Birke champion takes 2nd at U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships

Team Birkie

Sat, Jan  7, 2012 - By Eric Lindquist

Team Birkie Elite Skier and Olympic Hopeful Matthew Edward Liebsch of Orono, Minnesota, placed second at the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Rumford, Maine, on January 5, 2012. Liebsch of Orono, Minn., skied to a second place finish just 2.6 seconds behind first place Tad Elliot of Colorado in the 15 kilometer men’s freestyle competition.

Liebsch, who works full-time and is married with two kids, pulled off his stunning race in Rumford, Maine, the site of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships.  

“The first of the four laps I went out fast.  The second lap my lungs started to burn a little and I felt cold, but then I thought of everyone back home supporting me, especially my wife and kids, so I went as hard as I could the last half of the race,” said Liebsch.

Liebsch, who was down 10 seconds with 2 kilometers to go, pulled down the gap to just 2.6 seconds in the end.  “I just ran out of real estate. If I had another half-mile I would have erased the deficit for sure,” said Liebsch.

Liebsch, featured in Outside magazine in April 2011, won The American Birkebeiner in 2009 as the first American to do so in 17 years.

Liebsch, who skis for the Minnesota-based Team Birkie, is currently sponsored by a number of Nordic ski companies, including Swix, Fischer, Casco, Swenor, the Fix Studio, Gear West and Team Strong Heart, to name a few.