@
spopepro The Birkie is sort of the NYC Marathon of ski races, and all the others are more like your local 4th of July half marathon. The Birkie is worth doing at least once. You could do it in a long day trip from Blaine (and people do), but it's easiest to stay up there the night before, at least.
With local family, you should really come and do the Loppet. It's 37k, point-to-point, on classic-only trails, all in the city. This year the classic race is February 4th, and registration is still open. We have very good snow right now. Find a plane ticket and jump in.
https://www.loppet.org/events/marathon-puoli-tour-ski/
Further afield are the Finlandia in Bemidji, the Pepsi Challenge at Giants Ridge, and Sleeping Giant by Thunder Bay. They're all great races, but require more travel.
Finlandia:
https://www.minnesotafinlandia.com
Pepsi Challenge:
https://www.pepsichallengeskirace.com/pepsi.php
Sleeping Giant:
https://www.sleepinggiantloppet.ca/50km_classic.html
There's also the Vasaloppet by Mora, which is about an hour north of Blaine. It's a flatter course and they've struggled with poor snow conditions in recent years. However, it has a reputation as a good event when they have the snow to pull it off.
https://vasaloppet.us/race-weekend/2...week-schedule/
Let us know how it goes!
If you happen to just be visiting sometime and want to ski, you can find current conditions here:
https://www.skinnyski.com/trails/reports.asp Elm Creek is usually the best skiing on the north side of town.