Norwegian Birkebeiner race blown away...

Sun, Mar  16, 2014 - By Nina Berglund

Report from News in English (Norway):

Around 17,000 eager skiers were halted at the starting line Saturday morning, prevented from racing 54 kilometers over the mountains between Rena and Lillehammer. Organizers of this year’s popular Birkebeiner race felt compelled to cancel it, claiming that strong winds made it irresponsible to send the racers into a storm.

The cancellation disappointed the thousands of skiers who had paid their registration fees, arranged transport to Rena and home from Lillehammer and were ready to race. It was hard for many of them to understand the reason for the cancellation, since the weather both in Rena and in Lillehammer was brilliant, with sunny skies and barely a breeze.

Full story: Strong winds halt Birkebeiner race

After delaying the 2014 Birkebeinerrennet by an hour, officials finally cancelled the race.