Team Viking

by Jan Hugo Svendsen

Living in Harstad, Norway, I don't live under the best conditions for triathlon. Greg Bennett was watching a video of me mountain bike riding back home when I was visiting Boulder last year. He told me after seeing me riding in a snowstorm with a face mask and big expedition gloves and a snowplow in front of me that he would never complain about a cold ride again. I'm one of two Jans in our local Team Viking tri team. I should probably also mention that we're the only two members -- that may tell you something about the popularity of triathlon in our area.

Last summer I got in two rides without my leg warmers and there was a lot of riding with hand heaters in my shoes. There isn't much that compares to a really cold winter ride when you are half way through and have to head home to warm up or change clothes or finish it on the trainer because you need to get a long ride in. For me it's all about my mind. Like Henry Ford said, “If you believe you can do it or you believe you not can do it, you’re absolutely right.”

With our conditions, I get away to train when I can. When I first decided to go for triathlon, I wanted to make sure I got the knowledge from the best guys possible in the sport. I ended up connecting with Jonas Colting and I do a lot of training camps with him. Colting is a superstar in my world; I don’t know a healthier person. The fact that he also is an Ultraman champ made it for me. There will be a lot more of Colting camps in the future.

Today I have EC and Gordo for coaching and have been with the team for over two years. I really don’t know how I got in contact with Gordo, but it was probably through Colting. It was strange because at the time I couldn't speak or write any English. That has also been an interesting journey.

And if you want to be a part of our Team Viking, three thing comes to mind. You have to:

Never ever give up
Play with the weather you get -- it may make you stronger
Don`t take life too serious

Jan Hugo's goal this season is Ultraman UK. You can follow his journey on the TeamViking blog. Jan Hugo is currently training with EC in Boulder this summer until Ultraman UK in September.