Name: Grethe-Lise (Greyhound) Hagensen
Age: 40
Family Status: Married with two daughters, Embla, age 8, and Bjork, age 6.
Hometown: Grew up in Tromso, Norway, three hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle. Now lives in Bozeman, Montana.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/oldsitearchive/upload/040412Grethe-LiseGoldRush04.jpg width=337.5 height=450 border=1><br />
<BR><font size=1 face=verdana>Grethe-Lisa Hagensen</font></center><BR></p>
<p><B>When did you start skiing?</B></p>
<p>I started skiing when I was two. As I grew older, every Sunday we went on family ski trips–our goal was to make it up to a cabin about three kilometers away where you could buy candy. Then I started skiing to school when I was nine, that was the means of transportation, and I entered my first race when I was ten. Five years later I was among the fastest juniors in Norway, winning national titles, and by sixteen I was on the Norwegian junior national team.</p>
<p><B>Is it true that you were the only child still racing on wooden skis when you were a kid, and that you purposely broke them to get new ones?</B></p>
<p>All the neighbor kids had wooden skis; we used them for Nordic skiing and ski jumping, but when I started racing I was the only one still on wooden skis. They performed okay in cold conditions, but in warm conditions I could never win. I tried breaking them several times, but unfortunately I had a pretty handy father and every time I broke them they would be waiting on the porch for me the next morning, glued back together. The bindings on them were so heavy they would scrape against the track. I told my father there was no way I could win with those bindings, and he said I just had to ski faster. When I turned twelve, a ski shop in town gave away equipment to talented skiers, and I finally got a pair of fiberglass skis.</p>
<p><B>Give us the highlights and titles from your college racing years…</B></p>
<p>I raced for the University of Wyoming from 1982-1987. It’s hard to remember, but we won the NCAA championship in 1985; we always placed in the top three at the NCAA relays; and on an individual basis I was third in Anchorage in 1987.</p>
<p><B>People who know you from back then say you have a higher tolerance for self-induced pain than most. Fill us in.</B></p>
<p>When it comes to competition there is a start and a finish; whatever comes in between is just something you deal with as you go. When I start, I only see the finish line. It’s true that I’ve woken up in the hospital on an IV after blacking out in a race. But I don't think about pain, I think about finishing the race as fast as I can and doing whatever I need to do to get there.</p>
<p><B>Has your training changed since college?</B></p>
<p>Well, now ski training is about pure passion and love of the sport. Due to my job coaching the MSU Nordic ski team, I’m fortunate to be able pursue this passion as part of my work. The other side of my job is that due to traveling with the team, my training is reduced during that peak time, from January through March…My racers are able to stay in shape during that period, but my focus is to be there as their support system.</p>
<p><B>Are you as fast as you were back in college?</B></p>
<p>Probably not as fast as I used to be, but then again, with age, beauty and a strong mind comes endurance. Back then we competed in five and ten kilometer races, and of course speed was an essential part of being able to do that well. Now when I do ski marathons speed is still important, but endurance is essential.</p>
<p><B>You began coaching the Montana State University men's and women's Nordic ski team in 2003. What have you learned about your skiers?</B></p>
<p>If I were judging them just as young adults, they are extremely responsible, get good grades, have great attitudes, are willing to work hard, and last but definitely not least, they are on time. The chemistry between the men and women on the team is super. They are also very supportive and open with each other–I call them the Dream Team. </p>
<p><B>You are sponsored by Rossignol and entered some big races this past season. How did you fare and what are your goals for next year?</B></p>
<p>I was fourth overall at the Noquemanon Ski Marathon; sixth at the Boulder Mountain Tour; fifth at the Great Race; 4th at the Gold Rush. I couldn’t do all these races without the financial and technical support of Rossignol and Jim Fredericks. I've just gotten to know my Rossi team mates this past year and the camaraderie amongst us makes it so much fun. My goals for next year? To have more top three finishes in the ski marathon series. </p>
<p><B>You put in a lot of hours skiing S L O W. Slower than most masters athletes train–and yet you're able to race fast. Why?</B></p>
<p>Pure laziness is one factor. But seriously, there needs to be a clear difference between long, slow distance training and speed workouts. In order to maintain a lower heartrate over time at high altitude, which is where I train, it’s necessary to train slow.</p>
<p><B>How do you juggle coaching, your own ski career and caring for your two daughters, Embla and Bjork?</B></p>
<p>My husband John is home from work every other month and takes over parenting duties when I'm training or traveling. Their grandmother flies in from Wisconsin to fill in the rest of the time. I'm lucky to have good support that way. </p>
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