Birkebeinerrennet, the tenth stage of the Ski Classics Pro Tour and the fourth and final Grand Classics event of Season XVII, took place today in Norway.
On a foggy day with temperatures around zero, the men started at 7:45 CET and the women at 8:00 CET. The action started early, and there was a thrilling race in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
With superior performances, Torleif Syrstad and Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, both from Team Engcon, won the 53km long-distance race from Rena to Lillehammer.
BIRKEBEINERRENNET – MEN
Known for its hilly profile, Birkebeinerrennet on the men’s side started fast from the gun, with a long climbing stretch to the first Climb checkpoint.
With about 48km to go, eleven strong athletes at the front created a dangerous gap, leaving several small chasing groups behind.
At Skramstad, 8.4m into the race, ten skiers passed within 7.2 seconds, with Amund Korsæth, Team Ragde Charge, at the front. The first chasing group crossed the checkpoint 14.3 seconds back, with Eirik Sverdrup Augdal, Team Eksjöhus, and Johannes Eklöf, Ski Team Göhlins, leading the chase, and a few of the favorites in the second chasing group already 44.5 seconds back.
With 42km to go, Team Engcon with Syrstad and Bruvoll got a breakaway, soon joined by Riege and Kalland-Olsen. A few kilometers later, Syrstad went solo, opening a solid gap over the first chasers, Riege and Bruvoll.
At Raudfjellet, the first Climb checkpoint of the day and an Iconic Climb at the 19.3km mark, Torleif Syrstad, Team Engcon, crossed first and got maximum points, followed by Amund Riege, Team Aker Dæhlie, and Ole Jørgen Bruvoll, Team Engcon, 48 seconds behind.
The next chasers crossed the checkpoint 52.5 seconds back, and the following group 1:02.8 behind the leader.
At the Kvarstad checkpoint, 27.9km into the race, Syrstad crossed first, followed by a group of eight skiers 1:39.9 behind, including strong names such as Stadaas, Riege, Skaug Mathisen, Korsæth, Bruvoll, Myhlback, Hoel, and Kalland-Olsen.
The second challenging uphill started after Kvarstad, culminating at Midtfjellet, the second and final Climb checkpoint of the day, 34.1km into the race. Torleif Syrstad crossed first, getting maximum points, followed by Kasper Stadaas, Team Aker Dæhlie, in second, 2:45.9 back, and Einar Kalland-Olsen, Lager 157 Ski Team, in third, 2:46.9 behind, with six skiers in the first chasing group.
At 39.4km into the race, with 13km to go, the leading skier, Torleif Syrstad, reached Sjusjøen and started his descent to Lillehammer with a 400-meter drop in elevation, with the chasing group already 3:39.0 behind the leader.
Ultimately, Torleif Syrstad, Team Engcon, won Birkebeinerrennet with a powerful solo breakaway. Syrstad completed the tenth stage of the Ski Classics Pro Tour and the fourth and final Grand Classics event of Season XVII in a total time of 2:20:27.3, less than a minute shy of the course record of 2:19:28 set by Petter Eliassen in 2015.
After a tight fight to the line with the chasing group, Ole Jørgen Bruvoll, Team Engcon, took second place 4:09.5 back. Runar Skaug Mathisen, Lager 157 Ski Team, claimed third place on the podium, 4:09.7 behind the winner.
Birkebeinerrennet – Top 3 Men
- Torleif Syrstad, Team Engcon, 2:20:27.3
- Ole Jørgen Bruvoll, Team Engcon, +4:09.5
- Runar Skaug Mathisen, Lager 157 Ski Team, +4:09.7
Birkebeinerrennet results can be found HERE
BIRKEBEINERRENNET – WOMEN
In the women’s race, the speed was high from the start. Soon, a small group of nine athletes was formed, containing some of the favorites for the day.
At Skramstad, 8.4km into the race, Hedda Bångman, Team Burger King Northug, crossed first, followed by Silje Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, and Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Engcon, with the front group still compact and the first seven skiers crossing the checkpoint within 5.3 seconds, and Stina Nilsson, Team Ragde Charge, already 47.1 seconds back.
With about 40km to go, three skiers, Emilie Fleten, Silje Øyre Slind, and Hedda Bångman, were working well at the front heading to Raudfjellet, with the first chasers a few seconds behind.
