Ultrabirken / Bjerkebækk

This weekend was Ultra-Birken and Birkebeiner løpet. This is a series of events, skiing, mountain bike, and running, that are held in the mountains east of Lillehammer and commemorate the trekk made by a bunch of viking warriors as they carried a toddler king over the mountains to Trondheim to save him from assassins. Husband is running the ultramarathon version this year, since he got sick last year and had to cancel. 

We drove up to Sjusjøen where the start point was the evening before and had a lovely visit with our good friend Nils and his lovely lady friend, Eli. They made us dinner and we spent the night. Next morning bright and early I dropped Husband off to start at 8:00 am. 

Start Arena

Getting ready to start - with encouragement from Lucy

Ready

Everyone waiting at the start line

Not sure where Husband is in the throng

While Husband started on his 62 K run over the mountains to Lillehammer, I went back to the cabin, walked Lucy and had breakfast with my friends before driving down to Lillehammer. I still had some time to kill and discovered that Sigrid Undset's house Bjerkebækk was just across the street from the Arena. 

Thither Lucy and I repaired for an hour or so of peace in the lovely gardens. We wandered through the wood and gardens, and sat on a bench just listening to the silence and the bird song, taking in the scent and colors of the flowers, reading and meditating. 

Main House of Bjerkebækk

Well

Ridderspore

The main house from the bench on which we sat.

This little guy sat just in front of us, unafraid. 

Woodland path at Bjerkebækk

Leaving Bjerkebækk

Across the street at Håkon's Hall was a whole other world. Runners, spectators vendors, blaring music, results coming over the loudspeaker, the smells of barbeque... Lucy and I found a place at the top of the hill where the track came out of the woods before decending steeply in zig-zags to the finish line. White bibs meant regular runners doing the 21 km regular run and that's what there were most of. The ultramarathoners had red and white striped bibs. 

Håkons Hall Finish Arena

Husband coming out of the woods for the last few hundred meters

Running down the last hill

Coming through the finish line.

Husband was satisfied with his race. He finished in the top 1/3. I must say I became somewhat inspired myself. Not to run, exactly, but maybe to start taking longer walks.