Birkie

Last week I entered the Birkenbiener–it’s time for me to get serious about training. The Birkenbiener is a ski festival that originated in Norway and celebrates two brave Birkenbiener warriors who, in 1206, skied 55 km during a civil war to save a young prince. When the civil war ended, the young prince would later become the king of Norway. The festival honors this heroic journey by holding a 55 km cross-country ski race through the mountains surrounding Lillehammer with participants carrying a 3.5 kg backpack. The first Canadian Birkenbiener Ski Festival was held in 1985 here in Edmonton. The 55 km course went from Devon to Fort Edmonton Park and had only 127 competitors. Today the Canadian Birkie Ski Festival is held at Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area, just east of Sherwood Park, and attracts over 1500 participants.

This year the race is being held from February 12th to 15th, and due to Covid-19, there have been changes to the race format. The starting times for the race have been staggered over three days with three waves each day to reduce the amount of contact among racers. Racers must be dropped off just before the start of the race and then proceed directly to the start line, and when they finish they must have transportation arranged to take them home. There are also two different courses, one for the 31 km event and another for the 55 km event, to spread the participants out even further.

I have participated in the Birkie three times: twice in the 31 km event, and once in the 10 km event. This year I have decided to ski the 55 km event without a pack. When I last skied the Birkie I skied the 31 km event and it was a challenging day. I can still remember thinking about how it was a beautiful day to die. I was exhausted and it took me forever to finish the final 6 km. As a result, I am feeling apprehensive about competing in the full Birkie, knowing I only have a little over two months to train.

2012 Birkenbiener with Joel

Training for the race will be difficult, but now that I am retired and living in Edmonton I will have more time to train and better proximity to good ski locations. I will now be able to go skiing early in the morning while it is still light, and I can go on any day of the week. I will also be able to go skiing at the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area and ski on the same trails used for the race.

I have my work cut out for me. I hope it is not too late for this sixty-year-old body, but as they say in Norwegian; “Bedre sent enn aldri”, which means, “Better late than never.”

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Dean Johnston

I am a retired science teacher living in Edmonton, Canada. I've been married for over 30 years to my wife Michelle. We have three sons, a daughter-in-law, and recently became grandparents for the second time. Our family also includes Michelle's mom who lives with us and our youngest son's partner and last but not least, our dog McDuff. As I have gotten older I have come to understand the importance of remaining healthy, both physically and mentally. As a result, I like to write about activities that I am passionate about, like biking, running, and cross-country skiing. Aside from physical activities, I also like to write about interests of mine that help me remain active like traveling, backpacking, and canoeing. Finally, to remain mentally active I like to write stories of my family, both past and present before my memory fades. Thanks for reading my blog.

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