Homegrown Talkeetna cross country skier, Tazlina Mannix, was one of the top women skiers last Saturday down in Telemark, Wisconsin at the 37th Annual American Birkebeiner Cross Country Ski Race. Mannix placed second in the women;s category, skiing against 690 other women.
The Birkebeiner is North America’s oldest, largest and most prestigious Cross Country Ski Race. This year had the largest number of participants ever, with over 10,000 skiers involved in the festivities. The Governor of Wisconsin fired the starting gun for the race, which featured a field full of international competitors. Italian skier Fabio Santus skied the 52 kilometer (31 1/2 mile course) in a record-breaking 1:56:58. American Rebecca Dussault finished first among the women, followed shortly thereafter by Tazlina, who finished the course in a time of 2:16:49. Both Dussault and Taz broke the previous women’s record for the course.
The American Birkebeiner is modeled after the Norwegian Race of the same name, which – in turn – was inspired by the historic rescue of the infant- who-would-become the celebrated King Haakon Haakonson. The race symbolically re-creates the flight of the infant prince, carried to safety by warriors on skis, who wore protective birch bark leggings called birkebeiners.
Taz took her $3,700 purse with her to France and Slovenia where she will be skiing in Europa Cup Races until the U.S. Distance National Championships in Maine in March. Unfortunately, she’ll miss this years Oosik Classic, but has indicated that she’ll try to make next year’s event.
This report was brought to you by the Denali Nordic Ski Club, home of the best Junior Nordic Skiers in the Upper Susitna Valley!
