Norseman 4 August 2012 race report

Lars Nordhild Rønning

My fascination with Norseman began in 2005, back in the days when I was running Active Sports and was the distributor for Xterra Wetsuits in the UK and Scandinavia. I had just completed my first Ironman – Ironman Lanzarote – and saw the most amazing pictures from a crazy, cult-like race in Norway called Norseman.

After Lanzarote in May 2005 I decided to register for Half-Ironman UK and Norseman, both to take place in August that same year, as well as Active Sports, Jan Sibbersen and Xterra sponsored the race. But in June and July I did no training at all. I pulled out of Half-Ironman after the bike and less than a week before Norseman I came to realize that I was not in shape to take on the challenge. You just don’t do races like those on routine alone.

So what is Norseman? It’s probably the world’s hardest ironman distance race and nothing but fascinating…: At 5 in the morning you jump into freezing cold water from a ferry and swim the 3.8k back to shore, through a 400m deep, dark fjord. Then follows a very challenging 180k bike section which starts with a 35k climb and takes you over 5 small mountains, featuring almost 3k of climbing. To top it all off, the marathon starts with 25 easy kilometres, but then turns left into “Zombie Hill” – a 9k stretch with 10% incline. Then an easier section, but still with a significant average incline, after which the road ends at 37.5k and turns into a rocky walk/climb which ends on the top of Gaustatoppen (Norway’s 2^nd highest mountain from where you on a clear day can see 1/6^th of Norway). The weather is unpredictable at best. During the race you will often experience temperatures from just above zero to 25-30 degrees celcius and a couple of times it’s been snowing or raining badly on Gaustatoppen. With zero visibility it’s been deemed unsafe to finish on top and an alternative running route has had to be used. There are no official aid stations to speak of during the race and you have to provide your own support vehicle and crew. All you get for your effort is the experience, a black t-shirt if you (in 2012) are one of the first 160 people of the 250 starters who make the various cut-off times and make it to the top. Or a white t-shirt, if you do not make the cut-offs and instead have to finish the marathon at lower altitude… No medal. No nonsense. Just a t-shirt!

Anyhow, despite having pulled out I decided to travel to Norway back in 2005 to experience the race first hand. I met Paal Hårek Stranheim who was incredibly passionate about his race. With only around 100 athletes registered, the pre-race briefing was essentially just a bunch of people gathering in the local sports hall being given some very basic instructions. At the briefing it was also announced that the support crew of one of the Norwegian athletes, Svein Flornes, whom I had never met before, had pulled out so he wasn’t able to start. Devastating news when you have spent a year training for the race! So I volunteered and my rental car and I became Svein’s race support. The next day I learned what Norseman is all about. The water was too cold for a safe swim so the swim start had to be moved 10 kilometres (which also made the bike section 10 kms longer). Swedish super biker Björn Andersson was the only person to make it to the top of the mountain before it was closed due to snowfall. What Björn pulled off that year must have been one of the most impressive ironman distance races of all times. The rest of the competitors had to finish the marathon at lower altitude. Svein fought the worst possible weather and finished in an impressive 12.25. That day I decided that one day I would be doing Norseman – and I wanted a black t-shirt!

Experiencing the race also made me think of my good friend, coach and successful Ironman racer, Ole Stougaard. With Ole being a very strong climber and runner I thought it would be the ideal race for him. I suggested that he registered for the 2006 race, which he did. And he won ahead of Jonas Colting and a strong field of Norwegians! Ole came back the following year and came 4^th.

Fast forward to 2012. Probably being in my best shape ever, this had to be my Norseman year! I signed up in 2011 and was one of the lucky few who “won the lottery”. Thousands apply, but the race capacity is only 250 per race (this year there were two Norseman races, one on Saturday and one on Sunday). I got a Saturday slot and it did not take much to talk my family into being my support crew. Svein Flornes kindly also offered his support! It was all systems go.

In the weeks leading up to the race Norway was like most of northern Europe hit by cold weather and the water was at times only 10 degrees warm, so there were concerns that the swim might have to be cancelled. A real shame since part of what makes Norseman special is the swim. Furthermore, snow on Gaustatoppen might make a mountain finish impossible. Not the Norseman I had dreamt of! But as it happened, come race day the water temperature had increased to around 14 degrees and the snow had melted so the real Norseman course could be used. Perfect.

