Rhemalda Publishing, Wenatchee, WA (MMD Newswire) January 27, 2012 -- Dave Landgraf, a national master's champion cross-country skiier and "founder" of America's greatest ski race, the American Birkebeiner, was tragically killed in the summer of 2011 while training on his bicycle. Although well past retirement age, Dave was still competitive with elite athletes from all around the world and participated in the world's masters championships in Fallun, Sweden in 2011.
Landgraf is a legend in the Wisconsin cross-country skiing community, and his achievements as an athlete are quite remarkable. In addition to his master's championship, Landgraf completed every one of the 38 American Birkebeiners, a 50 km cross-country ski race held in Hayward, Wisconsin, often in sub-freezing conditions.
In December of 2010, author Walter Rhein was putting the final touches on his cross-country skiing memoir Beyond Birkie Fever, a novel published in October 2011 by Rhemalda Publishing. The novel is a collection of tales that capture the unique appeal of a sport as grueling and physically demanding as cross-country skiing. Rhein's ambition was to write "the definitive 'Birkie' book," to promote and further popularize the sport. However, he quickly realized that he couldn't call his book "definitive" if it didn't contain a contribution from Dave Landgraf.
On New Year's Eve 2010, Rhein visited Landgraf at his home and interviewed him about his experience in the very first American Birkebeiner. The interview was as much to preserve Landgraf's story as it was to generate a historical record of one of America's great races. The Landgraf interview about the first Birkie is as culturally significant as an account from the first Boston Marathon would be.
Rhein recorded and transcribed the interview, and it appears as the prologue of Beyond Birkie Fever with a mention of David Landgraf's participation in the book on the cover. Landgraf himself gave the prologue his seal of approval, although he unfortunately wasn't able to see the finished product.
Since Landgraf's passing, Rhein has been working closely with Emalea Landgraf to set up some foundations in her father's honor. Emalea has established a non-profit foundation called "Ski Strong" which is meant to generate funds to help develop young skiers. The retail bike and ski store CyclovaXC in St. Croix Falls also offers a skiing hat that says "Ski Like Landgraf!" with all proceeds going to charity.
Walter Rhein was born in northern Wisconsin. As he grew up, he developed a deep appreciation for cross-country skiing, the American Birkebeiner, and the Worldloppet circuit. His pursuit of international cross-country ski races sparked a powerful wanderlust that resulted in a ten-year period living and working in South America. However, a true skier cannot resist the call of winter forever, and Rhein has recently relocated to Wisconsin. He currently contributes articles to the run, bike and ski blog at http://cyclova-xc.blogspot.com/ and writes novels for Rhemalda Publishing. Feel free to contact him for questions or interviews at walterrhein@gmail.com, and be sure to check out his personal website atwww.LetItRhein.com and his blog at http://www.streetsoflima.com.
Beyond Birkie Fever can be purchased in paperback or as an ebook from Rhemalda Publishing, online retailers or your local bookstore.
Beyond Birkie Fever ISBN: 978-1-936850-02-0