Highlights
Endurance United: Turkey Day Trail Trot
October 21, 2021Bring yourself and those you are thankful for to the Thanksgiving morning Turkey Day Trail Trot, Nov 25th, at Battle Creek Regional Park! 5K/10K options, start your day on beautiful trails and in good company. The Turkey Day Trail Trot is a part of the Urban Trail Series put on by Endurance United. Register by Oct 24th for the lowest price.
Founder Ernie St. Germaine Shares His Take on the 2022 Birkie
October 6, 2021Ernie St. Germaine, one of the founders of the American Birkebeiner, shares his message on the 2022 Birkie.
Swedish Mile Trail Run This Weekend
October 6, 2021Swedish Mile Trail Race and Family Fun Day is this Saturday, Oct 9th. Events include a 10K timed trail race, 5K fun run, kid’s race and an afternoon of family-friendly activities to raise money for snow-making and operations at the Vasaloppet Nordic Center.
Midwest MTB Report
September 29, 2021With a memorable month of fall riding rapidly coming to a close, so too concludes the 2021 racing season. In his final report of the season, Jay Richards takes a looks back at the recent Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival, a look into some recent mountain bike related news coverage, and a look ahead to a quiet, yet eventful, remainder of the season on the racing front.
Midwest MTB Report
September 29, 2021With a memorable month of fall riding rapidly coming to a close, so too concludes the 2021 racing season. In his final report of the season, Jay Richards takes a looks back at the recent Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival, a look into some recent mountain bike related news coverage, and a look ahead to a quiet, yet eventful, remainder of the season on the racing front.
Birkie Trail Run Recap
September 27, 2021A crisp autumn morning shaped up for ideal conditions as runners and trekkers took to the hills for to the annual Birkie Trail Run Festival. Over 950 runners and trekkers, from 33 states, took part in Saturday’s events. Joseph Gray collected another USATF half marathon title for the men while Rachel Johnson was the women's champion. Evan Wetzel and Geneva Finn collected victories in the marathon division while George Nelson and Erin Schmitt topped the 5K fields.
Trail Loppet Coverage
September 19, 2021One of the hotter September days did little to slow down some fast times for the 2021 Trail Loppet races. Mohammed Bati repeated his dominant performance from 2019, taking the half marathon title by more than eight minutes with a blistering 5:55 pace! Craig Cardinal and Kurt Keiser finished second and third, just five seconds separating them. Bethany Kozak won the women's title with Sarah Laugen second and Deanna Nelson third. Half Half victories were earned Samuel Smith and Maddie Mears. Results linked in along with photosets.
Midwest MTB Report
September 16, 2021As the air gets cooler and the leaves start turning shades of yellow, orange, and red, some of the best riding of the year is on tap for the next month or so. Also on tap: a recap from the rescheduled MNMBS race at Lester Park, a preview of the Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival happening this weekend, and several cycling related items as racing starts to wind down in the Midwest—all included in this week's Midwest MTB report from Jay Richards.
CXC Rollerski Cup: NorthShore Inline Marathon
September 14, 2021The third annual CXC Rollerski Cup wraps up this weekend with the NorthShore Inline Marathon events. Friday features a freestyle sprint event and then Saturday are 21K and 42K freestyle races.
SISU Ski Fest Planning In-Person Races this January
September 7, 2021The SISU Ski Fest in Ironwood, MI, is planning in-person races this January, and has been making improvements in the events including a widened start area and new "Finnish" line in downtown Ironwood. Registration opens Oct 1st.
Gear West: Gearwestern Half Marathon and 5K on Oct 16
September 5, 2021Register is open for the Gearwestern Half Marathon and 5K, hosted by Gear West and featuring the quiet backroads and trails in Long Lake.
CXC Rollerski Cup: Grinding Up Granite this Sunday
September 5, 2021The third annual CXC Rollerski Cup will be making its next stop in Wausau with the Grinding Up Granite Race, set to take place on Sunday, Sept 12th. Grind up Granite will feature classic and skate race options to race to the top of Rib Mountain with a total climb of 700 feet in 2.5 miles.
US Ski Team: Riding, Running, Roller Skiing, and Racing
August 27, 2021Members of the US Ski team continue their summer prep for the upcoming FIS World Cup and Olympic season with a mix of gym time, trail running, mountain biking, and roller skiing. Toss in a few victories and a course record along the way, and so far the summer has been very rewarding.
