HAYWARD, Wis (WSAU) — One of the largest cross country ski races in the world is coming to Hayward this weekend, whether or not the weather cooperates!
That’s according to American Birkebeiner spokesperson Nancy Knutson, who says despite recent warm weather and an uncertain forecast from Mother Nature, all the weekend’s colorful events and fun will go on no matter what!
“The one thing that we can’t control is the weather. But what we can control is the Birkie experience,” Knutson said on Thursday. “The Birkie is so much more than just a race. There’s so much of a celebration feeling: the Birkie Expo., the Worldloppet Breakfast, and celebrating all things Birkie!”
Depending on how much snow falls over the weekend, especially on Friday, the main “American Birkebeiner” race event will be adapted to the conditions.
“Depending on what Mother Nature has in store for us, it could be a shortened version of the regular race. If that doesn’t come to pass and we don’t feel it’s safe for all the skiers to be racing, we’d go to an open track type event. All of this dependent on whether or not we get snow on Friday,” Knutson explained.
Some of the other shorter ski events scheduled for Thursday and Friday before the expected snow have been turned into footrace events.
“The Barneberkie which is normally one of the largest, if not the largest, youth ski tour or ski races in the country, has been turned into an adventure run,” Knutson said. “And then there’s the Junior Birkie, which is a more competitive, younger group of skiers. They too are going to be doing a competitive run.”
As of late Thursday, about 10% of the course was negatively impacted by last week’s warm temperatures, but Knutson said that crews were keeping conditions in the best shape possible for this weekend’s main event.
Last year, the American Birkebeiner attracted racers from 46 foreign countries from around the world. The latest updates on the all weekend’s events and weather conditions are available at www.Birkie.com.
