Emelie Forsberg stepped up to the 50 mile distance last year and found great success in her three races, including a season ending win at The North Face 50. This weekend, she’ll face off again with Nuria Picas at the Transvulcania Ultramarathon. In the following interview, Emelie talks about her transition from skimo season, her and Nucia Picas’s relative strengths, and her problems with running in the heat.
[Editor’s Note: We’ve previewed of the Transvulcania men’s and women’s field and will provide live Transvulcania coverage on Saturday.]
[Click here if you can’t see the video above.]
Emelie Forsberg Pre-2013 Transvulcania Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Emelie Forsberg. It’s a big change from the last time I saw you. We were in New Zealand and they were going into fall. Here we are in La Palma at the start of spring.
Emelie Forsberg: Yes, it’s super hot here.
iRF: It is super hot for both of us. After your fun down in New Zealand you headed back up north (Norway).
Forsberg: Yes, I went back up north.
iRF: You went back into skimo season?
Forsberg: Yes, and then the U.S. for five days of running, and then back to ski season again.
iRF: So when did your ski season end?
Forsberg: Just a week ago. Just before I came here I went to Chamonix to ski.
iRF: You didn’t take part in the World Cup?
Forsberg: I did, but after the U.S. I got really sick. I was taking antibiotics for 10 days, so I was really low and didn’t do anything for 10 days.
iRF: So you haven’t done much running?
Forsberg: I counted my days and it’s about 20 to 25 days since TNF in San Francisco. It’s good.
iRF: Well, you’re at about four times as many as Kilian [Jornet] has this year.
Forsberg: Yes, I’m feeling prepared.
iRF: You have the fitness from skiing and when you were in New Zealand you did some longer runs. What kind of runs have you mixed in? When you were in Moab [Utah] did you do some longer runs?
Forsberg: No, the longest run I’ve done is a marathon in the beginning of March. In New Zealand what was the longest—36k? So that’s my longest. Yeah, four hours is about what I’ve done.
iRF: You’ve had some long ski sessions though?
Forsberg: Yes.
iRF: So your fitness is good.
Forsberg: I hope so.
iRF: Last year, you had a good series of races against Nuria Picas. How did those go?
Forsberg: Yes, I’m faster than her in shorter races because I guess I’m more fit for shorter, but she always beats me in longer races.
iRF: Is one of you better at climbing or descending?
Forsberg: I think we are about the same in climbing and the same in downhill, too. In shorter, I have more speed; in longer she has more endurance.
iRF: And more experience.
Forsberg: Yes, we’re about the same otherwise.
iRF: So it’s not like one’s always going to win.
Forsberg: Yes, but I feel like this is a longer distance.
iRF: So the 50-miler counts as a longer distance?
Forsberg: Yes, even though I’ve done three, I still feel pretty new to it. I have much more to learn.
iRF: Do you enjoy the 50-mile distance?
Forsberg: Yes. I love the vertical k and I love the long distance. I like everything.
iRF: What do you think of the heat? Do you think it will be a challenge?
Forsberg: I’m super, super afraid of the heat because the race I did last summer, which I couldn’t enjoy one single second, was Giir di Mont and that was super warm. I think I’d come directly from the cold and I hadn’t acclimatized. I was just too warm, and then I started to get cold and I couldn’t eat. I was almost dizzy. I just pushed through the race. I’m so afraid it might happen again.
iRF: You can’t get acclimatized in time, but are you going to carry more water than normal?
Forsberg: I don’t know what I’m going to do actually because I carried a lot of water last year, but I just got too warm. I don’t know what to do. I think at the aid stations I’ll pour more water on myself and maybe try to eat more than I usually do.
iRF: The earlier you finish, the less you’re in the sun.
Forsberg: Yes, I know. When we come down low, maybe I’ll just go take a dip in the ocean.
iRF: That’s a good plan. It’s great seeing you here. Best of luck this weekend.
Forsberg: Thank you.
