It was a history-making day on Saturday at the Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.
Billed as ‘the race that makes athletes cry’ it takes place in Eidfjord in Norway – and is unlike anything else.
It begins in the early hours with a 3.8km swim in the Hardangerfjord – a freezing cold Fjord, though temperatures weren’t quite as cold as normal this year – when the athletes jump off a ferry.
That’s followed by a 180km bike ride and then rounded off with a marathon which finishes with a brutal climb up Gaustatoppen – or Zombie Hill, the highest mountain in Norway.
While that might not sound tempting to the majority, places are highly sought after – more than 6,000 people applied for the 256 on offer.
Here’s what happened in a record-breaking latest edition…
Men’s race – Grue wins for Norway
There were good luck messages to all the athletes from Norwegian triathlon legends Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden beforehand.
And it was their compatriot Kristian Grue who completely bossed the men’s race. He’s had multiple podium finishes before, but not a win until now.
He will line up alongside former champions Blummenfelt and Iden at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice having finished third at IRONMAN Austria in June – and this was another special day.
He led from pretty much the start of the swim, was first into T1 and early on the bike and, as they passed through the crowds at Dyranut, he led by seven minutes.
That was up to 13 minutes by the time he got to T2, with Hans Christian Tungesvik second at that point, though he would be a DNF due to an injury.
Things changed on the run, but not up front as Grue powered to an incredible victory in nine hours, 45 minutes and 20 seconds.
Christophe Martignier (SUI) came through for second in 10:29:22, with Juuso Manninen (FIN) third in 10:34:59.
Women’s race – Skala sets new standard
In the women’s race it was Germany’s Julia Skala who smashed the previous course record.
She finished 20th at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice last year and was dominant here.
After exiting the water in fourth position, she quickly moved into the lead on the bike and continued to build a strong gap throughout the day.
She crossed the line in 11:00:23 to go well under the previous best mark of 11:16:10 by Mette Pettersen Moe in 2018.
That was good enough for sixth overall and fully 52 minutes in front of women’s runner up Laura Kessler (SUI).
Britain’s Flora Colledge, the 2023 winner, rounded out the podium in third in 12:10:21.
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