Erling Jevne, the king of the Norwegian Birkebeiner, is excited about the Birkebeiner race on Saturday, despite hitting the wall in that race last year.
“Hitting the wall was a new experience for me. I skied really well and fast in the first part of the race, but then I hit the wall, and it was a really hard race from there to the finish,” Jevne says.
The king of the Birkie admits that he often advises others to start off easy in the 54-kilometer race from Rena to Lillehammer, but that he doesn’t always practice what he preaches.
“I had some really big ambitions, and the fact was that I just went out too hard. That was a real blow to my ego, but in the end it was a useful experience,” Jevne says.
“I feel more and more like a regular age class racer now,” he says humbly.
The sheep farmer, who has seven overall Birkie titles on his resume, owns the course record and is the most winning Birkie racer to date, still has performance ambitions. Except now, they are age class-oriented.
Jevne’s best advice to fellow racers: make sure you get seeded into the right wave. Being in a wave with skiers who are about the same speed is important for the overall experience.
“You waste a lot of energy by trying to pass people and getting in and out of the track,” he explains.
“It’s really frustrating to have to pass people all the time, and it’s very demoralizing to be passed all the time. But if you can find someone to draft, you can really conserve a lot of energy and gain time overall,” Jevne says.
Jevne points out that the Birkie is something entirely different from most marathon races. The Norwegian BIrkie is arguably the hardest race on the international marathon schedule.
“It starts with 17K sustained uphill, and many more to come. Additionally, you feel the backpack with every stride. It only weighs 3.5 kilos, but it drains energy stride for stride,” Jevne says.
“The race is filled with long uphills where you have to stride, as opposed to the Marcialonga where most of the race is a double-pole effort. There is a lot of diagonal striding in the Birkie, and that’s something entirely different,” Jevne explains, adding that he can’t remember how many times he has raced the Birkie.
“I only keep track of the times I win,” the seven-time champion says.
Last year he still won his ageclass, despite hitting the wall at the halfway point.
Jevne grew up in the heart of Birkie territory, in Øyer, and his connection to the Birkie was established early in his childhood.
“I grew up with this race. As kids, the Birkie was something we looked forward to all winter and something we stayed out and watched from start to finish every year,” the 46-year-old recalls.
On Saturday, Jevne is back on the start line for yet another adventure.
“Everyone has a relationship with the Birkie. Either they’ve done it, or they are going to do it or they know someone who has done it or will do it. There is so much positive energy surrounding this event,” Jevne says and leaves no doubt: The King is excited about racing on Saturday.