Representing your country in a championship or race is something to be really proud of and something I hold in high regard! I have been fortunate to do it in three sports: Nordic skiing, ski mountaineering, and trail running, the last time being at the Trail Running World Championship in Innsbruck.
This year, I was selected, along with Linus Hultegård, Oscar Claesson, and Martin Nilsson, to represent Sweden in the uphill race at the European Trail Running Championship in Annecy. Together, we formed a strong team with ambitions to be among the top countries in the team competition.
The uphill race was 7 km with a 1000 m vertical gain, starting at Lake Annecy. The rain poured down all week in Annecy, making the course extremely muddy and slippery.
I had ambitions for this race, but I did not know what to expect. I knew that on a good day, I can be pretty good at running uphill, but I wasn't sure how I would compare to the uphill experts or what my current shape was. Verticals are one of my favorite disciplines in trail running because they honestly reflect your shape, capacity, and ability to handle the pain in your legs and lungs. They are hard and fast, allowing you to empty yourself in a way that is difficult in longer races where you need to stay more controlled.
Uphills are perhaps one of my greatest strengths as a runner, so it is important for me to test myself and constantly work on it. For me, shorter distances and verticals, in particular, have been a way to ensure my shape is not decreasing. When doing a lot of ultras or longer trail races, the uphill is where you spend the most time overall, so if you can climb easily, you save a lot of energy. This is also where the big gaps are often made.
On race day, it was extremely wet, cold, and muddy. The gravel road at the start was filled with large puddles of water, and the trail was more like a muddy river than anything else. But I did not mind; I felt good and excited to race. It was a chaotic start, with people fighting and pushing to get good positions. I managed to get away well without any problems and found a good pace. People were slipping in the mud and sometimes crawling on all fours just to move forward.
It was a fight all the way to the top, and I felt like I left it all out there. I ended up 7th, which I was happy with. I would say that my shape was good and improving.
There's still some work to do before Western States, but I'm getting there!
Thanks to the Swedish federation for all the support!
Results
Gear
Adidas TERREX Agravic Speed
Comments