Sebastian Kienle has announced he will be taking on one of the toughest races in the triathlon calendar in his retirement year – Norseman XTreme Triathlon.
The infamous world championship race of the XTRI calendar will be held on 5 August this year and will see Kienle – along with a field of 265 pros and qualifiers – take on an iron-distance event notorious for being challenging, yet open to stunning performances from those with the determination to train for an event out of the normal.
Kienle announces Norseman debut
A post on Kienle's Instagram feed announced the news in a video with the caption: “If your dreams don't scare you then are not big enough. I will race the @nxtri #norseman. Yes I'm a little scared.”
The Zalaris Norseman account replied with: “Welcome to Eidfjord @sebastiankienle”. In the video Kienle says: “My goal is – and my dream is – to win the 2023 edition of the Norseman.”
Held in Eidfjord, the point-to-point Norseman course starts with a leap from the back of a ferry in the dark before athletes take on a 3.8 km swim in a fjord notorious for being cooled with melting mountain ice.
The 180km bike course includes five mountains, before the marathon run takes the athletes lucky enough to make the cut-off to the top of Mount Gaustatoppen – and the prize of a hallowed black Norseman finishers' t-shirt.
Retirement-year goals
After a decade of racing at the highest level, Norseman will be Kienle's final long-distance event as a pro. “[The] 2023 season marks my last year being a professional triathlete and Norseman will be my final long-distance triathlon in Europe,” he says.
“Norseman is world famous for the jump from the ferry in the Hardangerfjord and the finish at Mount Gausta. Many sports have a mecca. Alpine skiing has Kitzbühel, and Tennis [has] got Wimbledon.
"For extreme triathlon, Norseman is the mecca. I have to say that it was no easy decision, I definitely am a little scared of the race, I think even the best athletes in the world look at this and say, ‘this is a little crazy'.
“For me it is the ultimate challenge – I will do everything to win Norseman and I believe it will be head-to-head until 25 k of the run. When running up ‘Zombie Hill’ everything can happen, but I will give it all to take the win.”
Taking on a Norseman legend
That 'head-to-head' battle that Kienle refers to in this interview acknowledges that in racing, he will take on two-time men's race champion Jon Breivold.
In 2021 Breivold won with a lead of just over 23 minutes and in 2022 he finished just over 30 minutes ahead of the next man.
“Now I have been given a great challenge,” Breivold says. “Sebastian Kienle is a long-distance legend. He came sixth during the World Championships at Ironman Hawaii in 2022 and is one of the world’s best triathletes.
"We will most likely be close to each other until the bottom of ‘Zombie Hill’, which is the steep climb from Rjukan to Mount Gausta. When we start on the 1,600 meter climb up the mountain, I will teach Sebastian Kienle a lesson in uphill running,” says the 27-year-old Norwegian.
Referencing the famous waffle hut on top of the mountain, which most tourists access by the mountain funicular railway, Breivold continues:
“Kienle will understand why the uphill from Rjukan to Mount Gausta has been nicknamed 'Zombie Hill'. – My prediction for the race is that I will be serving waffles, strawberry jam, and sour cream for Kienle when he arrives at Mt. Gausta as runner-up”.
Norseman anniversary year
The 2023 Norseman race will mark the 20th anniversary of Zalaris Norseman and this year saw 4,650 athletes from 98 different countries apply for the 265 places.
Top image credit: @metaendurance
