After skipping the 2024 and 2025 editions (not enough snow and the events were canceled), I signed up for these events only a few days ago … chats with and subtle hints from Stephen doing the trick for Pre-Birkie. For some of my Winters, Pre-Birkie and North End Classic (or the Wolf Tracks Rendezvous and North End Classic OR Vasaloppet and North End Classic) have been the first test of my ability to sustain sufficiently long and hard efforts on back to back days. In addition to being one more family reunion before the big one, I got a good measure of improvements since the SISU Ski Fest and Noquemanon Ski Marathon, and got to continue taking stock of things that need to be worked on.

da Preparation

Since (and including the Noquemanon Ski Marathon), I had two more weeks of consistent training and a renewed bout of inspiration (and awe) from a weekend well spent fulfilling assigned roles and responsibilities during the 2026 MTU Nordic Invitational. I believed I could sustain Noquemanon-like effort – almost 24 km in about 120 minutes (i.e., 5:00 min/km) – over the weekend. Taking the terrain and longer distance into account, the goal for Pre-Birkie was 3:15:00 +/- 0:15:00 and taking the fatigue from Pre-Birkie and quick turnaround but shorter distance into account, the goal for North End Classic was about 0:55:00 +/- 0:05:00 … while focusing on good form (e.g., lean from the ankle, core crunch, longer glide on each ski, complete weight transfer, knee drive, arm follow through and recovery, etc.) and the terrain-appropriate technique (e.g., stride, double pole, kick double pole, pole plant, tuck and step turns at speed, etc.).

I was yet again sufficiently disciplined throughout the week and stayed true to the script. My system took a few days to fully recover from the emotional withdrawal after the aforementioned 2026 MTU Nordic Invitational. Resuming formal strength sessions at Michigan Tech’s Fitness Center added to the physical fatigue. National Weather Service folks had predicted a seasonally appropriate temperature range which meant that I didn’t have worry about looking like a Matryoshka Doll or applying Klister / Klister Cover for my skis. As I did prior to the Noquemanon Ski Marathon, I submitted my waxing protocol / recipe for these two events as homework to MikeY a few days ahead of time. Though I didn’t much of anything right, Toko’s recommendation – released on Thursday and written by Frank – was a new-to-me experience: da Base Green Trick – applicable when conditions are between hard wax and klister … especially with abrasive snow / crushed ice, mixed with fresh powder that got cold overnight.

With another pair of fully waxable classic skis in the quiver since my last attempt at this event combination in 2023, barely any waxing stuff made the trip, and packing was completed early Friday morning. I left Houghton around 9 am (local time) on Friday morning, and the drive – with pit stops every 50 or so miles to stretch the legs – was smooth and uneventful. I spent some time being John Nissen’s Daniel-San and learn how to prepare race skis in a real production environment … something that would come in immensely handy the next day and the day after (and beyond)! After a brief chat with Mr. Randolph (he has done every single one of the 42 Pre-Birkies!), I picked up the flashy bib (thanks to New Moon Ski and Bike Shop once again for sponsoring them) and the good ole sweatshirt at the Hayward Veterans Community Center. Checking into the very elegant and very clean Mill Pond Apartment was a breeze. So was finding nutrition in spite of the extra population owing to the 2026 Wisconsin Nordic Ski League Distance Championships. After taking care of some work and a quick trip back to the packet pickup area to meet Kelly and Paul, I was happy to call it a night around 9 pm (local time).

Pre-Birkie

Saturday morning followed a full and somewhat restful sleep. A combination of the previously mentioned emotional withdrawal and physical fatigue had left me feeling more on meh end of of the excitement spectrum. Proceedings of the 20k Women’s Skiathlon from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina (Italy) didn’t help my cause either. After an out and back trip to Cable (out was planned … to get a bite to eat and sip to drink from Krista and Daryl at Velo Cafe, and back to Hayward was not), I shed some extra layers in the Mill Pond Apartment and arrived at the Birkie Ridge Trailhead by 9:15 am.

Catching up with friendly and familiar faces – Kelly, Paul, Scott and Stephen – made the next 20 minutes fly by. With plans of completing this event at a trail appreciation (i.e., eventing – thanks to Shannon for this new word) effort level and not wrecking anyone else’s race (or day), I situated myself near the end of the start corral. I got to chat with Will Andresen a few moments before the start. Like at SISU Ski Fest a month ago, I never saw him again as he blitzed a 2.50-ish hours for his 42 km … I’d learn later. Having specific process goals for the Birkie Ridge Connector and Birkie Trail helped avoid the hustle that marks the beginning of a race and getting sucked into skiing someone else’s race.

