Höga Kusten Winter Trail

Having done the 43k summer edition two years ago, I set off shortly before 8 am for the 50k winter version. With the temperature at a refreshing -18 degrees, the first kilometres could not have been any more beautiful with the sea and snow reflecting the rising sun, and I soon felt warmer in my TKN-buff as I climbed up towards Slåttdalsskrevan.

Fairly soon however, the trail became more difficult to navigate with deep snow and I started to cough. Having not fully recovered from my acute bronchitis, running 50 km in these conditions would probably be outright dangerous so after taking in the breath-taking views on top of Slåtterdalsberget, I decided to change to the 25 km distance. Little did I know how much I would struggle to even finish this shorter race but in the end I made it back to Friluftsbyn, almost six hours and 905 meters of elevation gain later. Without any doubt, this was one of the toughest races that I have ever "run" and I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it would have been to do the double distance.

During my run, I had plenty of time to think about the upcoming trip to the UK. With the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and my parents probably unable to take care of the kids, Anna and I have decided to change the tickets until June and the BISA Conference.