DT Active Life 050617 for web-REVISED

Skis the Birkebeiner:
Before and After
B ill Parks waited forty years between
his first ski marathon and his quest for
the Birkebeiner. Here he shows us that
it’s never too late to take on a challenge.
The 2007 gray Chevy Express van
shows the scars of many North Country
winters and is a lot quieter on the inside
and far emptier. What once was recognizable
all throughout the Adirondacks for
ferrying a dozen or so exuberant Glens
Falls High School Nordic skiers and their
gear to practices and meets now usually
carries just one occupant and his equipment.
The laughter that once resonated
through the van’s interior panels has since
subsided but is not forgotten. The odometer
proudly shows 97,000 miles and the
intrepid van still ably climbs the winding,
sometimes icy, often pot-holed hills of the
North Country that can humble many newer
vehicles. Like Bill Parks, the van has
led a focused and sometimes glorious life.
Like Bill Parks, the van is always ready for
the next challenge.
For Bill, his latest challenge was the
European Birkebeiner that he raced on
March 18. It was a 54 km (33.5 mile)
cross country classic ski race-from Rena
to Lillehammer, Norway-that is steeped in
history, and one Bill has wanted to do for
several years. At age 73, and having retired
from over three decades of teaching
and coaching in the Glens Falls’ school
system, he decided to join racers from all
over the world to take on this historic event
that was first re-enacted in 1932.
The Birkebeiner’s nearly 17,000 racers
typically face a variable terrain that goes
through forests, over mountains and even
over bare rock. All skiers are required to
wear a backpack weighing at least 7.7
pounds. The weighted backpack and the
race itself re-enact the carrying of Prince
Haakon, the 18-month old heir to the Norwegian
throne by two of the Birkebeiner
group’s best Nordic skiers in 1206 as they
safely smuggled him out of Norway to protect
him from death by the hands of their
warring rivals, the Baglers.
The escape included spending a stormy
Christmas Day in a mountain with nothing
but snow to feed the hungry baby Haakon.
They survived that great escape and Haakon
grew to be the sole King of Norway,
uniting the two rival factions. This is why
Lillehammer is the only town in the world
with a skier on its coat of arms.
We caught up with Bill training for the
Birkie on two occasions: the first time was
last Fall when he was rollerskiing on the
Warren County Bikeway, and the second
time was several weeks before he left for
Norway, where we met him on snow at the
Nordic Ski Center at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.
Active Life Magazine asked Bill a round of
questions regarding the Birkie before he
left for the race. This is what he told us:
Active Life: How does your
family feel about you participating in
the Birkie? Any concerns? Anyone
against it?
Bill Parks: Everyone positive and
supportive. My wife was hoping I would
find someone to join me. Once I did, she
gave the seal of approval.
AL: So who will be racing with you
in this year’s race?
BP: Darwin Roosa, who joined me on
my first trip to Norway, will travel with me
and will also be racing. He has done it in
the past.
AL: Have you fully recovered from
your recent hip replacement?
BP: No problems. My orthopedic surgeon
is enthusiastic about my adventure.
I plan to have a Brigham and Women’s
Hospital logo on my pack! I wouldn’t be
there without their repair work!
AL: When was the last time you
participated in a race of this length?
BP: In the late 1970s I did the Vermont
Ski Marathon...60 kms. from South
Lincoln to Brandon. After that, the longest
races were 25 kilometers at the Masters
race of the Empire State Games in the
early to mid 1980s.
AL: Since practicing on snow has
been hard lately, will you be ready for
the race before you leave?
BP: There was a bad spell from Thanksgiving
through early January. I was sick
twice and missed about a week each time.
Lack of snow and a cautious return after
sickness reduced my training big time.
Things have improved rapidly over the last
week and a half. Finishing the distance
shouldn’t be a problem. How speedy I am
will depend on a lot of things, one of which
is how effectively I am able to train.
AL: Have you consulted others who
have raced the Birkie on how to race
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