Steep mountain faces straight up from an azure blue sea, a perfectly orange sun bringing light and pastel colors to the night and the smell of thousands of cods drying in the arctic air. Lofoten. Can it get more idyllic? Luckily for me, it’s not too far away from Tromsø, where I live. I’ve spent many summer days climbing the big granite walls and enjoying freshly caught fish dinners in the evening. However, there’s more to Lofoten than the climbing life. This year I went for the Arctic Triple Gold, to experience Lofoten throughout all seasons and earn some of the prettiest views possible!
A howling storm kept me awake, but it wasn’t until the tent collapsed under the fresh snowfall that I decided to find shelter in the camping kitchen. The weather was rough, true Lofoten style. I thought of the skimo as the easiest of the three races, but the winds and variable snowpack made it a challenge nonetheless. On the last summit the clouds cleared up enough to see Svolvær and one could almost smell the finish line fish burger. Lots of fishermen from all over were cheering us on during the final sprint to the city square. What an atmosphere!
As soon as the mountains started to become free from snow, it was time to put on the running shoes for the 100M ultra trail. A boat dropped us in Kirkefjorden, where the race started. From here a beautiful trail led us over mountains, crossing yellow sand beaches and occasionally through some cozy villages. Everything with a beautiful ocean view. The midnight sun made it easy to stay awake and warm during the night, fresh blueberries at one of the aid stations tasted so good and when the legs got heavy there were some real vikings ready with their drums to cheer one forward. During the run it was fun to meet up again with the others doing the triple. Chatting, running and suffering together made the kilometers go by quickly, and the moments I was running alone the bright pink Arctic Triple flags were happy signs in the landscape to follow. After almost 27 hours of running, I made it back to Svolvær, crossing the cod drying finish rack for the second time this year.
The golden jacket is so close now! Yet for me, I expected the triathlon to be the hardest hurdle. I don’t like water and in particular I dislike swimming. However, I was looking forward to meeting up again with my triple friends. With a little drizzle on a calm sea we started the swim. Swimming breaststroke, sometimes backstroke, it was a long 4k. Coming last out of the water but within the cut off time felt like victory and I was happy to be on the bike afterwards. The bike ride was characterized by heavy rain and wind. Wearing my orange rain jacket, I quickly adapted the mantra “I’m a cloudberry, I thrive in wet conditions!” Biking by places we ran during the Ultra Trail brought up good memories, and no bad weather could destroy my mood during the biking! Putting on the running shoes after the biking, my feet felt like coming home and took off. I catched up with my triple friends and we cheered each other on to the finish. Arctic Triple gold, we did it!
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