246 anxious athletes jump from the bow of the ferry into the dark and desolate 05.00 waters. At the sound of the horn, they take off, racing 3.8km back to shore. Lars Christian took an early lead, setting an ambitious pace and earning the right to be the first one to cycle out of transition one. Eventually the athletes found their footing on dry land and took to the grueling first hill up to Vøringsfossen in chase.
Atop Hardangervidda, weather can be unpredictable. This year was no exception. With sudden showers and breaks in the clouds, the athletes kept their pace 180km through four demanding climbs and break-neck descents. Throughout, Lars Christian held his lead, steadily maintaining his roughly 7 – 10 minute gap. The women fought hard, overtaking one another in a scramble to transition 2. Meredith Hill claimed first dibs on dry clothes along with Lars Christian before the marathon trudge toward the finish at Gaustatoppen.
42.2 kilometers and 1700 vertical meters of running is all that stood between the athletes and the right to claim their finisher shirts for Norseman 2017. Lars Christian kept his pace up into the daunting ‘Zombie Hill’, a winding road from Rjukan valley to the base of Gaustatoppen. Surrounded by an army of fans, he fended off the pains of the morning’s trials to take his first steps on the rocky terrain.
Step by step, the pack made their way up to the summit. A host of friends, family and fans gathered atop Gaustatoppen to cheer in the new champion of Norseman, Lars Christian Vold (NOR), who smashed the course record with a time of 9 hours 52 minutes and 3 seconds. Shortly after, Anne Nevin (NOR) edged out the rest of the women to take the win and claim her spot on the throne atop Gaustatoppen also setting a new course record with a time of 12 hours 4 minutes and 18 seconds.
Anne was followed by Meredith Hill (AUS) and Kristin Lie (NOR)
Lars was followed by Allan Hovda (NOR) and Jordan Rapp (US)
