Craig Fiedler: Zero to BIRKIE, My Journey to 50k.

AMBASSADÖRK Craig Fielder is skiing his first BIRKIE in 2026. His journey from learning a new sport, living his best life through the absence of alcohol and finding community to help him heal and strive for more - is as inspiring as it is grounding.

With that, let's get to it.

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ambassadörks

Craig: Zero to BIRKIE

In the early winter of 2024, I knew nothing about Nordic skiing technique. I’d often hear as I shared with experienced skiers my interest in skating to skijor exhilaration – “make sure you learn to ski first.” It wasn’t hard to do in that first winter, the focus on learning part, since there was no natural snow to take Molly (my energetic 8-year Catahoula Leopard pup) out for any skijor effort. It wasn’t hard to think about learning and wanting to spend time on skis in the days before I clipped into my bindings and attempted to propel myself forward. But when I did, that first time, it was hard. Real hard. And thank goodness for the lack of natural snow and the inability to tether a highly active hound to me. I needed a lot more time figuring this sport out.

Soon after that first ski experience, I signed up for lessons and learned the basics. I spent as many of the Thursday-Saturday stretches on the trails, figuring out technique and exhausting myself in the process. How was it that so many people made this sport look so effortless?!

Early on I thought: What have I done? A thought that remains ever present. Amidst the struggle and the maxing heart rate I still caught some kind of Nordic ski bug. I remember that first BIRKIE weekend as I pulled into the almost vacant local trailhead parking lot thinking, “Man, I’m missing out!” I wanted to revel in the Birkie-verse (even if I wasn’t to ski). The buzz. The community. The sport and all the gear that would be on full display at the expo. Alas, I’d wait it out. I’d shoot the BIRKIE folks an email in early March and ask when registration for the 2026 race weekend would open (May 1). And then I’d find myself pulled up to my laptop that morning, filling out an American Birkebeiner 50k Skate Race registration for 2026.

Uh. What have I done?

Stepping back for a moment. In February 2022, I came to terms with my inability to drink alcohol – my life had indeed become unmanageable.

At the time, it was a very sad realization. For years prior, I contemplated the need to “quit” or to “cut back” or to “drink only beer” or “to drink starting no earlier than 5pm,” and that list went on as I attempted to control my drinking. Perhaps I wouldn’t drink during the week? Only Friday and Saturday nights? And I always told myself, as I woke up each morning, that I was done. That this was it. But the cycle continued daily for years.

In February 2022, the “great breakup” was daunting. Alcohol had been a companion, a best friend, someone (or something rather) that was always there for me, lifted me up when I was down. The absence in chasing a buzz or an escape left me feeling alone.

Over time, I came to realize that the loneliness was softened by community. A community of people who have also struggled with addiction. I found in AA meetings people who shared their stories of heartbreak and success. Those who crawled through the first days of recovery alongside people who knew the struggle and had the tools to share.

The decision to stop drinking and to attend my first meeting was the hardest decision I’ve made in my life. It was hard, very hard, in those first few days, weeks, and months. Birthdays, holidays, football games, and celebratory occasions, the hard day at work all came in those first months and years with no alcohol escape. So, I did the only thing I could - I listened and learned, I picked up tools and tips to battle a craving and wave off a feeling for a drink.

I was doing it. Slowly but surely.

Endurance sports were never really on my radar until 2022. As some stories go – I met a girl. And in ’22 she introduced me to the joy to be found in running. It was hard, too. What began with slow trail jogs and my first 3-mile pavement run morphed into a full-blown passion for all things running. I trained for my first 10-mile race that Fall and soon after found myself signing up for a marathon for the following year.

What have I done?

Maybe you’re seeing the connection now… the thread.

I had that feeling when I signed up for my first marathon and the two that followed. I felt that in November of 2025 when I signed up for my first ultra-marathon this summer. And I found it in the checkout line of Joe’s Sporting Goods with a multi-hundred-dollar tab for nordic ski equipment.

I guess I find some resolve in the fact that I often question my life decisions.

I gave up drinking. What have I done?

I started running. What. Have. I. Done?

I signed up for my first BIRKIE? I need to see a therapist.

In all the hard things. The real hard things, I’ve found success in the work. The training. The hours, days, and months needed to figure out what I’m doing. Time and more time to chip away and learn the technique, gain some confidence, and go do the thing. Expect some kind of failure and imperfection. Embrace the fact that I can only control what I can control and let the rest go. Figure it out along the way.

Mostly though, what gets me through these winter training days is community (and thinking about the Birkie elevation map). I need community. I needed that support when I walked through those AA doors for the first time. I needed a sounding board and invested partner to counsel me through my first (and many other) running experiences. And I need the Nordic community.

What have I done signing up for a 50k ski race with little skied snow miles? Not sure. My Birkie won’t be perfect. Spoiler – I won’t be on the podium. I’m going to roll with it one day, one kilometer at a time and enjoy the ride.

Zero to Birkie. Let’s do this!

Craig Fiedler is a recovering alcoholic, converted road and trail runner that fell into a passion for distance running and now, with skate skis and skijor gear, a confirmed registration for the '26 BIRKIE, and not a real clue what he's doing. You may see him and Molly out on the trails - say "hi" - and join him in the profanities and chilled Snickers. You can find him on the grid as @ct_fields

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the closer What We're Thinking About.

That Craig has unlocked the key to life.