My dad and I just returned from a perfect weekend at the American Birkie and Korteloppet in Wisconsin, with plenty of stories and Bjorn Daehlie's signature in tow.
Though my dad's a veteran long-distance skier, this was my first long race. I skied in the Korteloppet, a twenty-three km race, along with around 1,200 other skiers. My dad did the fifty-four km Birkebeiner, a race of about 3,500 skiers. The skiers go out in waves of around three hundred, but being a new Korte racer, I was placed in the last wave, number ten.
The whole scene of the race was amazing; thousands of skiers, from novice to elite, gathering, discussing wax, and giving much-appreciated advice. I was a nervous wreck at first, but my fellow skiers assured me that I would have a great time. In fact, I did! Racing was challenging but fun, and I was surprised at how prepared I was for the distance. With the trails groomed extra-wide, passing was easy. Pacing, however, was a little more difficult. I found that the trick was to pace another skier and work with them to stay steady. Both my dad and I had good races, placing in the top twenty to twenty-five percent of skiers in our races.
The races were fun and all, but the most important part of the trip was meeting Bjorn Daehlie. Though I waited in line for more than half the time that I actually spent racing, I finally met my skiing hero!
Ellen Watkins
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