norseman 2003 - where it all started

I miss these days. Everything was new and exciting. We were a small bunch of friends who ventured into the unknown. 21 guys would turn up to do something that nobody before us had done before. My girlfriend at the time was my support during the whole event, and in the weeks prior to this.
We even got a 5 minute slot on NRK! It has been posted on youtube and can still be enjoyed here:
Norseman Xtreme Triathlon 2003

Ever since the first Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, my life has been consumed with triathlons and bike races. It defined me.
But things change, people come and go, and things are not the same. I need to find that "spark" again. The excitement.
Maybe looking at these old videos will bring it all back.

triathlon memories I

Gøteborg Triathlon - June 16, 2002

I drove down to Gøteborg with Ole and Clive to compete in my first ever triathlon. It was the olympic distance and I finished in 2:34:52.
I have competed in it 3 more times after that, but my first one is still one of my favorites, and Gøteborg Triathlon will always have a special place in my heart.

inspirational words

Listening to the car radio on the way home last night, the wonderful song, "Don`t Give Up" by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, came on that I had not heard in ages. The lyrics just sunk in and I wanted to share.

in this proud land we grew up strong
we were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

no fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
but no one wants you when you lose

don't give up
'cos you have friends
don't give up
you're not beaten yet
don't give up
I know you can make it good

though I saw it all around
never thought I could be affected
thought that we'd be the last to go
it is so strange the way things turn

drove the night toward my home
the place that I was born, on the lakeside
as daylight broke, I saw the earth
the trees had burned down to the ground

don't give up
you still have us
don't give up
we don't need much of anything
don't give up
'cause somewhere there's a place
where we belong

rest your head
you worry too much
it's going to be alright
when times get rough
you can fall back on us
don't give up
please don't give up

'got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
going to stand on that bridge
keep my eyes down below
whatever may come
and whatever may go
that river's flowing
that river's flowing

moved on to another town
tried hard to settle down
for every job, so many men
so many men no-one needs

don't give up
'cause you have friends
don't give up
you're not the only one
don't give up
no reason to be ashamed
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up now
we're proud of who you are
don't give up
you know it's never been easy
don't give up
'cause I believe there's the a place
there's a place where we belong

reflections - norseman xtreme triathlon 2009

I am back in Oslo after organizing another Norseman Xtreme for the 7th year in a row. It is always with a sense of sadness, wistfulness, joy and satisfaction that it is all over.
The weekend is exhausting. We spend all year preparing for the next event. Ordering products, getting photographers, updating the website, and making improvements from the previous years.
The feedbacks we receive make it all worthwhile. It has become such a personal event for me. Already when I arrive in Eidfjord I meet and greet triathletes from all over the world. Some are here for their first time, and I can see the excitement and fear in their eyes. Others are here for their repeat and new goals. It is a reunion of sorts. We have become like a family. And we meet here once a year to rekindle the experiences from the year(s) before.
I talked to Victor from Colorado who was here in 2006. He came up to me and told me how much he was looking forward to doing it again. I would see him several times during the competition and he would always tell me how he was doing.
There are so many stories like these.

Even the places have become a part of me. The Gausta-mountain, with her grandeur and mystique, has so many stories that I feel that I know her. She can be brutal, with her sudden weather changes. I have taken so many pictures of her.


The next few days will be spent going through all the photos and videos that was collected through the event.
After reflections and summaries from 2009 are collected we start planning and preparing for the 2010 Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.
And new memories will be created.

reflections - eidfjord

Så her sitter jeg igjen da, i Eidfjord, med masse forventninger og sommerfugler i magen. Men denne gangen er årets Norseman unnagjort for meg, og jeg kan sitte her i min fine grønne Finisher skjorte og konsentrere meg om å ta bilder. Hvem hadde trodd det, etter den aller første Norseman i 2003!
Jeg kan huske hvordan jeg hatet Hårek der jeg karra meg opp det som skulle hete Zombie Hill. Den ble visst oppkalt etter meg, av han godeste Hårek.
"Dette skal jeg aldri gjøre igjen - det er jo helt galskap"
Vi var 21 mann det året... teståret.
Men det var flere som hadde lyst til å gjøre dette. Og nå, for 7. gang, arrangerer vi igjen og er muligens over 200 deltagere fra hele verden.
Jeg kjenner igjen fjesene fra de jeg har tatt bilder av tidligere. Og de kjenner igjen meg. Vi er som en slags familie som møtes her en gang i året.
Merkelig. Og litt koselig.
I morgen blir det fullt kjør med registrering, pre-race møte, pasta middag, salg av varer i butikken, osv.
Hvem skulle trodd at den lille logoen som jeg satt og tegnet i 2003 skulle ende opp på alt fra bildekor til skiluer.
Nei nå må jeg legge meg. Det har resten av Crewet gjort. Er sistemann på den gamleskulen i Eidfjord.
Gleder meg til i morgen nå.

TdF – no more bikes uncle guy!

As I am sitting here, zapping between Eurosport and TV2, watching the repeats from yesterday, then the live feed from today`s stage, and of course the wrap ups/commentaries/interviews... I am laughing at myself as I can hear my nephew Stian`s complaint last year when he was visiting me in July.

"No more bikes Uncle Guy!"

He wanted to watch Ice Age.

Go figure...

reflections - uncle "danger" guy

I miss my nephew and niece.
They visited me last summer, but this year they are unable to come. I was looking through some old photos and found this clip from last year where I took Stian up to Nøklevann. He lives in Houston, so everything in Norway is new and exciting... even the girls ;-)