1. Use the outbound Birkie Ridge Connector (about 3 km) as W/U,
2. Double pole on flats, kick double pole on gentle ascents, stride the moderate ascents, herringbone/duck walk the steeper ascents, tuck and use the descending speed, and step turn at speed over the next 30 km, and
3. During the inbound Birkie Ridge Connector to the finish line (about 3 km) … same as #2 except Klaebo steeper ascents and double pole hard to the finish line.

The first 3 km … Within the first kilometer or so, I realized it was a bad idea to keep hand warmers in the glove while skiing. A little too much heat encouraged me to step aside and relocate them before moving on. While I thought I was skiing the outbound Birkie Ridge Connector as W/U, skis were slipping quite a bit. The obvious thought process was did I prepare my skis correctly? followed by a potentially negative spiral. Two bits of information – if a dozen other people are trusting my preparation of their skis, then I should trust my preparation of my own skis and what’s on top of the ski matters more than the skis or what’s underneath them (thanks to MikeY) – popped into my head at about the same time to rescue me and I could easily count the number of subsequent slippages with one hand.

The next 30 km … Sticking with the plan and executing it felt well within reach to Boedecker and OO aid stations along the Birkie Skate Trail, and then to Boedecker and Fire Tower aid stations along the Birkie Classic Trail. It is at the Fire Tower aid station (about 21 km into the event) that the short course skiers head back towards finish while the long course skiers get to continue for an additional 11 km. Mimicking / Following the movements of good skies ahead of me, within reason, made some of these 18 km – over and along a pretty (and serene) but equally tough (and may be even unforgiving) terrain carved by the glaciers – go by quicker than others.

There usually aren’t a lot of classic skiers pursuing the long course and more importantly, I am not yet fast enough to hang with the majority or the lead (or even the chase) pack. The nearly non-existent company over these 11 km – from Fire Tower to Timber Trail along the Classic Trail (6.5 km) and from Timber Trail to Fire Tower along the Skate Trail (4.5 km) – got a bit too ponderous for my liking. Incorrectly assuming that these aid stations were equidistant was a part of the problem. The highest point of the Birkie Trails residing between these two aid stations only added to the challenge. And thinking that a partially down tree covered with snow was the top of the aid station cabin … on more than one occasion … didn’t help either. Relying on some fundamental drills (thanks to Coach Bryan Fish) helped crest those ascents without loosing too much time, and got me back to the Birkie Ridge Connector feeling sufficiently energized.

The final 3 km … Having stayed in the tracks for a bit too long while carrying quite a bit of speed around a bend over the later parts of the middle 30 km and fallen and realizing that the tracks along Birkie Trails aren’t always set in the best line, I chose to stay out of them during this segment. Unlike two previous occasions (2022 and 2023 during Pre-Birkie) and once more on my own, it felt wonderful to tuck and carry the speed during the final descent and then finish with a strong (feeling, might not have looked like it) double pole. Satisfactorily completing a vast majority of the goals led to an official time of 3:24:54  for a finish time – good for 33rd overall, 25th amongst males and 5th in the age group, and well within the 3:15:00 +/- 0:15:00 time goal. This was the longest outing since the first day of 2024 and first time crossing the 30 km threshold since the 2024 American Birkebeiner.

Stephen, who had finished nearly an hour ahead of me, was patiently waiting for me near the finish line, cheered me on and then helped carry the gear back to the warming / celebration tent as dinner plans were drafted with Jenna, Scott and Zach. After consuming several (yes, several) donuts with Kelly, Paul and Stephen, I headed back to the Mill Pond Apartment to clean up and regroup for the next day. Unlike 2023 (I had only one pair waxable classic skis back then; do you hear the world’s tiniest violin playing a somber tune?), I didn’t need to spend time driving to/from and preparing skis for the next day at the Samuel C. Johnson Family Outdoor Center at OO Trailhead‘s spacious waxing facility (a courtesy of friends at New Moon Ski and Bike Shop). The day concluded shortly after a beverage at Moccasin Bar and dinner at Angler’s Bar & Grill – all with Ben, Jenna, Scott and Zach. With plans of waking up early enough to catch some more Olympics action, I called it a night around 9 pm.

