official Energy; NUUN – Official Hydration; Clif; Hayward Coffee Co.; Kemps; Marketplace Foods; Timber Ford of Hayward – Official Year-Round Birkie Volunteer Sponsor.

Posted October 7, 2019 at 4:50 pm