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James Netz / Courtesy American Birkebeiner
Barkie Birkie
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James Netz / Courtesy American Birkebeiner
Barkie Birkie
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James Netz / Courtesy American Birkebeiner
Barkie Birkie
It’s too bad those two birchleggings-clad warriors who escaped on skis to safety with Prince Haakon during the Swedish civil war didn’t have a way to hook themselves up to a few trail-pounding dogs.
The legendary escape of the child who would become King Haakon IV inspired the American Birkebeiner (named for the old Norse reference to that birch bark), but if those fellows could have used dogs, they would have really been flying.
That’s certainly what Michelle Flanagan-Haag would tell you, as the seasoned skier of the human Birkie discovered her first time out with the skijoring race called the Barkie Birkie that takes place a couple days before the major marathon in February.
Michelle says she agreed only reluctantly to join her husband, Mike, who had raced one of their two golden retrievers, Mr. Finn, the year before. They had another golden, Brewster, who “fell in love with Mr. Finn,” Michelle explains.
James Netz / Courtesy American Birkebeiner
Barkie Birkie
Mike said Brewster needed to race, too. Michelle gave him good excuses: “I’ll break my skis” and “I’m not coordinated like you.”
“You know what Brewster would say,” came Mike’s response.
So Michelle found herself joining another dog during the two-at-a-time release system at the Barkie Birkie starting line. Mr. Finn and Mike had already started earlier.
“It’s a big fiasco of skis and dogs,” Michelle chuckles, remembering that first race fondly. The starts are timed just 15 seconds apart, keeping the pace lively and the chaos high if a dog doesn’t quite know the routine. There is a 3K race for novices and fun seekers and 5K race for experts.
Michelle figured she’d just take it easy. Brewster figured he’d catch up to family.
“He was hell bent to get to his brother, Finn. I wasn’t competing at all, but Brewster sure was. I was just waterskiing. … You just are hanging on. … It’s like getting on a rollercoaster.”
They placed among the top women contenders that first go-round and Michelle has joined in other Barkies. “It’s so fun because they close the main street off,” she says.
Everyone there loves skiing and dogs, and it’s just a high-energy joy for all involved.
That’s probably why the event has been gaining popularity since it became part of the Birkie week of events in several years ago.
The Birkie team didn’t start out to organize two skijoring races, says Connie Mack, the main coordinator of the Barkie. “Prior to that for a couple years, they had a demonstration of skijoring on Main Street.”
About 50 to 80 racers enter the events, she says. They probably can handle a few more. The main growth hasn’t been so much in the racers, as in the crowds that now turn out to line Main Street to enjoy the show. “The spectators love that race,” Connie says. “For the racers, it’s the fact that we have so many spectators watching on Main Street.”
For the dogs, well let’s just say trained dog sled teams aren’t the only canines who thrill to some hard running. “We’ve had miniature poodles to Irish wolfhounds,” Connie says. “One of the people who comes back every year has a miniature poodle, and the poodle runs behind her. It works for her and the dog.
James Netz / Courtesy American Birkebeiner
Barkie Birkie
“Not only is it fun to watch,” she adds, “but it’s also fun to listen, especially if you’ve got huskies baying and howling.”
Some spectators are as surprised as Michelle was at the dogs’ determination to run, says Ben Popp, the executive director of American Birkebeiner. “They are amazed at how fast some people go. Other dogs turn around and sit down. It’s a fun, entertaining event.” He adds that the experienced human-dog teams finish the 5K in 25 minutes or less, while the 3K can actually take three-quarters of an hour for the inexperienced teams.
There is a registration fee to compete in the event. “The proceeds from the event we use to support the Northwoods Humane Society,” Ben says. “It’s a big fundraiser for them.”
Skijoring as a recreational activity off the course certainly has gained popularity. Like the Birkebeiner itself, the name has a Norwegian origin. Skikjøring, or “ski driving,” has been around as a sport for hundreds of years, but the skiers used reindeer rather than dogs. Horses have also been used, according to the Barkie Birkie website, but dogs are by far the most popular (and probably the easiest) partners in the tandem ski activity.
As for Michelle, who has caught Brewster’s enthusiasm for the event, she finds the Barkie before the Birkie fits nicely it her preparation for the main event. She and Mike are among the elite wave in the 10,000 strong 51/55K American Birkebeiner race.
“It’s actually a nice warm up,” she says of the skijoring. “And it burns up a lot of the dogs’ energy.”