Birkebeinerrennet, the Norwegian long-distance race from Rena to Lillehammer, is not one of the longer races of the Ski Classics circuit. Still, it has one of the most demanding courses. The 54-kilometer starts with a long uphill, with just a short downhill before going for the second climb.

Just like it happens with Vasaloppet, winning Birkebeinerrennet is one of the most prestigious achievements in long-distance skiing. Tomorrow, many Pro Tour athletes will line up at the starting line with the ambition of being the first skier to cross the finish line.

Last year, Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge, was the first athlete to cross the finish line in a tight finish against Max Novak, Team Aker Dæhlie, and Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team. And on the women’s side, Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, became the first woman to win Birkebeinerrennet using only the double-poling technique in a fight against Therese Johaug and Emilie Fleten.

The Favorite Women Athletes To Win Birkebeinerrennet 2023

The competition will be engaging on the women’s side. Last year, Astrid fought with Therese Johaug and Emilie Fleten and became the first woman to win Birkebeinerrennet double-poling. Will she be able to win again this year?

Astrid has an awe-inspiring performance. Astrid seems to have never-ending energy with victories in the Ski Classics, medals at the World Championships, and podiums at the World Cup.

Especially after finishing 2nd place last week at Holmenkollen 50km, Øyre Slind seems to be the top contender to win this year’s Birkebeinerrennet. 

“I have really strong memories from last year, like feeling so strong during the race and seeing Therese Johaug struggling a bit. That was a first time.”

However, Astrid has been doing less double-poling than her competitors, so she says this race will not be a walk in the park. 

“Hopefully, I have been double-poling enough to hang in there.”

However, there is another strong contender for victory. Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, is one of the favorite skiers to win, not only because of her success two weeks ago at Vasaloppet but also because of how she performed at Birkebeinerrennet 2022. 

Emilie fought with two of the world’s best skiers, Astrid Øyre Slind and Therese Johaug, losing just by 20 seconds at the finish line. The Norwegian athlete showed that time how strong she was in this course.

Emilie is coming from an impressive victory this year, plus many podiums throughout the season. If she recovered fully after Vasaloppet, it is safe to say that her double-poling power may even be stronger than Astrid’s capacity.

“I think it is going to be a hard race, and I hope to be fast the whole way and have some power left at the finish,” Emilie says during the pre-event interview.

Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, is another possible winner tomorrow. The Norwegian skier has shown her strength this season, especially with her victories at Marcialonga and Jizerská50. Moreover, she is in 2nd place in the Yellow Champion bib competition.

Moreover, Magni did not race Birkebeinerrennet since she became a professional long-distance skier, but back in 2018, when she ran it just for fun, she ended in the 8th position. 

And at that time, she was focused on traditional cross-country skiing. With her double-poling development over the last year, Magni will probably be strong enough to chase the victory.

The Favorite Men Athletes To Win Birkebeinerrennet 2023

Although Emil Persson has already guaranteed his Champion title, Birkebeinerrennet will still be competitive. Norwegian skiers have been winning for over ten years, but the same was happening in Vasaloppet, and Emil Persson was able to finish the Norwegian dominance. Could Emil repeat the achievement?

Persson has the best shape of his life and is strong enough to be the first athlete to cross the finish line. As a matter of fact, Emil was just one second behind Nygaard last year, and his shape, especially his uphill double-poling capacity, was not as good as it is nowadays. Emil Persson will be the man to beat at Birkebeinerrennet.

Andreas Nygaard is also a strong contender. Despite being in good shape, the Norwegian athlete has yet to win a race this season. The problem is that Emil has been able to stop him. But this time, the race will happen in his home country, and his motivation might be high.

“My shape has not been good enough to win races in Ski Classics, so I am quite satisfied to getting podiums almost every race,” says Nygaard during the pre-event interview. 

“Birken is a course that suits me very well, and I have won it a couple of times before. Hopefully, I will be up there once again. I will try to have a good position in the last 300 meters,” says Nygaard, referring to the new race finish.

Finally, there will be another Swedish athlete chasing the victory. Max Novak was the second skier to cross the finish line last year, just 0.7 seconds behind Andreas Nygaard. Max Novak has already shown that the Norwegian course suits him well, and just like Nygaard, he is looking for his first victory of the season. However, Max is currently classified as the 2nd best Pro Tour athlete at the Champion competition, so aside from Emil, who has already sealed his first place, Max is now leading the athletes still fighting for positions.

Birkebeiner 2023 Will Be A Competitive Race

It is difficult to identify a winner or even the favorite skiers. Since Birkebeinerrennet is one of the most prestigious races on the calendar, many strong skiers want to take this victory.

Despite the champion bib having been taken by Emil Persson, he still wants to win, especially winning a prestigious race in Norway. But Nygaard has been in good shape and may finally find his winning form at home.

On the women’s side, the podium may be decided by three Norwegian women: Astrid, Emilie, and Magni. But another contender, like Ida Dahl, may surprise and take the victory on Saturday.

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedrichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 12km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 67km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.