Blog name

(Rescue of Haakon Haakonsson, painted by Knud Bergslien 1869)

I had a couple of people ask me about what my blog name meant, so this entry is in response to those inquiries.

I was having trouble coming up with a blog name and asked my 15 year old son Jakob to help brainstorm some ideas that related specifically to running, trail running and ultras. We came up with all kinds of crazy names, but in the end, nothing really seemed to fit. Later that night we teamed up with my wife Michelle and she mentioned using a translation of the Norwegian ski race name "Birkebeiner" to English, which is "birch legs". This seemed to fit well because my last name, Bjerkness (Norwegian) translates as "birch point".

My relatives came from an island in Norway called Byrknesoy or "birch point island". When arriving in America the spelling was changed slightly to "Americanize" the name, even though it may not seem so American. We still have some relatives that live on that island and also in Bergen, a city on the east coast.

So why not just name the blog "birch point"? Well, we thought having legs in the name was a good fit for running, but especially relevant to trail running, as birch trees are very prevalent in the forests of Minnesota and Norway alike.

Now for a Norwegian history lesson:

Birkebeiner is a term for a ski race but it means so much more than that to the people of Norway. In 1206 the Birkebeiner (named so because of the birch leggings used to keep snow away from their lower legs while skiing) set out on a dangerous mission to rescue the future king of Norway, Haakon Haakonsson IV, from the Swedes (see photo above). In fact, part of their route is the current course for the cross-country ski race, Birkebeinerrennet, from Rena to Lillehammer. In this race, it is required to carry a pack weighing 3.5 kg in remembrance of this brave mission.

In Norway it is remarkable how many people run, hike, ski, orienteer, bike or otherwise recreate in the woods and mountains around their country, not unlike the trail running community here. Having lived there for a year in Hammar, I was able to experience the joy of these activities first hand, which has impacted my life tremendously.