As you read the story there is a growing sense of inevitability that Gwen will achieve greatness in her discipline as she comes out of essentially nowhere and quickly begins to achieve podium results against world class competition. You get glimpses about the author's private lives as well which add a complete context to Gwen's story.Įlizabeth and Nancy Jorgensen always write with an affection and support that never falls into adulation and they present Gwen as humble, disciplined, and highly dedicated to her craft. There are many of those moments captured in the pages of this book. You can watch Olympic coverage all your life and never be privy to the quiet moments when a family enjoys sweet bread together from a street vendor in a distant country. But what I most appreciated about this book was the kind relationships and support group that exists within the family unit. Go, Gwen, Go does a great job of detailing Jorgensen's remarkable string of victories. Truly great books manage to capture something that makes the final result more than the sum of the parts. Go, Gwen, Go fits somewhere in between those extremes as it is written by Gwen's sister Elizabeth and her mother Nancy who are gifted writers with the access and confidence that is only available to family. There are the books written by the athletes themselves which tend to be a bit overly technical, and then there are the books written by professional writers that tend to be too distant from the athletes and the sport. There are a lot of books about the Olympic journey out there and they generally fall into two categories. Go, Gwen, Go follows the career of Olympic gold medalist and dominant world class triathlete Gwen Jorgensen. They thrill at the prospect of participating shoulder to shoulder with elite international competitors in a wild race through the great Northwoods wilderness.Authors: Nancy Jorgensen and Elizabeth Jorgensen ,Īn Intimate Glimpse Into the Olympic Journey

Prior to the race, local participants find themselves in the throes of a unique and natural euphoria. Every year, thousands of people journey from all over the globe to Hayward, Wisconsin, for a world-class celebration of life, winter, and the competitive spirit. America's greatest cross-country ski race is the American Birkebeiner or 'Birkie' for short. The fear of blinding snow or paralyzing cold does not deter them, and it has been said that skiers do not merely laugh at adversity they are completely oblivious to its existence.

The compulsion to race marathon-length distances in subfreezing conditions requires an eternally optimistic and fiercely independent spirit.

Beyond Birkie Fever by Walter Rhein