Retirement was never going to be a pipe-and-slippers affair for double Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee, but even he is now taking his quest for the weird and wonderful of endurance sports to another level.
The 2012 and 2016 triathlon champion is currently embarking on a self-imposed series of worldwide challenges, which have so far included racing up the Empire State Building in New York, gravel cycling in South Africa, and taking on the brutal Patagonman Xtri in the Chilean mountains.
His latest escapade came at the weekend when he took part in the Sellaronda Skimarathon – a classic nighttime ski mountaineering race in the Italian Dolomites, which sees 550 pairs of athletes racing 42km with an elevation of 2,700 metres – the eventual winners crossing the line in a time of 02:59:38.
‘Mostly enjoyed being a complete novice’
His partner for the race was former Polish mountain biker and fellow member of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission, Maja Włoszczowska.
Brownlee wrote on his Instagram page: “When you go try a new sport just for the hell of it! @sellaronda_skimarathon was a blast, and thanks to @maja.wloszczowska for going along with my crazy, last-minute idea. 42km, 4 climbs/descents and about 2800m of climbing.
“Mostly enjoyed being a complete novice at something; only crashed once, and it’s truly inspiring to see how amazing the Ski Mo athletes are. Going down a ski run, trying to follow a slightly crazy ex-MTB rider in the dark, with light only coming from a head torch and the occasional fire stick, is one way to feel very alive!
“I came to this area in the summer to do altitude training camps and knew I needed to come back in the winter to ski. Didn’t think I’d be racing round it!”
Proud of 13th place
And Maja also posted about their experience, revealing that while they did not chase a podium finish, she was still ‘proud’ of their 13th place in the mixed teams category.
“My first ever SkiMo race in the books: @sellaronda_skimarathon ❤️. I was supposed to race @pierramenta with @natuzzchen, but unfortunately, due to illness, we had to withdraw. Then @alistair.brownlee came up with the idea of doing SellaRonda. My health was back on track; the weather looked promising… So let’s do this!
“The sunset start in Corvara was simply magnificent. The uphill sections… well – some felt smooth, and I could enjoy using a bit of my XC skiing skills, but the steeper ones were truly brutal. Thankfully, there was always a reward: fast descents on the slopes. Quite crazy on narrow skimo skis and with such light boots – but I loved every second of it!
“Amazing vibe on the course, and perfect warm tea at the feed zones. Such a great experience! BTW… of course we didn’t fight for any top spots, but I’m proud of our 13th place in mixed teams 💪. There is huge potential 😜.”
