This weekend I took part in the incredible Lofoten Skyrace, which consisted of 1500 m elevation gain over 32 km of mountain ridges, snowfields, wet marshland, gruelling road segments, steep uphill and technical downhill.

Part of what made this race so memorable was the variety in terrain covered throughout the 32 km track. Starting in the centre of Svolvær and running at first over several kilometres of asphalt we were greeted with enthusiastic and encouraging support from the locals.

I started the race at a slightly quicker pace than I perhaps should have, but soon found a steady rhythm and thoroughly enjoyed running over the wooden single-track through the marshy outskirts of Svolvær.

Pretty soon we started to climb the first ridge Sæteraksla and I was thankful for my passive uphill training throughout the long splitboarding season when things got steeper. We ran across large snow patches and some narrow tracks passing the still frozen Botnvatnet (lake), then down a fun and easy-angled ridge to the road.

The final ascent up to Matmora at 788 m was tough. In complete contrast to the first ascent, I felt tired and slow the entire way up, battling with the heat, a lack of water, and an onslaught of flies that followed me from the forest. The pain of this last ascent was completely worth it however, as we were greeted with spectacular views in all directions, and finally the finish line was in sight!

After taking a moment to take a photo and a minute or two of slower paced running to recover from the ascent, I picked up the pace as fast as my worn-out legs and feet would allow. At this point my knees were feeling weak and I was struggling badly with leg cramps setting in, but knowing how close I was to the finish line got me through the final few kilometres, and I enjoyed a speedy descent of the steep final ridge down to the road.

The last sprint along the road to the finish line was only 1500 m, but the flags at the finish line seemed so much further away! Crossing the finish line I was excited to see the supportive looks from my partner (Mariana) and friends, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I’d made it through another Skyrace without injury and in good spirits.

I am happy with my time of 4 hours 25 minutes, and feel encouraged to train a bit more for future races and try to improve my comfort level with long distance mountain running.

The next day I made the somewhat questionable decision to wake at 6.20 am to get one last climbing route in before leaving Lofoten. After an achy start and a good amount of coffee we made it up a lovely 3 pitch route on Gandalf Wall outside Henningsvær. After the climb was over and we rappelled the 100 m back down to earth the ache set in for real and I reckon I’ve earned a good deal of rest and recovery time this week!

Thank you for reading my short write-up of the Lofoten Skyrace 2020. Please do feel free to ask questions or offer stories from your own trail running experiences in the comments!

Next week I will write about my experiences and lessons learned in a mountain accident and rescue situation earlier this year.

- Calvin -