He is a World Champion in both cross-country skiing and biathlon, has an Olympic silver medal in his trophy collection, and finished top-3 in the Birkebeiner Triple last year on his first attempt. On Saturday, Lars Berger made a solid start to this year’s race.

It took ten years after retiring before he participated in the Birkebeinerrennet. That was last year. He also finished third in the Birkebeiner Triple on his first try. The experience left him wanting more, and this year, Lars Berger was back for more.

On Saturday, he finished 98th in the elite class at the Birkebeinerrennet. The former world champion in both cross-country skiing and biathlon was quite satisfied with that.

“The start was the toughest. It was fast from the beginning, and I’m honestly in too poor shape to keep up,” says Berger.

For the 45-year-old, the Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet were the two big goals for the winter season. The result for Birkebeiner was 98th place, within the top 100.

“I’m satisfied. I only have one speed now that I’ve passed 45, and that’s semi-hard. But I felt much stronger at the end here than I did in the Vasaloppet,” says Berger.

Also Read:  Andreas Nygaard and Stina Nilsson triumph at Birkebeinerrennet 2025

Still trains daily

Lars Berger retired from the World Cup circuit after the 2014-2015 season with a well-stocked trophy cabinet. He has eight World Championship medals, including four gold (three in cross-country skiing) and four silver, as well as a silver medal from the 2010 Olympics in cross-country skiing.

Now, Berger works with ski camber adjustment at the Madshus ski factory in Biri. But the former world champion still trains daily.

How does your training routine look now compared to when you were competing?
“I still train daily, but I do a lot of ‘stew intensity’ sessions, especially on the bike. On skis and when running, I’m good at going slow when I should and fast when it matters. But on the bike, it often ends up being semi-hard. And I focus much less on specific tasks now.”

Drama in the fight for victory

It was Andreas Nygaard who won the Birkebeinerrennet. The 34-year-old from Team Ragde Charge claimed his fourth consecutive and career’s fifth victory in the prestigious race.

But the battle for the 2025 Birkebeinerrennet was not without drama: A fistfight broke out between two of the eight skiers sprinting for the win.

Petter Northug also had a rough day at Birkebeiner on Saturday. He originally finished in 68th place but was penalized after crossing the finish line.

If you have missed Birkebeinerrennet’s live stream on SC Play, you can re-watch it below:

WATCH HERE ON SC PLAY!