you did something
for the first time?
Norseman Xtreme Crew Race 2007. August 25, Eidfjord, Norway. There was no turning back. I was in Eidfjord again, for the third time as a competitor, This was the Crew race, set up for the ones who helped arrange the official race 3 weeks ago, but who also wanted the coveted Black Finisher shirt.
We drive out 3.8 km to the starting area. We have to scale down the side of the mountain, barefoot in our wetsuits, to get down to the water.
The water is cold! 15 degrees Celsius (59 F) at the most. My face and feet feel it immediately. But the water is calm and with a “Go” we start off. But after only a few minutes the water starts to change. Waves become deeper and it is increasingly difficult to swim. We are luckily swimming with the stream, but the deep waves make it difficult to breathe and keep a good stroke pattern. I am in the front with one other guy, Fred Arthur. We keep each other company as we swim in a straight line along the shore. As we reach the wall we turn left to head towards the pier. This is where we get the waves from the side, and the last few hundred meters become even more difficult. It is raining a little, the water is colder, and the wind is intense, creating an uneasy sea.
Finally we get to the pier! A hand comes down to help me up the rather difficult “step” up. He drags me up and I am dizzy as I try to stand up, after a 1:20 swim. A little behind schedule, but satisfied being right behind the first guy, Fred Arthur.
Into T1, where Maria is waiting for me with my bike and a change of clothing, I cant wait to get out of the cold wetsuit. I put on a dry tri-suit. The wind is intense and is blowing all of my clothes away as I am changing. I use 9 minutes in T1, which is a little more than normal.
Fred Arthur is already off, and I would not see him anymore for the rest of the day. The girl, Line came out 2 minutes after me, followed by Hårek. I am finally off on the bike and look forward to getting warm again. The wind is mostly from behind. The first hill awaits. Up Måbudalen. It has an average of 8% degrees and I am pacing myself. It feels like a lot slower than in 2004. My legs do not feel as strong as in previous years. Halfway up, Hårek passes me quite easily. The wind is moody and is blowing from everywhere. Suddenly it hits me from the front and I am thrown off balance. I have to step off the bike and re-balance myself before getting back on. Starting up again is not easy in this steep hill. She sends me off again, and I am off to Geilo, which is the halfway point of the bike leg (90km/ 56 miles). The wind is just intense! Mostly from behind, but it also hits me from the side, causing me to ride in a 20 degree angle it seems. I am worried about being thrown off the road and cannot be in the tri-bars as much as I am used to. My 65 kilos is not much to weigh down the bike. Tom and Fredrik pass me right after Dyranut. I am not worried and keep my own pace.
The wind was mostly from the side, but then became a nice tail wind before I started the last winding downhill towards T2. Line passes me at the bottom. I was having a lot of pains in my lower back now, and had to keep my back up straight. It was an incredible long ride those last 20 km into T2. Finally in T2! My bike time was about 8:11, again almost the same as in 2004. Strange, as it seemed like I was much slower today. Out on the run I felt a lot better. Great to be upright again. I set my normal Norseman “shuffle” pace. I knew I had a 25 km (15.5 mile) run fairly flat until I reached the dreaded Zombie Hill at Rjukan. After a few km I had to go to the bathroom and headed into the bushes. Not normal for me in a triathlon. But I would soon catch up to Line again, and pass her. At the 12 km point I clocked 1:18. It was good. I would reach Rjukan in 3:08. A total of 12 hours and 55 minutes was used. (30 minutes slower than in 2004). But en-route to reach the cut-off point further up. This is where I reach my infamous Zombie phase, where I just want to lie down and fall asleep and get a back massage. I am told from Hårek that he named the hill after me after our first Norseman in 2003. I was a total Zombie then as well.
I put on even more clothing, and both Maria and I head off into the Gaustatoppen mountain. It is cold, windy, and its getting darker. I would see Hårek, Fredrik and Tom as they are already on their way down the mountain.
We finally reach the top!! 1883 meters (6177 feet) above water.
There are a handful of people in the cabin who have planned on staying the night up here. They look strangely upon us, as we explain our travels, and how we are now getting ready to climb back down. We finally reach Stavsro, after about 1 and a half hours, where our warm cars are waiting for us. It has been a long day for all of us. I have to thank all of the Support people along the way. Even the other teams would help me with food, water, and good cheer to help me along. But mostly a big thank to Maria whom without I would still be at the bottom of Zombie hill sleeping in a fetal position, dreaming sweet dreams. I would not have reached the top without you. The next day would be our Finisher ceremony where I got my 3rd Black Finisher shirt. It feels great! Will there be more Norseman races for me?
Finish time: 17:32:30 Gallery: http://guy.interaktiv.no/slides_NXTRI_Crew_07/index.html Photos by Jens Richter: Results PDF file
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