"You can feel it on the rise
You can see it in their eyes
The tension seems to saturate the air.
At times you almost feel alone
That wind is chilling you to the bone
But look around you now, we're seven thousand strong ..."

Schulz wrote the words to Let the Birkie Grab Your Soul when he was training for Birkie 2000, the largest cross country ski marathon in North America which annually draws 9,000 skiers and 20,000 spectators. Grant funding from the Chequamegon Bay Arts Council (CBAC) in Washburn, Wisconsin, provided the budget to make the song a reality just in time for Birkie 2001.

At a January 31, 2001 meeting, CBAC agreed with Schulz that his song not only captures the spirit of the Birkie for skiers and spectators, it also met their criteria of a project that would benefit area artists.

"This is a unique opportunity for area musicians to work on a song for an international event," said Christina Sauer, CBAC grant coordinator. "We were impressed that John was stepping out of the realm of what he usually does to create art."

CBAC funding allowed Schulz to hire area musicians to record the three minute, 40 second song at the Great Northern Music Center in Ashland. In the final recording, Schulz is featured on vocals, Bill Knobloch on bass, Mike Oien on lead guitar, and Dag Bystrom on percussion.

Schulz started with 10 verses, then edited the material down to capture the essence of the race. With seven Birkies under his belt, he understands what Birkie Fever is all about.

"I tried to capture the tension at the start of the race, the cold as you're waiting for the gun to go off, what it's like out on the trail," he said. "I tried to convey the feeling of being en route, the sense that the Birkie is bigger than life."

"Let the Birkie grab your soul, Push you down the trail, help you lock on your goal.
Let the iron-thighed clusters keep the pace moving strong
So Cable to Hayward won't last very long
As you go, through the snow
With the seed of speed, being all that you need
Let the Birkebeiner grab your soul ."

The Birkie got into Schulz's soul when he left his position as flight physician for NASA in Houston and moved to the northland to work as an anesthesiologist at Memorial Medical Center in Ashland. With superb nordic skiing in his backyard, he began training for his first Birkie. He's been "hooked" since his first race in 1993.

Skiers call it Birkie Fever - the spirit that gets in their minds and bodies and drives them to spend countless hours running, biking, roller blading and skiing in preparation for their annual pilgrimage to the northland to compete, often with themselves, in this grueling event.

Schulz said he worked out the poetry and how he wanted the words of the song to flow when he was between cases in the Operating Room. He carries a dictation machine with him to record song ideas and enjoys hearing those early versions develop to a finished product. Schulz has written numerous folk rock songs as well as theme songs for WhistleStop Marathon in Ashland, Fat Tire in Cable, and Book Across the Bay in Ashland.

Let the Birkie Grab Your Soul is the first event theme song with a budget behind it, and Schulz says it makes a huge difference.

"This is the first time I've been able to hire musicians and professionally record an event song," he said. "The musicians and studio recording put the finishing touches on it. I'm very grateful to the Chequamegon Bay Arts Council for their funding of this project."

When listening to the song, Schulz hopes skiers and spectators visualize the race and hear the noise, feel the tension, see the breath of skiers as the waves move forward. One thing is certain: Schulz's song quickly grows on a person, just like the race itself.

"The masses start to move
Every skier tries to find their groove
That elusive pace that each one wants to wear
The up-hills look so high
And Fire Tower seeks to split the sky
But as you summit her, she'll sing your victory song."

The 2001 Johnson Bank American Birkebeiner, which is part of a Worldloppet series of 14 international ski marathons, part of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Marathon Cup series and part of the American Ski Marathon series, and the 2001 Kortelopet, the half-marathon ski race which will be skied on a new course this year, are the grand finale to three days of shorter races, sprints, family events and equipment demonstrations.

For more information or to register for the 51K Johnson Bank American Birkebeiner, 23K Kortelopet, Hayward Chamber of Commerce Citizen Sprints, Junior Birkie, Chequamegon Telephone 10K, or the Sons of Norway/Swiss Miss Barnebirkie, call 715-634-5025, e-mail [email protected], or log on to www.birkie.com.

Birkie 2001 is sponsored by Johnson Bank, Subaru, Murphy McGinnis Media and other businesses throughout the region and country.