North End Classic

The race day morning came after a better night of mostly restorative sleep. Although proceedings of the 20k Men’s Skiathlon from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina (Italy) didn’t really align in favor of US, the baby GOAT took another step towards impressing mama GOAT. An easy drive brought me once again to Velo Cafe for some pre-race nutrition, and I got pickup my race packet from the kind volunteers at  Redbery Books. I was assigned a semi-prime number (#371) for the second consecutive day! I employed Jenna‘s trick (she taught me many years ago) to pin the paper bib over a wearable cloth bib. Like 2023, it was warm enough and I didn’t really need an extra layer of clothing but … I’ll do anything legal and within reason to look good for Mr. Randolph‘s camera!

I got to catch up with many friendly faces – Andrew, Allison, Dave, Jonathon, Coaches Jyneen and Nancy, Ron and more – in and around the cozy cabin at the North End Ski Club trailhead. The short trek to the start area doubled up as wax testing. Once again, I had a designate pair of skis for this event, and had they not worked, I’d have had to find a way to make them work. However, the skis worked as expected and it was one less thing to worry about. Not wanting to wreck anyone’s race (or day) but taking the funneling nature of this event’s mass start into account, I positioned myself near the front.

1. Use the first km-ish as W/U.
2. Double pole on flats, kick double pole on gentle ascents, stride the moderate ascents, Klaebo steeper ascents, tuck and use the descending speed, and step turn at speed over the next 10 km.
3. Stay in the tracks over the final km … to, up and over the bunny ascents … to and through the finish line.

Probably because of where I was in the said mass start, the first kilometer felt a bit more hurried than I would have liked but I didn’t ski anyone else’s race. Knowing the course profile well from prior outings (this was my 6th time racing and 8-9th time on the course) helped make the appropriate moves along the way. The ups and downs of a serpentine course set in a terrain carved and left behind by the glaciers were used to execute process goal #2 reasonably well. Knowing that the tracks along this course do conform to the the best line made it that much easier to stay in them even on downhills … even when they had turns at the bottom. Unlike 2023, I got to be a part of the train of striders for the middle 10-ish kilometers … although trains were different at different segments of the course (read: I couldn’t stay with any given train). It wasn’t the ski or the wax job but had the skier prepared a little better to earn a bit of extra glide with each stride, it’d have saved me some energy and I’d have finished the race a few minutes sooner.

Aforementioned apriori knowledge about the best line coupled with a little encouragement from Mr. Randolph (and volunteers) and a little more conviction (and not caring about potential embarrassment if I tumbled in the proximity of the finish line) helped stay in the tracks to execute process goal #3. The official finish time was 0:59:12.4 – good for 22nd overall, 17th amongst males and 1st in my age group, and barely within the 0:55:00 +/- 0:05:00 time goal.

The post-race festivities included quickly changing into warmer clothes, making my way to the Rivers Eatery – to pick up my age group award from Ronda, and refuel with Jenna, Jonathon, Zach and other fellow participants. After saying the usual see you soon, I headed back to Mill Pond Apartment. The hosts had granted me a very generous late checkout time and their generosity helped ensure that I didn’t sit in the car for several hours in a cold and sweaty (and likely stinky) state. The drive home was uneventful – with stops to acquire and consume hydration as well as stretch the limbs to minimize any stiffness/soreness.

I do not believe any of the ascents, even the onces I traversed over the weekend, will suddenly feel tamer or easier in two weeks when the Birkie Fever comes calling. I am grateful for the combination for the combination of these two events … as they refamiliarized with the topology, gave me some much needed confidence and will most certainly keep me from lining up with unrealistic (or worse, foolish) expectations.

Carpe Skiem!

Thanks be to

the rejections and opportunities life has brought my way, event folks (organizers, sponsors, volunteers, timers, law enforcement officials, photographers, fellow participants and spectators) and my family of good friends, mentors and coaches in and outside of my community for all the unexpected, undeserved and unrewarded acts of kindness and constant encouragement as well as offerings of constructive criticism to improve myself as a human and an athlete. I am eternally grateful to all those who let me train with them, who shared their meals and experiences with me, who helped keep me in good health, who helped me stay the course, and who cheered me on from home or along the course.