Vasaloppet: Swedish Mile Set for Oct 9th
August 27, 2021The Vasaloppet's Swedish Mile returns with a fall festival format on Oct 9th. This year's event features a 10K trail race, 5K Fun Run, Kid's Races, and food, drink, and lots of fall-focused activities for the whole family around the Vasaloppet Nordic Center with proceeds supporting snowmaking and operations.
US Biathlon Summer Championships Recap
August 11, 2021With the 2021-2022 season fast approaching, the 2021 US Biathlon Summer Championships served as the first round of qualifying for international racing, and for some, the first step toward Olympic qualification. A full recap of the event is brought to us by Luke Brown.
Up, Up and Away Classic Rollerski Race this Saturday
August 10, 2021The CXC Rollerski Cup continues this Saturday, Aug 14th, with the Up, Up and Away classic rollerski race uphill at Blue Mound State Park in Wisconsin. The event features additional rollerski divisions, as well as a running race.
Borah Epic Donated to American Birkebeiner
August 5, 2021After nine years, the Borah Foundation is passing ownership of the Borah Epic to the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation.
Machinery Hill Rollerski Criterium Results
August 4, 2021The CXC Rollerski Cup opened up on Tuesday evening with racing action on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, Machinery Hill. The men's open race came down to a photo finish between Brian Gregg and Magnus Boee, Gregg taking the victory, with Adrik Kraftson not far behind in third. The women's open race saw Inga Wing pull away from the field to win by almost seven seconds over Greta Hansen with Elsa Bergman third. In the combined U16 boys, masters men, youngster Daniel McCollor edged out veteran Torry Kraftson for the title, with Jacob Kensy taking third. Results posted, plus video from Caitlin Gregg.
Birkie Lumberjack Run in Hayward this Saturday
July 28, 2021The Birkie Lumberjack 5K Run returns this Saturday, July 31st, to the Lumberjack World Championships Festival. Popular with Midwest skiers, the event rolls through backstreets in south Hayward, starting and finishing at the historic Lumberjack bowl.
Midwest MTB Report
July 27, 2021August is just around the corner, but the weather stays the same: hot and dry. With the same consistency, Jay Richards checks in with another Midwest MTB Report—this one featuring a recap from the MNMBS race at Mount Kato, a brief highlight of the mountain bike events in the Olympics, a peak at the new trails in Cuyuna, and a look ahead to some upcoming events.
Loppet Rollerski Criterium at Machinery Hill Aug 3rd
July 26, 2021The Loppet Foundation is hosting the CXC Rollerski Series kickoff event on Tuesday, August 3rd at Machinery Hill on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds! The event will use matched pair rollerskis with a limited set available so register now!
CXC Rollerski Cup Expands to Five Events
July 25, 2021The CXC Rollerski Cup series will have five events this season, kicking off on August 3rd in the Twin Cities. The series will have additional stops in Blue Mound, Wausau, and Duluth.
Midwest MTB Report
July 13, 2021With the halfway point of the summer fast approaching approaching, Jay Richards reports on racing action from across the country—from the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships in Winter Park, CO, to series racing action back up in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Also included in this week's Midwest MTB Report: a few interesting related items, along with the usual upcoming events.
Shoreline Sprints Recap
July 13, 2021A very competitive field turned out Saturday for the inaugural Shoreline Sprints rollerski races in Rice Lake, WI. Hosted by Out There, with numerous contributing sponsors, the event featured some fast racing by elite athletes. Victories were earned by Zak Ketterson and Nichole Bathe. Check out the full results plus photos and videos from the event, as well as plans for next year!
Birkie Trail Run Hosts National Championships
July 7, 2021The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation has announced that the Birkie Trail Run half marathon, part of Birkie Trail Run Festival events, has once again been named the USA Track and Field (USATF) Half Marathon Trail Championship. The Birkie Trail Run weekend is Sept 24-25, with registration now open.
Team Birkie Reborn
July 2, 2021The Loppet Foundation, CXC Skiing and the American Birkebeiner announce the formation of a new, elite racing team for the Midwest, Team Birkie. Caitlin Gregg will be the head coach for the squad that initially will include Zak Ketterson, Christian Gostout, Julie Ensrud, Amanda Kautzer, and more.
Shoreline Rollerski Sprints Schedule Posted
June 29, 2021Just over 10 days away, the big Shoreline Sprints rollerski races, hosted by Out There shop, now have a detailed schedule posted. There are still some openings for elite/pro skiers to get in on the action. And plan to come out and cheer them on July 10th!