After a short and restless night, the alarm clock went off at 1.30, then breakfast at 2.00, and at 2.30 we drove down from Vøringsfossen, where we had rented a small mountain hut for a few days, to Eidfjord where bike check-in started at 3.00. At 3.30 I entered the ferry together with the 249 other athletes – and 4.00 we left the harbour. It was still black night around us. The atmosphere on the ferry was a combination of very quiet and electric. It was very special. It seemed like an eternity, but after about half an hour we reached our destination and shortly after the ferry’s bow was raised. All of us athletes gathered on the car deck and were notified that race start was in 15 mins. Point of no return if there ever was one! 10 mins before race start most of us started jumping into the water from the car deck (probably a 5 meter jump), while some chose the “chicken entry” via a platform at sea level on the side of the ferry. Jumping into the cold water certainly took care of any morning tiredness..! The official temperature reading was around 14 degrees. My Polar watch showed 12 degrees... Based on how it felt, I think my watch was more accurate. I definitely don’t like cold water, but after the chaotic swims at Ironman Lanzarote and Ironman Frankfurt earlier this year I was really looking forward to this one. I was looking forward to having enough space around me to be able to get into a rhythm and enjoy it. To escape the washing machine and not being kicked and having to fight for your position. Once everyone had made the leap, we lined up behind the guiding kayaks and we were off. The swim was fantastic and I really enjoyed it (except for the swimmer who kept drafting off me the last half hour or so, continuing to hit my feet with his hands), even when I deliberately went slightly off course to get rid of him. Due to the low temperature we were allowed to swim with neoprene socks, and it was actually very pleasant. Clear, clean water with very low salinity, minimal waves and a very low current. With the vertical mountain sides along the fjord the scenery was amazing. I finished the swim in 1.20 which was about 5-7 mins slower than I had expected; but I had also taken it easy. I knew I had a long day in front of me.

I exited the water in the middle of the pack and ran up to T1 where my bike and Helene were waiting for me. Not knowing what the weather would be like on the first 35k up to Dyranut, I decided to wear knee and arm warmers, a cycling shirt on top of my tri-top and half neoprene covers on the front of my cycling shoes. Full fingered Windstopper gloves and a thin cap under my helmet. Since we were going to bike through a long tunnel we were also required to wear a reflective vest and have front and rear lights on our bikes.

I covered the 35k (and 1,250 meters of climbing) in 1.46 which I was happy about. The average biker does it in about 2 hours, the fastest can do it in 1.30. I overtook quite a few people on this first stretch. The temperature at sea level was around 12-15 degrees, but as the altitude increased the temperature dropped dramatically and it got quite foggy. On top of the mountain at Dyranut it was only a few degrees above zero and I could hardly feel my toes! My support crew was waiting for me with hot chocolate, energy drink and bars – but more importantly a warm wind vest and insulated shoe covers. Hi viz yellow and not pretty, but they did the job and kept my feet warm the rest of the day. Plus they made it easy for the crew to spot me out on the course during the remainder of the course!

From Dyranut to Geilo, which marked the half way point, it was mainly flat or downhill through the Hardanger plateau, one of the most beautiful parts of Norway, except for a few stretches with small rolling hills. After Geilo the course took us over 3 small mountain tops, and then Imingfjell awaited. Imingfjell is the section with the longest steep sections, but I was still feeling really good and had lots of energy. The weather had turned from cold and winterish to warm and pleasant, with side or tail wind most of the time, save for a few stretches with head wind. From Imingfjell it was fast downhills the majority of the time. I reached 80+ km/h and quickly made it down to T2 in Austbygde. We were back down at sea level! According to my GPS the bike course had been 183k and my split was 6.36. Not the 6 hours I know I am capable of had I really pushed through, but bang on the 6.30 I had expected based on a 180k course. I later found out that my bike split was the 30^th fastest of the day amongst all competitors. So far it had been a great day and it worked flawlessly with my crew being ready to assist with food and hydration in Geilo and on each of the mountain tops.

