2017 Ely Birkebeiner

 The Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts sponsored the Ely Birkebeiner cross country ski race again this year up on Ward Mountain. They moved it to January, which turned out to work great because we had awesome snow (and then a huge warming trend in much of February).

The kids and I were all planning to race, but then I wasn't feeling so great that morning and really wanted to watch the kids race, which I wouldn't get to do if I raced, so we only registered them. But I put on my skis for a little warmup.

Then we watched the adults take off.

The colorful flags made for a very nice start! The wind was really blowing at the start and it was cold.

The adult skiers were doing about 6 miles in a loop.

They quickly stretched out into a line.

 Then it was time for the kids to go up on the hill to their start.

Desert Girl and Desert Boy were so excited to compete. They had been practicing and really wanted to get a medal.

I went ahead to break trail, as the new snow had covered the old trail. Desert Boy eventually came along. He wasn't the first.

These two sisters were battling for the lead. Their mom said they are super competitive.

After awhile I saw Desert Girl. Remember that cold wind at the start? Well, we didn't feel it in the trees, and she quickly overheated. I started taking layers from her. Then her ski binding broke in a way that we couldn't fix. So she had to just shuffle along with one leg and ski with the other. She was not happy.

This little guy was doing really well. The kids' ski race is pretty short, but there are so few kids doing it that they are spaced out a lot.

At the kids' turnaround I saw my friend Meg on the adult course.

 Then I went back to encouraging Desert Girl with her broken binding.

She got passed, which didn't make her too happy.

But she kept going, and I kept telling her that was the important part.

And we finally made it to the finish line! Desert Boy came in fourth, but when he learned that the three kids that passed him were all siblings and their mom used to teach skiing, he felt a little better. I think he was pretty happy with the way he skied.

There were some group photos and a photo of the medalists. Meg came in second for women!

It was a fun morning, with perfect ski conditions. It's so nice to have the opportunity to participate in an event like this. Thank you, Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts!