When Anna Dehler visited with her patients at Essentia Health Monday morning, she admitted she was a little sore.
The nurse practitioner at the International Falls clinic spent the weekend alongside her husband, Tom, competing in the 2015 American Birkebeiner, known as the Birkie, the largest and one of the longest cross-country ski races in North America.
“This year was more challenging for the both of us physically because we weren’t in as good of shape as we were five years ago,” Dehler said of the race.
The Birkie features two premier events – the 54-kilometer (34 miles) classic, of which the Dehlers competed in, and the 50-kilometer (31 miles) freestyle race from Cable to Hayward, Wis. Each year, about 10,000 skiers compete in the Birkie, along with the 26-kilometer Kortelopet and 12-kilometer Prince Hakkon events.
Although she has raced competitively before, this was her first time suiting up for the Birkie, Dehler said. The couple has been out of the competitive racing scene for the past five years, she added.
“I have done five Kortelopet races and this year was my first time doing the full Birkebeiner,” she said. “Tom has done three Birkies, so this was his fourth.”
Dehler placed 789th overall with a time of 4 hours and 49 minutes and Tom placed 483rd overall with a finish time of 4 hours and 16 minutes.
“After being competitive skiers at one point, it is a great challenge to become satisfied with your performance when you know how much better you were at one point,” she said. “This is something I have struggled with since college, but I have really worked hard at being able to enjoy the experience and the atmosphere of the racing event rather than focus on the end result or place.”
Match making
It was the sport of skiing that brought Dehler and her husband together. Both began strapping on skis at a young age and met while competing on a ski team in college.
The sport, Dehler said, serves as an easy stress reliever for her.
“I love being able to get out and enjoy the woods,” she said. “It is an adventure to explore new trails and visit old ones.”
And while the tranquility of skiing is settling, so is the competitive side, Dehler said. In 2010, she competed in the Kortelopet and finished in sixth place for women, 29th overall. Tom’s best place was 12th overall for the classic Birkie in 2006, she said.
“We were very competitive,” Dehler said. “After college, we took a five-year break from ski racing, but continued to ski for fun.”
Even though the intent over the last five years has been to ski for fun, Dehler said there is still friendly competition between the two.
“We like to be competitive with each other and also push each other to be the best we can,” she said. “When we are out for a ski, usually one of us will start skiing fast and say, ‘Race ya,’ and we will sprint for a few seconds. It is fun.”
Training at ease
Preparing in Borderland for last weekend’s race was easy. The Tilson Creek Ski Trails are some of her favorites, she said.
“(The trails) are great for beginners through advanced skiers,” she said. “The scenery is beautiful and the trails are really well maintained. I think people tend to overlook what is right in their backyard.”
As the couple eases back into racing competitively, Dehler said there will still be room for new goals and enjoying the sport.
“It was more fun racing without the pressure or expectations,” she said. “Before racing this year’s Birkie, we set goals of finishing in under five hours and the goal of enjoying the experience of the race along the way.”
