Marit Bjørgen – FasterSkier

Johaug Runs Away With Gold in the 30-kilometer Classic; Maubet Bjornsen 15th in Final Professional Race

Rachel PerkinsMarch 6, 2021

This World Championship coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com. A blanket of fresh snow lay on the ground while the frozen rocky peaks of the Bavarian Alps peaked through the clouds. Finally, Oberstdorf, Germany looked like a wintery...

General News

Ski News Roundup for the Week: Marit Bjørgen is Back (Just not on the World Cup)

FasterSkierJune 5, 2020

Bjørgen Returns: Reported last week by several news outlets, retired World Cup star from Norway, Marit Bjørgen, will return to racing next season. Bjørgen (40), will be a member of Team Ragde Eiendom, managed by Jörgen Aukland. (The team is owned by Anders and Jørgen Aukland.) Bjørgen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK she would focus on winning the 90-kilometer Swedish Vasaloppet. It has also been reported that Bjørgen will be joined by the current overall...

Community Interviews Lifestyle

Transitions, Training, and Birkie Preparation: A Q&A with Riitta-Liisa Roponen

Rachel PerkinsFebruary 19, 2020

To view Riitta-Liisa Roponen’s complete FIS profile requires a lot of scrolling and selecting “show more.” The 41-year-old raced her first World Cup in Munio, Finland on November 28th, 1998. More than 20 years later, she raced her final World Cup event, helping the Finnish relay team to 3rd in Ulricehamn, Sweden on January 27th, 2019. She went on to race at the World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria, placing 22nd in the 30-kilometer mass start...

Multimedia Podcasts The Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Stage 3 Ski Tour 2020 – The Leg Flooding Sprint

Jason AlbertFebruary 19, 2020

Åre, Sweden — the site of the national (alpine) ski area in Sweden. Also the site of Stage 3 of the Ski Tour 2020’s skate sprint. Short at 0.66 k, but oh so steep with a finishing climb with slopes at 28 percent. Yah! 28 percent. Maybe part sideshow, maybe not. Either way, athletes had to get themselves to the top. In what was a leg-burning affair, for a one-off event, it was sporting entertainment....

Racing World Cup

With Arms Raised: It’s a Johaug Win in Oberstdorf – Brennan in 17th, Diggins 22nd

Jason AlbertJanuary 25, 2020

Here at FasterSkier, we do not play the odds. Some contributors we know play Noah Hoffman’s Fantasy League – but we steer clear of rolling the dice on cross-country skiing. But the women’s skiathlon events on the World Cup may not be the biggest payouts since in recent history they have been a lock. Oberstdorf in Oberstdorf, Germany — the site of next year’s Nordic Ski World Championships — required no crystal ball of an...

News Research

The Latest Glimpse from Marit Bjørgen’s Training Logs

FasterSkierMay 31, 2019

On May 29, the latest research paper to dive into Marit Bjørgen’s training logs from 2000-2017 was announced in Gemini, the research news publication from NTNU and SINTEF, two research institutions in Norway. The most recent paper titled “Block vs. Traditional Periodization of HIT: Two Different Paths to Success for the World’s Best Cross-Country Skier,” was published in Frontiers in Physiology on April 5th. The authors are described in Gemini as “Guro Strøm Solli of...

Health Lifestyle Resources Training

First Tracks as a New Parent: Kikkan Randall [Part 2]

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 28, 2019

The “First Tracks” series highlights the pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting experiences of noteworthy athletes in cross-country skiing in various stages of their professional careers. The sharing of these experiences can benefit athletes in any stage of their career, whether they are an elite or recreational skier, by demonstrating that it is very possible to return to skiing, competition, and an active lifestyle with a growing family. The series will include the physical challenges of...

News Racing World Cup

Johaug Wins Davos 10 k Skate; Diggins Fifth and Brennan Sixth for the U.S.

Jason AlbertDecember 16, 2018

Coming off a two-season hiatus from the World Cup for having a banned steroid in her system, Norway’s Therese Johaug has come back onto the distance race stage with time checks and results showing no remorse. This is not to say that Johaug’s reentry to the sport comes with arrogance. But it is to highlight that, on course, her level of control in the early season World Cup distance events has been dominant. Johaug has...

Racing World Cup

Klæbo Takes Davos Sprint for First Win of the Season; Simi Hamilton in 12th

Gretchen BurkholderDecember 15, 2018

As seems fitting for all things Davos, Switzerland: the racers enjoyed a bluebird day for the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint on Saturday. And just when we thought Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway might be too spent from a year of media coverage and big-effort racing, he scored his first win of the season in gorgeous Davos. He began the day at full-throttle in the men’s qualifier, placing first with a time of 2:22.39 minutes. Lucas Chanavat...

General News Racing World Cup

World Cup Preview: #1 Norway

Aleks TangenNovember 22, 2018

Welcome to FasterSkier’s World Cup Preview, where we check in with the top-10 teams from last year’s FIS Cross Country World Cup tour before the season starts. The World Cup begins with a classic sprint in Ruka, Finland on Nov. 24th *** Norway Overall in Nations Cup Last Year: 1 Women’s Ranking 2017/2018: 1 Men’s Ranking 2017/2018: 1 Norwegians to Watch: Norway won last year’s Nation’s Cup by more than twice as many points...

