TRI247
Search
shop
SUPERTRI E TICKETS DISCOUNT & VIP COMPETITION
SUPERTRI E TICKETS DISCOUNT & VIP COMPETITION

Running scared: Blummenfelt uses fear to drive him to insane levels

Big Blu opens up on the eve of Sub7Sub8

News Director
Last updated -
SHOP
Watch Potter, Brownlee & Beaugrand LIVE

Kristian Blummenfelt knows how to dig deep, but that is not difficult when it doesn’t feel like hard work.

The Norwegian megastar has carried all before him in the past 12 months – winning Olympic gold in Tokyo, claiming a WTCS title, setting the fastest ever Ironman distance time AND winning the delayed 2021 IRONMAN World Championship.

Now, for his next trick, the 28-year-old Bergen boy will attempt to crash through the 7-hour barrier for a full-distance race in that much-hyped Sub7Sub8 project in Germany on Sunday.

Ahead of the race for glory at the Dekra Lausitzring, Blummenfelt sat down with Red Bull to talk about what makes him tick. The end result was fascinating and illuminating.

Enjoyment, not sacrifice

‘Big Blu’ doesn’t see the endless training and effort as a hardship – quite the opposite.

“I like not thinking about it as sacrifices. It’s more like I’m able to do my hobby for a living and that’s what I wanted to do when I was a kid, so, yeah, I’m not having to sacrifice much really.”

Kristian Blummenfelt – loving triathlon, and life (Mana Studios).

That sheer enjoyment of training and competing was likely honed much earlier in Blummenfelt’s career, when he was unable to run for several months after breaking a bone in his foot.

“Yeah, nine months without running. I remember I was so missing running that I was going through Google Maps, going through all the running loops that I used to do.”

So what strategy does Blummenfelt use to drive him on in those dark moments during a race when it would be easy to melt? He uses fear, quite simply.

“Of course, we’re all tired, but you want to have that feeling like you are running scared. It’s almost like you’re running for survival, you know? You imagine like having an animal behind you, then you can really get that adrenaline kick. I try to use the same kind of instinct when I’m in a race.”

Never more was Blummenfelt’s incredible capacity to kick again and withstand the oncoming pain than in that Olympic victory over Alex Yee in Japan last year. That long, lung-bursting surge to victory will live long in the memory.

“With like 1,500 metres to go, I did my second acceleration,” Kristian explained.

“I remember looking over my shoulders and thinking: ‘Already?’ I wasn’t expecting them to let me go that quickly, I was expecting to be kind of putting in a surge, and another surge, but I felt I got the gap almost at the first time of really trying.

“And it’s just about taking the scissors and cutting off the elastic band, and making sure that the gap is holding up as quickly as possible to avoid getting a comeback from them, from behind.”

Advertisement

The Norwegian machine

Blummenfelt’s development and results of course have been helped by that Norwegian backroom team headed by Arild Tveiten and Olav Aleksander Bu.

While Tveiten has been at the helm of this formidable group for well over a decade, the arrival of Bu in 2016 added another dimension. One with a passion for data, applying science and always searching for that extra edge or improvement.

“He came on board in 2016, just to follow and see what we were doing, and then he started giving feedback on what he saw in the numbers, how we could improve and how we could take it one step further.

“I think having a guy like that is really good, because you feel there’s so much we can work on. Even though we’ve had the greatest year in triathlon during the last 12 months, I still feel there’s so much I can improve because of what we see and find in the lab.”

That relentless quest for better and attention to detail is probably perfectly suited to Sub7Sub8 – where the technical and team aspect provides a fascinating subplot. But how does Blummenfelt view the showdown with Joe Skipper at the Dekra Lausitzring?

“For me it’s a unique opportunity to prove that I’m the best ironman athlete out there.

Kristian Blummenfelt Run Training SUB7 Germany
Kristian Blummenfelt prepares for his SUB7 bid (Mana Studios).

“I love to set myself quite tricky targets, because then I know that I have to do the work to get there. It’s a big part of the motivation to just get there. However, I don’t want to get 6h 58m and finish second.”

Even if Blummenfelt does crash through that 7-hour barrier on Sunday, his 2022 will be far from over. There is of course one more massive date with destiny looming in the near future – on the ‘Big Island’ of Hawaii on Saturday October 8.

“I kind of want to win it all this year, too. Even though I won the first IRONMAN Championship last year (the delayed 2021 event in May 2022), I want to win the 2022 edition as well in October.

“So, after the (Sub7Sub8) race I want to re-focus and think about Hawaii almost straight away.”

13th April 2024 - London
Watch Potter, Brownlee & Beaugrand as these triathlon superstars take on the world in the build up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
LIMITED TICKETS - DON'T MISS OUT!
Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
Kyle Smith
Watt it takes to win at supertri E – a data dive into how deep the PROs have to dig
Arena Games Triathlon Finals Singapore - Beth Potter bike
The evolution of Esports in triathlon – How supertri brought virtual racing to the mainstream
Beth Potter Arena Games Triathlon Finals Singapore
Lightning fast splits and record breaking performances – relive some of the top moments from women’s supertri E racing
Lionel Sanders Arena Games Montreal game face on bike photo credit SLT
Countdown to supertri E – a look back at some of the most epic moments in men’s triathlon E racing
Challenge Barcelona 2023 - Photo Credit: Jose Luis Hourcade
Brownlee brothers on the costly race day swim mistakes to avoid – plus their own mishaps
latest News
Lucy Charles-Barclay comes home second at the Miami T100.
Lucy Charles-Barclay ‘hungry’ for redemption at the second stop of the T100 Triathlon World Tour
Georgia Taylor-Brown WTCS Yokohama 2023 finish
World Triathlon Indoor Cup Lievin: Start time, preview, format and how to watch live
Kat Matthews PTO Tour US Open 2023
Kat Matthews shares details of race against time to recover from Miami T100 injury
Mixed Team Relay France podium WTCS Sunderland 2023 photo credit: World Triathlon / Petko Beier
World Triathlon confirm initial nine teams to qualify for Paris Olympic Games Mixed Relay
Ruth Astle St George finish line 2022 photo credit Tom Pennington Getty Images for IRONMAN
British IRONMAN Champion on committing to professional triathlon and chasing a T100 Tour wildcard
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
Invalid email address
The SBRX Group

Proudly elevating endurance sports through content, products & services

SBRX
RUN247
Share to...