This is the case:
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- Over 2,400 skiers aged 20-34 are registered for this year’s Birkebeinerrenn, including Eivind Skari from Gran.
- Birken’s information officer, Randi Bolstad, says that there is an increase in young participants, and that 40 percent of this year’s participants are running the race for the first time.
- Skari is looking forward to celebrating in Lillehammer after the race, and sees the participation as an opportunity to motivate others.
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More than 2,400 skiers aged 20–34 are registered for this year’s Birkebeinerrenn. The race gets almost twice as many young participants as two years ago. Eivind Skari (25) is a debutante and does not care about clearing the mark.
Skari from Tingelstad on Gran is among those registered. He now lives in Ås and studies a master’s in plant science. On Saturday he will run the Birkebeinerrennet for the very first time.
– I challenged my family to go, but they had too many excuses. If I finish on Saturday, I will be the only one in my family to have run the race, says the 25-year-old.
On Saturday, rain and plus temperatures are reported at Rena and snow at Sjusjøen. Skari hopes that joint skiing can be a good choice.
Photo: Hans Kristian Sørum
Set for a hard ride
Unlike many of the other Birkebeiners who are going over the mountain this weekend, Skari has not trained specifically for the race.
Three weeks ago, Skari went on the winter’s longest ski trip with a friend. They started from Frognerseteren and went to a serving area 6 kilometers into the forest. There he bought pretzels.
– It was a comfortable pace with some interspersed sprints. In total we walked twelve kilometers.
It is one fifth of the distance from Tingstadjordet in Rena to the Birkebeineren ski stadium in Lillehammer. He is not in the mood for the Birkebeinerrennen to be a leisurely ride.
– It will be hard. There are many who believe that I will have a terrible trip over the mountain. A few believe that it will go well.
Last year, Skari’s New Year’s resolution was to train every day.
– There was a lot of strength training. Only now this winter have I trained more fitness.
Since the new year, he has gone skiing about once a week. He admits that the training base is a little thin, but good enough to complete the race.
– First and foremost, I want to finish. There is no chance in the sea that I will make the mark.
Participants in the 2022 edition of the Birkebeinerrennet in full swing on the ski track.
Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB
More young participants
Randi Bolstad is information officer at Birken. She says that the classes that have increased the most from last year are the 25-35 age group.
– Many young people want to run the race together with a partner, girlfriend or mate. We see that more people run the race for the sake of the trip, and are not too concerned with the finish time.
Why is it like that?
– They may be inspired by other young people on social media, where the goal is to implement, and using nature is important.
In addition, 40 percent of this year’s participants are running the race for the very first time. Bolstad recommends that the participants get some training in skiing to get a good experience.
– We hear about bets at parties where someone is challenged to run the birch bone race without any training.
Bolstad believes that some people underestimate the distance. She recalls that it is a long trip with a lot of ups and downs.
– The experience is much better if you are fit.
Randi Bolstad does not think that many of the young people are concerned with marking times.
Photo: Birch trees
Not the end of the world
The recharge for Skari in the last two weeks has been the Brad Paisley concert and skiing in Trysil.
– I’ve heard that you shouldn’t train hard before a long ski race.
When the skiing in Ås has been too bad, he has trained on a treadmill. On Friday he heads up to Rena, and on Saturday morning he will be ready at the starting line.
– The most important thing is to try, and if I can motivate more people then I have come a long way. If you go off on a whim, it’s not the end of the world.
After the race, he is looking forward to celebrating in Lillehammer.
– There will also be a small carrot.
On the sofa in Ås, Skari charges the batteries for Saturday’s test of strength.
Photo: Hans Kristian Sørum