General News World Cup

Nordic Community Mourns Loss of Skofterud: ‘A Friend Who Lit Up the Room’

FasterSkierJuly 30, 2018

(Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Vidar Løfshus, head of the Norwegian cross-country ski team, and the team’s former performance manager, Åge Skinstad.) The News in English.no. “We had many fun years together on the national team.” Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset, a former skier who competed until 2011 and became a national team coach, recalled her “infectious humor”. Erik Røste, president of the Norwegian Ski Federation since 2012, said she was “an important ambassador for...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: The ‘Take a Bow’ (50th!) Episode with Marit Bjørgen

Jason AlbertJuly 16, 2018

And she won that in un-Bjørgen like style by coming from behind to reel in a speedy Jessie Diggins. This brings us to the point that this is the 50th episode of Nordic Nation. So, we wanted to go big. Really, no one is bigger than Bjørgen in the sport. In this ‘Take a Bow’ episode with Marit, we cover motherhood, training, racing, the media, and growing up in a small Norwegian club with three racers. The...

General News Olympics Racing World Cup

FasterSkier’s International Performances of the Year: Simen Hegstad Krüger and Marit Bjørgen

FasterSkierApril 18, 2018

With the 2017/2018 season officially in the rearview, FasterSkier is excited to unveil its annual award winners for this past winter. Votes stem from the FS staff, scattered across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and while not scientific, they are intended to reflect a broader sense of the season in review. This set of honors goes to the International Performances of the Year. Previous categories: Collegiate Skiers of the Year | Para-Nordic Skiers of the...

General News Racing World Cup

Bjørgen Says She’s Done: The Latest on XC Retirements

FasterSkierApril 13, 2018

You’ve probably heard the news by now: Marit Bjørgen, the Norwegian queen of cross-country skiing, has decided to retire. The 38 year old made the announcement a week ago after winning the first race of Norwegian nationals, the 5-kilometer classic, on April 6. “In reality it has been a long process,” she told NRK that day, according to a translation. “I had almost decided before the competitive season started. I feel that I lack the...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

U.S.A. Storms Falun World Cup Finals Podium; Diggins 2nd in Overall World Cup

Gabby NaranjaMarch 18, 2018

FALUN, Sweden — NOR. USA. USA. Looking at the results monitor, those were the tri-letter country codes that popped into the top three at the end of the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle pursuit at World Cup Finals on Sunday. The “NOR” belonged to Marit Bjørgen of Norway, who ended her 2017/2018 World Cup season with yet another win. In Sunday’s pursuit, the 37 year old led from start to finish and ended where she started, in...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Biathlon US Ski Team World Cup

Sunday Rundown: Diggins and Harvey 2nd, Bjornsen 3rd in Falun Pursuit; Dunklee 3rd in Oslo (Updated)

FasterSkierMarch 18, 2018

FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals (Falun, Sweden): 10/15 k freestyle pursuits Time of day | Final Distance World Cup rankings Men: Pursuit | Final Overall World Cup rankings | Women’s pursuit report | Men’s relay report In her last race of the season, Susan Dunklee returned to the podium. The American started fourth in Sunday’s 10-kilometer pursuit at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup in Oslo, then made her way into third by the final...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Saturday Rundown: Pärmäkoski Beats Bjørgen in Falun 10 k Classic; Bolshunov Notches First Win

FasterSkierMarch 17, 2018

FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals (Falun, Sweden): 10/15 k classic mass starts Men’s report Day 2 of World Cup Finals in Falun entailed 10- and 15-kilometer classic mass starts on Saturday, and in the first race of the day, Finland’s Krista Pärmäkoski pulled out a thrilling finishing-sprint victory over Norway’s Marit Bjørgen. After American Jessie Diggins led early in the first 2.5 k loop, Bjørgen set the tone from the front for most of...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Friday Rundown: Falk, Klæbo Win Last Sprint of Season in Falun; Caldwell 6th

FasterSkierMarch 16, 2018

FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals (Falun, Sweden): Freestyle sprints Men’s report In the last sprint of the season and the first race of the three-day World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden’s Hanna Falk and Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won their respective 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint finals, while Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla and Klæbo claimed the season-long Sprint Crystal Globes and Sophie Caldwell of the U.S. placed third in the Sprint World Cup. Falk started Friday...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Diggins Goes All In for the Win, Bjørgen Earns 7th Holmenkollen Title

Gabby NaranjaMarch 11, 2018

*Update: This article previously stated that Jessie Diggins was the first American woman to reach a podium at the Holmenkollen. Diggins is actually the first American woman to reach the Holmenkollen podium in the 30 k distance, second woman to podium at a Holmenkollen in history. In 1980, American Allison Owen reached the podium in the 10 k distance. OSLO, Norway — Some pointed to the broadcast screen in disbelief. Others began waving their Norwegian...

General News Racing World Cup

Sunday Rundown: Holmenkollen 30 k; Kontiolahti Mass Starts

FasterSkierMarch 11, 2018

FIS Cross Country World Cup (Oslo, Norway): Women’s 30 k freestyle mass start last race of the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea (a 30 k classic mass start), Bjørgen came from behind to win Sunday’s Holmenkollen 30 k and wasn’t able to let off too much before finish. She didn’t take the lead until less than a kilometer to go and put just enough time into her competition to take the win in 1:18:12.4...

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