At the Iconic Climb Raudfjellet, 19.3km into the race, a group of six skiers crossed within 6.8 seconds, with Silje Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, getting maximum points, followed by Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, and Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Engcon.
At the Kvarstad checkpoint, 27.9km into the race, six skiers crossed within 3.2 seconds, with Øyre Slind first, followed by Bångman, Fleten, Lodin, Gjerde Alnæs, and Lindström.
At Midtfjellet, the second Climb of the day, 34.1km into the race, Silje Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, crossed first, followed by Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Engcon, 0.9 seconds back, and Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, in third, 1.9 seconds behind, with six skiers still in the front group.
At 39.4km into the race, with 13km to go, the leading group formed by Fleten, Øyre Slind, Gjerde Alnæs, and Lodin reached Sjusjøen and began their descent to Lillehammer, with the closest chaser already 41.6 seconds behind.
The final downhill section proved crucial. It was on the descent toward Lillehammer that Gjerde Alnæs and Øyre Slind created the decisive gap. With about 5km to go, the two were at the front, 15 seconds ahead of Lodin and 6 more seconds ahead of Fleten. With 2.4km to go, the gap was still 15 seconds over Lodin, and that lead proved to be enough for a sprint finish between the two leaders.
In the end, Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Engcon, timed her sprint perfectly to win this year’s Birkebeinerrennet with a total time of 2:43:42.2.
Silje Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, took second place, 2.6 seconds behind. Hanna Lodin, Team Engcon, completed the podium in third place, 11.9 seconds behind the winner.
Birkebeinerrennet – Top 3 Women
- Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Engcon, 2:43:42.2
- Silje Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, +2.6
- Hanna Lodin, Team Engcon, +11.9
Birkebeinerrennet results can be found HERE
SKI CLASSICS COMPETITIONS – CURRENT STANDINGS
After Birkebeinerrennet, Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Engcon, and Amund Riege, Team Aker Dæhlie, lead the Champion Bib competition.
Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Engcon, and Gabriel Strid, Team GS8, hold the Green Sprint bib.
Silje Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, and Kasper Stadaas, Team Aker Dæhlie, carry the bib for the Climb Competition. The Pink Youth Bib belongs to Louise Lindström, Team Eksjöhus, and Amund Riege, Team Aker Dæhlie.
Team Engcon is the highest-ranked Pro Team after Birkebeinerrennet Season XVII.
SKIER OF THE DAY BY DEVOLD
In addition to the race results, the Skier of the Day awards were presented after Birkebeinerrennet. Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, and Václav Sedláček, eD system RSJ Team, were voted Skier of the Day by the fans through the Ski Classics App, recognizing their strong performances and impact on the race.
Read More: Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XVII 2025/2026
Next up is the Marcialonga Bodø on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The event marks the eleventh Ski Classics Pro Tour stage of Season XVII.
Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XVII (2025/2026)
Season XVII of the Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 13 events across 9 event weekends in 6 countries.
- Event 1: December 13, 2025 – Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo – Sportgastein, Austria, 7km
- Event 2: December 14, 2025 – Bad Gastein Criterium – Sportgastein, Austria, 36km
- Event 3: January 17, 2026 – Engadin La Diagonela – Pontresina-Zuoz, Switzerland, 47km
- Event 4: January 25, 2026 – Marcialonga – Moena-Cavalese, Italy, 70km
- Event 5: January 30, 2026 – Bedřichov Sprint – Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 1.5km
- Event 6: February 1, 2026 – Jizerská50 – Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
- Event 7: March 1, 2026 – Vasaloppet – Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
- Event 8: March 7, 2026 – Orsa Grönklitt 50k ITT Women – Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
- Event 9: March 8, 2026 – Orsa Grönklitt 50k ITT Men – Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
- Event 10: March 14, 2026 – Birkebeinerrennet – Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 53km
- Event 11: March 21, 2026 – Marcialonga Bodø – Valnesfjord, Norway, 50km
- Event 12: March 28, 2026 – Reistadløpet – Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 35km
- Event 13: March 29, 2026 – Grand Finale Summit 2 Senja – Bardufoss-Finnsnes, Norway, 60km
For more updates and detailed information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour, make sure to visit skiclassics.com
Author: Leandro Lutz
Photo: Reichert/NordicFocus
