Exploring the public health reach of the Birkebeiner races,. Norway's ultimate ... Introduction. ⢠Birkebeiner races (BR) are a series of mass-participation sporting.
Sport for all? Exploring the public health reach of the Birkebeiner races, Norway’s ultimate mass-participation sporting events G. Calogiuri, S. Moss, K. Fagerheim, J. Highton, C. Twist, N. McWhannell, K. Green, M. Thurston
Introduction •
Birkebeiner races (BR) are a series of mass-participation sporting events taking place in Inland Norway every year
•
in 2016 it attracted ~30,000 adult participants
•
BR have a relevant economic impact on the tourism industry of the region (almost 80% of participants come from other regions or from abroad)
•
Some argue that BR, like other mass-participation sporting events, can contribute to exercise promotion in the Norwegian population
The Birkebeiner Races (BR) The Birkebeinerennet (main ski event) was inspired by an historical event: members of the Birkebeiner (a group of fighters during Norway’s 1200 civil war) brought the King’s baby son to safety, skiing from Lillehammer to Trondheim, a long and perilous journey through mountains and forests. “Birkebeinerne” by Knud Bergsliens (1869)
The Birkebeiner Races (BR) Different sporting events throughout the year Ski (March)
Run (June)
Biking (August)
The Birkebeiner Races (BR) Different categories and arrangements
Main events
Ultra-endurance events
• • •
• • •
Birkebeinerrennet (ski) 54 km Birkebeinerrittet (bike) 86 km Birkebeinerløpet (run) 21 km
Friday events • •
FredagsBirken ski 54 km FredagsBirken bike 86 km
UltraBirken bike120 km Mountain marathon 42 km UltraBirken run 60 km
The Birkebeiner Races (BR) Different categories and arrangements
Half-distance events
Other special events
HalvBirken ski 28km HalvBirken bike 41km HanvBirken run 12km
Children and youths (ski, cycle, run) StafettBirken (ski, teams) 50km Women-only ski 5/15/30km
The Birkebeiner Races (BR)
Track profile of the main ski event (54 km)
The Birkebeiner Races (BR)
Track profile of the Women ski (15km)
An exercise promotion arena? "Recreational exercisers escape from Birken"
Participation rates in the main Birken ski event have decreased, as opposed for example to the Swedish Vasaloppet. “There is a different culture in Norway. You don’t show up unprepared. In Sweden you can participate just for the fun of it … you can participate without worrying about your performance.”
An exercise promotion arena?
Our Study Aims •
To provide descriptive statistics of the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and exercise patterns;
•
To investigate associations with future participation intention;
•
To explore participants’ perceptions by performing a thematic analysis of qualitative data (not presented today).
Subjects and data •
Data retrieved from market-surveys carried out by Birken AS in 2016
•
Overall n = 11,029 (response-rate ≈ 44%)
•
Age > 15 years
Event
Total participants (n)
Respondents (n)
Response rate (%)
Main ski Friday ski Half ski Women ski Total for skiing events Main bike Friday bike Half bike Ultra bike Total for biking events Main run Half run Total for running events
