The energy plan for a victory in the Vasaloppet
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2.5 min reading
No one has surely missed Lager 157 Ski team's dominance in the Vasaloppet? We therefore had a chat with the winner Torleif Syrstad and checked in on his feelings after this fantastic performance.
Hello Torleif! Congratulations on the victory!
What was going through your mind when you got away so early in the race?
"Thank you very much! The Vasa has been a goal for me to win for eight years, and finally I did it - the dream has come true.
When I broke away from the start with other strong and determined runners, I thought this was positive. A consistently hard pace, I thought, and I knew that it suited me well. I also thought that being here with three other runners maintaining a steady pace was better than being back in the main pack with more runners and likely more uneven speed, plus there were strong runners from good teams so that these teams wouldn't be able to push in the main pack behind. As the kilometers went by and we got updates on our surprisingly large lead, I started to truly believe in it as time went on."
What did the energy plan look like for the race? And how well did it work to implement it?
"I used a mix of sports drink and gels where I took gels at each checkpoint together with the sports drink. Together it amounted to 145g/hour spread over two checkpoints. I had 340mg of caffeine in the last checkpoint with one U Intend and three caffeine gels. This was very easy to implement. I felt like I had a lot of energy during the race, and never had any feeling of running out of fuel."
Hello Torleif! Congratulations on the victory!
What was going through your mind when you got away so early in the race?
"Thank you very much! The Vasa has been a goal for me to win for eight years, and finally I did it - the dream has come true.
When I broke away from the start with other strong and determined runners, I thought this was positive. A consistently hard pace, I thought, and I knew that it suited me well. I also thought that being here with three other runners maintaining a steady pace was better than being back in the main pack with more runners and likely more uneven speed, plus there were strong runners from good teams so that these teams wouldn't be able to push in the main pack behind. As the kilometers went by and we got updates on our surprisingly large lead, I started to truly believe in it as time went on."
What did the energy plan look like for the race? And how well did it work to implement it?
"I used a mix of sports drink and gels where I took gels at each checkpoint together with the sports drink. Together it amounted to 145g/hour spread over two checkpoints. I had 340mg of caffeine in the last checkpoint with one U Intend and three caffeine gels. This was very easy to implement. I felt like I had a lot of energy during the race, and never had any feeling of running out of fuel."
What was the feeling when you got a gap at the end?
"It was a mixed feeling. I knew and felt strong and that this could be victory, but I received little split times which made me give everything I had until I reached Moraparken. Only then did I dare to calm down a bit. Up until that point, I felt like I had the wolves on my heels and took every stroke as if it was my last."
How do you celebrate a victory in Vasaloppet?
"Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to celebrate anything special yet. It has been busy days with physio work and training, as well as quite a few inquiries that naturally come after a victory in Vasaloppet. I will probably celebrate after the season ends and then I think it will have sunk in even more what I have accomplished. Right now, the focus is directed towards the rest of the season and the remaining races!"
Big congratulations again and good luck at Birken!
"It was a mixed feeling. I knew and felt strong and that this could be victory, but I received little split times which made me give everything I had until I reached Moraparken. Only then did I dare to calm down a bit. Up until that point, I felt like I had the wolves on my heels and took every stroke as if it was my last."
How do you celebrate a victory in Vasaloppet?
"Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to celebrate anything special yet. It has been busy days with physio work and training, as well as quite a few inquiries that naturally come after a victory in Vasaloppet. I will probably celebrate after the season ends and then I think it will have sunk in even more what I have accomplished. Right now, the focus is directed towards the rest of the season and the remaining races!"
Big congratulations again and good luck at Birken!
