Ernæringsplanen til Norseman vinneren.

Fueling Norseman 2025

Before the race (at the ferry):

0,75l with 70g carbs (Racefuel) + 40g carbs (Loaded caffein 150mg)

T1: 

30g carbs (Fuel orange gel)

Bike:

First 45min ish to Garen (first possibility for support) - 0,75l with 100g carbs

Next 45min ish to Dyranut - 0,75l with 100g carbs

Next 90min ish to top Kikut - 900ml with 180g carbs (0,75l + 150ml squeeze bottle)

Next 50min ish to top Vasstulan - 0,75l with 130g carbs

Next 30min ish from Vasstulan to top Imingfjell - 0,5l with 70g carbs

Last 45min ish - 0,75l with 120g carbs

The day before the race I sat down with my support crew to plan the nutrition for the race. Whats different from Norseman to the Ironman races I normally do, is that you don’t have to depend on aid stations and worry about what they have there and how things are mixed. At Norseman you have a support crew that can stop along the way, and give you what you need. Using that right, can make a huge difference. 

The strategy was simple. We try to average between 130-150g/h on the bike, and 120g or more on the run. Both for optimizing performance during the race, but studies has also shown significantly reduction in muscle damage with a higher dose of carbohydrates during longer races, which would be crucial for recovery after the race towards worlds in only six weeks.

We kept it simple, to make things easier for both me and support. All nutrition was fluid. Sportsdrink or gels. I took in nutrition every 10-20min, depending on where in the course. Ideal I want to take in nutrition at points in the course where the heartrate and intensity is at its lowest, so the body easier digest it. But I also don’t want to get out of the TT bars when the speed is high, due to aero benefits. 

Staying focused and just sticking to the plan whatever, was crucial. Whenever I new the support was stopping to give me a new bottle, I knee the bottle I had needed to be empty. I only had one place to store the bottles on the bike.

Another reason for this choice regarding nutrition is the elevation in the course. I want to bring as little weight as possible on the uphills, so no more bottles than needed. It’s usually never super hot on the bike, so no need for a lot of fluid. Was never carrying more than 750grams of extra weight in the hills. 

T2 - Run:

150ml squeeze bottle with 30g carbs every 15min. As simple as that!

Simple for both me and support. That means 600ml fluid and 120g of carbs every hour. If needed more fluid, I would drink water when the support was stopping, and if I felt the need for more carbs, I would ask for a gel when they stopped. The longer you race and the more sugar you digest, the harder it gets. You will eventually get to a point where the body doesn’t want to take on anything at all. To make sure this point comes as late as possible in the race, I have done a huge amount of sessions on specific intensity with the same or even higher amount of carbs. And on race day we use different tastes on the gels and sportsdrink so the body can tolerate it for longer. 

Getting in to zombie hill, you will get so sick and tired of sportsdrink and gels, and at that point we started to use other «types» of sugar, that could be tempting, since the pace is lower, and the stress on the stomach is lower. Eating haribo, drinking some redbull and soda worked for me. But this was together with the planned nutrition. 

After the finish it was all about starting the recovery process. Recovery shake with 120g carbs and 45g proteins 10-15min after the finish. Hydrating and continue to eat as much as possible when getting back down. 

My go-to dinner after long races is a juicy burger and some salty fries with a cold beer to get some extra carbs😉