Norseman: Getting to Know the Course

I'll admit that when Dad's itinerary for this trip included getting here nearly a week early, that I grumbled about it - why arrive early? Why not use the vacation days to enjoy Norway after the race instead? So far, though, I've been proven wrong. It's been really good to get here early and get to know the course.

We arrived in Rjukan (where the race ends) on Monday and left this morning (Wednesday) to drive along almost the entire 140 miles of the course to Eidfjord (where the race starts). This allowed for some awesome training in the warm, sunny area around Rjukan/Gaustatoppen. They've been having unseasonably warm weather and it was in the 80s yesterday when I went out to ride and run. I can't think of many things that make me happier than being on my bike, and yesterday's easy spin along part of the run course was incredible. I just took in the scenery and chilled out a bit.

Dad and I got in a couple miles of training on Zombie Hill. We practiced walking/running up it while Robert practiced driving the support vehicle and parking All Four Wheels Off the Road, as instructed in the support crew guide.

We drove up to the entrance to Gaustatoppen and I posed for this picture, then went home for a nap. Hoping I'll get there fast enough to go through that gate on Saturday. Robert and Dad climbed to the top (3 miles) and got to see where the finish line will be!

I received this in my email yesterday...it's getting real.

I was apprehensive about the drive from Rjukan to Eidfjord, but ended up being glad that I got to see the bike course. (Everything looks worse from a car - right, Shelly!?!) We took note of the kilometers that passed between the bottom of Zombie Hill and where we expected T2 to be - this is where the bike will end on Saturday and the run will begin. It's the most scenic run course I've ever seen! Cannot wait to run it this weekend.

Then we started paying attention to the bike course: what the climbs were like (challenging but not impossible), what the road surface was like (perfect in some areas, pretty crappy in others, a fair share of surface not unlike Texas chip seal, and three sections that are just gravel), what the weather was like (constantly changing - sun, wind, hot, cold, rain). It was really good to be able to see everything that I'll do on Saturday - just in the opposite direction.

Once we climbed from the valley onto the Hardangervidda plateau, the weather changed dramatically. The temperature dropped from 80 to 50 degrees, the wind picked up, and the sun went away.

The yellow building is where support crews will be parked on Saturday, waiting for their athletes to complete the first climb out of Eidfjord.

And then you have this to look forward to. Three climbs and descents followed by one final, enormous climb (not pictured here) up to Imingfjell, followed by a long descent into T2.

It took quite a bit of the day to do the drive, and when we arrived in Eidfjord it was exciting to see banners for Norseman and to see, in person, the town that I've only viewed in photos and YouTube videos.

Eidfjord and surrounding area = gorgeous.

We drove about 30 minutes past Eidfjord to where we're staying at Kinsarvik in a cosy little cabin for the next few days. Tomorrow I'll get to swim in the fjord (!!!) and put all of my awesome blueseventy cold weather gear to good use! I'll also get in a little bike and run, in addition to checking in. And then start counting down the days - race day is approaching quickly!