The Birk-e-what?
The American Birkebeiner is the longest cross country ski marathon, or loppet, in North America. It is part of the Worldloppet circuit that is made up of over 20 cross country ski marathons raced around the world.
Needless to say, this race is big event that brings in around 10,000 skiers from around the world to give the "Birkie" or the shorter Korteloppet or "Kortie" a try.
From the American Birkebeiner website.
Some logistics of the event:
10,000 skiers, plus thousands of spectators, support crews, and media come to the race that's finish line is on Main Street Hayward, Sawyer County Wisconsin.
Hayward, WI population: 2,318
Sawyer County, WI total population 18,074
ARES/RACES Volunteers
With more people from across the country and around the world, than live in the county showing up for the races, the event needs a lot of volunteers to make it work.
The Washburn County ARES/RACES coordinates volunteer amateur radio operators to be at the checkpoints along the route of the 55Km Berkie and the 29Km Kortie to relay information of any race drop outs to need control, and provide a backup for emergencies services, if a need should arrive.
The amateur operators relay information for the race checkpoints to Net Control, that is located in a communications trailer provided by the Wisconsin Emergency Management, parked outside a municipal building a few miles outside of Hayward. Inside the municipal building is a temporary dispatch center for the weekend event.
Coordinated Multiple Agency Event
The mobile dispatch center that is setup takes the strain off Sawyer County's emergency services dispatch by handling all things related to the race. Law Enforcement Officers and Deputies from other counties, along with DNR Wardens, Wisconsin State Patrol, EMS crews, Ski Patrol and others coordinated to handle road closures, crowd control, medical emergencies, etc.
This takes a lot of work organizing the logistics to keep the event running safe and smooth. So this event is great real world practice for multiple agency coordination.
Great Practice for Hams Too
This is why I am a big proponent for amateurs who take emergency preparedness seriously to volunteer for events like marathons, bike races, etc. that could use comms support. Get out into the field and practice. Sharpen your skills, prove out your gear, and network with like minded individuals. Find out what works and doesn’t with both tactics and gear. Build skill, gain experience, and improve your game.
My Takeaways from Berkie 2023
Last year I dipped my toes into the Berkie by volunteering for the shorter Korteloppet race and got hooked on the event. So this year I volunteered for both races that have comms support coordinated by Sawyer County ARES/RACES.
My biggest take away was I brought too much gear with, which I cover in detail in the attached video.
I ended up being Net Control for the main race, which was unexpected. At the last minute, the operator who normally runs Net Control couldn't make it to the race, so I was assigned the position.
Believe it or not, being Net Control was not that daunting or difficult. Traffic for an event like this flows pretty smoothly, and the majority of the operators at the checkpoints were experienced. The average POTA pile up is way more difficult that being Net Control for cross country skit marathon with thousands racing. This is one of the reasons I am an advocate for preparedness minded hams to participate in SOTA and POTA. Great skill building practice.
Always the Prepper at Heart
With the distance the races cover and topography of the course, it can be a challenge to get into one of the two repeaters used for the event. The checkpoint I've been at the last two years, I have been able to get into both repeaters full quieting with one of my Yaesu VX-6's with it's stock antenna.
However a few of checkpoints don't have that luxury. Some found they need to use their mobile rig in there vehicle, or setup a cross band repeat. Yet others at the same locations in the past could use their H/Ts without issue.
Since next year I may be assigned to one of the more challenging locations, I am going to do abit of research and testing on my own. I plan to visit those checkpoints during the warm weather and long days of summer to see what works for me.
Equipment and skill varies from operator to operator, so I want to see what I can do with my rigs and current abilities. Prove them both out well in advance so I bring the right tools for the job and use them the correct way right from the start. Sure will beat scrambling in the cold while others are counting on me.
Pictures from the 2023 American Birkebeiner