I left T2 with fresh legs and decided to keep a low steady pace around 10 km/h (6 mins/km) since I knew that Zombie Hill was awaiting after 25 km. Every 3 km my crew was waiting for me with what I needed. Water, Coke, soup, peanut butter sandwiches, Endurolytes, bananas… Following the same road 25 kms does take some patience and determination. The sun was out now and it was starting to get rather hot. My family had my cold Hyperkewl hat ready for me and it worked wonders. Walking did cross my mind more than once, but I persevered and kept the legs going. At the 20k mark Gaustatoppen showed up right in front of me and I started realizing what a crazy project it was… Huge and rather frightening. But I really wanted that black t-shirt! It was my plan to run up Zombie Hill. Emil left the car and started running together with me, and Magnus was on his bike, but after only 1 km of running I realized that my run was not much faster than a fast walk and I was running the risk of overheating. So I went from a slow run to a fast walk – and then it kind of disintegrated to nothing but a slow walk. My balance went out the window and I felt a bit of dizziness creep in. Thanks to Emil, Magnus, Helene and Svein I got what I needed in terms of support on this challenging section. I was probably not the easiest person to be around… I got my nutrition and temperature under control and finally reached the 32.5k point which marked the end of the steepest section.

Originally my expectation was to finish the race in less than 13 hours. I mean, how hard can that be?. But Norseman is a tough race and 13 hours was no longer realistic. So I recalibrated my expectations and sub 14 hours became my new goal. Regardless, the black t-shirt was well within reach. But breaking 14 hours wasn’t going to be possible if I kept walking so with Zombie Hill behind me I forced myself to start running again. I ran the remaining 5k at a decent pace and finally reached the last checkpoint at 37.5k where I changed from Mizuno road to trail running shoes (I love my La Sportiva’s!). It took a few minutes leaving the checkpoint since you are not allowed to enter the mountain without a backpack with extra clothes, food & drink, lights etc. and Helene, Svein and the boys had only arrived at the checkpoint and parked the car a few minutes earlier.

The final walk/climb up to the top of Gaustatoppen is only 4.5k and I thought it might be possible to cover the distance in about an hour. After 13 hours of racing we finally embarked on this final stretch and a sub 14 hour finish was possibly within reach. Well, you live and learn… I was not aware that it takes 2 hours for the average hiker to reach the top, so doing it in less than an hour on tired legs was not going to happen; something I did not realize until around my watch showed 13.45 – and the top kept appearing very distant… But every step brought us in the right direction and we finally reached the finish line in 14.11.

I can’t imagine that there can be a more amazing finish line at a long distance triathlon race than the one at Gaustatoppen. On a clear day the views are incredible – and it turned out to be the perfect day to reach the top. Breath taking. Finishing was very emotional and gave me a feeling of true accomplishment and satisfaction. Not just me having accomplished something, but that we as a family had accomplished it together. I could not have accomplished it alone. In terms of how it felt crossing the finish line, it was right up there with my first half (Half-Ironman UK 2004) and my first full (Ironman Lanzarote 2005). Norseman really is something special.

Would I do it again? I was pretty spent reaching the top yesterday and I promised myself never to do it again. But Helene has heard me saying that a few times before.

A huge thank you to the Norseman crew, Dag Oliver, Paal Harek and all the supporters. You dreamt up this race and made this into something truly special. I hope Norseman will go on for many years to come and that the format can stay more or less the same. It’s refreshingly unique.

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Finally, some lessons learned (I keep making new mistakes, but I rarely make the same mistakes twice):

1)      Start preparing your race bags, food, hydration, nutrition two days before Norseman, not the day before. Otherwise you end up going to bed too late and racing on not enough sleep.

2)      Make sure you know what you’re drinking the night before… By mistake I had a whole bottle of High5 Xtreme instead of regular High5. Xtreme contains a significant amount of caffeine. As a result, I had zero sleep before the race (!). I spent 4-5 hours listening to the family snoring – and simply could not fall asleep. But now I know that Xtreme definitely works…

3)      I brought the right bike and wheels (Guru titanium tribike with traditional handlebars and aero clip-ons, 95 mm carbon Gray rear wheel and 60 mm front wheel on Vittoria Evo CX tubulars) but should have used a 12-25 cassette (which I also use at Lanzarote) instead of a 13-26 together with my 39/55 Q-Ring setup. I would have been fine with a 25 as the lowest. What amplified the problem a little was that I was unable to shift down to the 13 due to a missing washer between the cassette and the frame, so my highest gearing was 14/55 which was too low for the straights and the descents. So make sure your equipment works before you arrive in Eidfjord!

4)      This is Norseman. Thinking you can run up Zombie Hill with almost zero hill training is pretty stupid actually.