Kolumne: Was ich beim härtesten Triathlon der Welt über Ziele gelernt habe

At the beginning of a race, athletes hear words long before the competition starts. In newsletters, on the website, in the Race Manual, the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon lists all the unique aspects between Eidjford and Gaustatoppen: "You are not prepared." Most of the roughly 250 participants each year think about preparing for the race, involving a 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycling, and a 42 km run.

This is different when it comes to swimming in cold, sometimes icy water, cycling on the largest plateau in Europe, or finishing the marathon from the starting point at sea level on the 1800-meter-high Gaustatoppen. The worst case scenario is when temperatures drop below freezing. What people rarely talk about when discussing the world's most extreme triathlon is what athletes experience afterwards.

There are five life lessons I have internalized after participating in three races in 2018, 2024, and 2026. Everyone can learn them, but not everyone wants to. When people involved in long-distance triathlon talk, they almost always hear: "I couldn't do that." This statement often comes up in relation to the swimming, regardless of whether it's in a freshwater lake or the fresh brackish water of the Hardangerfjord.