Henrik Oftedal won the Norseman Extreme Triathlon in 2010 and is currently getting ready for the 2012 edition - Norwegian style. What do we mean by that? Well, have a look.

Sledding sounds like fun for sure, but if that is merely the transportation back to the bottom of the hill for another run to the top with the sled in tow, then the story is slightly different. The hill we are talking about here is the Marikollen and Henrik runs it 10 times. That would be 600 meters of distance and 140 meters of elevation gain - times ten, and not in the middle of the day either. Like most of us he has to schedule his workouts early in the morning and at night after his son's bed time.

Plus of course there is a lot of swimming, and endless time in his own "test and training center" he calls Feltspatvegen 28. Most of us would maybe refer to it as pain cave.

I must admit, all of a sudden I feel very unprepared for this summer's Norseman edition.

Either way, enjoy these images of Henrik Oftedal in action.


All images © Dag Oliver and Glenn Arvesen

Done with a sledding run and ready for another.

By the way, that sled belongs to his son Storm.

Up and up we go.

What goes up must come down.

Not quite there yet.

It does look like fun when he is sliding down the hill.

Fun may not be the word that comes to mind here, at least not first.

While everybody else is huddled in a warm environment, someone is working hard.

Spikes make sure that there is traction.

It is getting dark.

All smiles.

Stretching before a session in the pool.

In the middle of a workout.

Just like the run up the Marikollen, not much other traffic here.

Make every workout count.

Yup, that is Henrik Oftedal.

And ready for another.

Hard at work at Feltspatvegen 28.

It isn't very big, but that is all the space Henrik needs.

See you in August at Norseman.