Birkebeinerrennet
Norwegian cross-country ski marathon
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Key Takeaways
- Birkebeinerrennet (lit.
- It debuted in 1932 and has been a part of Worldloppet since Worldloppet's inception in 1979.
- The race was inspired by a notable journey made by the Birkebeiner loyalists Torstein Skevla and Skjervald Skrukka to save the infant heir to the Norwegian throne, Håkon Håkonsson, in the winter of 1206.
- 5 J/kg*m as compared to about 5 J/kg*m for ski models dated 542 AD.
- This corresponds to about 5 hours for the original 1206 AD Birkebeiner flight.
Birkebeinerrennet (lit. The Birkebeiner race) is a long-distance cross-country ski marathon held annually in Norway. It debuted in 1932 and has been a part of Worldloppet since Worldloppet's inception in 1979.
The Birkebeinerrennet is one of three races held under the Birkebeiner moniker, the other two being Birkebeinerrittet (bicycling) and Birkebeinerløpet (cross-country running).
The race was inspired by a notable journey made by the Birkebeiner loyalists Torstein Skevla and Skjervald Skrukka to save the infant heir to the Norwegian throne, Håkon Håkonsson, in the winter of 1206.
Researchers at the Manchester Metropolitan University found that the metabolic cost for modern ski models is about 2.5 J/kg*m as compared to about 5 J/kg*m for ski models dated 542 AD. They also estimated maximum cross country speed for the 542 AD ski to 5 m/s, compared to about 12 m/s for modern cross country skis; for long distance skiing (several hours) results were 3 and 7 m/s respectively. This corresponds to about 5 hours for the original 1206 AD Birkebeiner flight.
Race
The race starts at Rena and ends at Lillehammer, a distance of 54 kilometres (34 mi). The number of participants has been steadily increasing each year, and for the 2011 race, the limit was set at 16,000.
The following aid stations are present:
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