Guest of the Week: Katrin Olsen, mountaineer and runner

Katrin Olsen lives in Norway and usually works for a company, but when she is free, nature and physical challenges attract her. She ran her first half marathon almost ten years ago, and since then the challenges have only gotten bigger and bigger. For example, she has climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, which is the next highest of the mountains included in the Seven Summits.

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Right now Katrin is in Malaysia and today, as you read this interview, she is running "The Most Beautiful Thing", a 50 km race in the tropical heat. We have interviewed Katrin about the most challenging ordeal, how she stays in shape and her plans for the future.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What do you do on a daily basis?

On a day-to-day basis, I work as a Global Service Manager for a company that does BPO, or Business Process Outsourcing as it is called. In other words, we do work for other companies that they see the benefit of not doing themselves.

It's really exciting, challenging and never boring. Right now I'm in Malaysia travelling for work to meet two of my teams down here. Outside of work I am very active, I love adventure and playing in nature.

When did you start climbing mountains and running races? Why did you start and what made you continue?

I started running before I climbed my first mountain. I guess it all started when I signed up for the Oslo half marathon almost 10 years ago... then I had to run to train. I finished and thought it was great! After that, it has gone like this little by little, I ran my first full marathon 2 years ago in Stavanger, and ran my first ultra race this summer.

I think cross-country and mountain running is the best, not only is it hard and heavy, but you get to go up in altitude and get a view. I just love being above the tree line and enjoying nature. This also makes me love mountains and everything that comes with it, skiing, hiking and not least climbing high mountains.

It was my father who got me up my very first mountain, Kilimanjaro, in 2012. It was amazing and has changed my life. To fight the battle up this mountain with my father is an indescribable feeling. I got hooked on climbing mountains!

What motivates me ... mainly the freedom, the freedom you feel when you put on your running shoes and set out into unknown terrain, perhaps in the dark or in the wind and rain - the feeling of being free, independent and pushing your body to perform, setting goals and achieving them, feeling the wind in your hair, the forces of nature on your body and just living in the moment. It motivates me.

It's the same with the mountains, when you're climbing at altitude you have to fight your instincts, your own psyche, your body tells you that you shouldn't be here; turn round and go down. But then you continue, one step at a time until you reach the top - also indescribable, it must be experienced to understand what I mean. All people in the world should climb a 5000m mountain. You learn a lot about yourself 🙂

Which mountains have you climbed? Can you tell us about the most challenging climb?

As I said, I started with Kilimanjaro in 2012, then I decided pretty quickly that I wanted to climb Aconcagua in Argentina. Aconcagua is the second highest of the Seven Summits and the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas. It would take time and effort to make it, so I decided about 1 year before that I would try this. I started to train with a personal trainer, and climbed Elbrus in Russia as training. It was hard enough anyway 😉

On 26 January 2014, after a whole year of preparation, I stood as the only one in my group together with tour leader and mentor Jakob Urth on the top of Aconcagua, 6962m above sea level. I cried and laughed and didn't really know what was happening, it was and still is the hardest battle I have ever fought. But also the best, everything happened on this trip and I got to try absolutely every possible emotion spectrum. I've never been so tired and happy at the same time - it's the best feeling in the world.

You are humbled and touched that you have the opportunity to do such things. The memories are with me forever. In addition to these three, I have climbed Island Peak in Nepal, Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia, and a whole lot of other small peaks both in the Norway and in other countries. I have also tried to climb Mont Blanc twice, but had to cancel due to bad weather both times. I'm going there next year!

What kind of races do you usually run? Can you tell us about the most challenging race you have run?

Until now I have run mostly street races; 10km, 21km and a total of 3 full marathons. I love it, I set goals, often to beat myself, and have almost always managed it. But the coolest race so far was definitely the Haukeli Ultra trail, which was a 47km off-road race in the nature around Haukeli.

My first ultra race, and my very first race with so many metres of altitude and over such a long time. I spent about 8.5 hours ... you can safely say I was in heaven when I crossed the finish line there. What a feeling you have in your body after completing something like that. I loved it!

You are running a very special race at the end of October - tell us about it!

Yes, this Saturday 29 October I will be running an off-road race here in Malaysia. The Most Beautiful Thing it is called, and is 50km around a mountain called Kinabalu. Malaysia is in the tropics, so this will be hot, wet and surely indescribably exciting.

We run mostly in the jungle, but also a lot of up and down. We will cover a total of about 3500 metres of altitude ... I am dreading and looking forward to it. I am excited about how my body feels under such conditions, and I am excited about how long I have to be out. I guess between 10 and 12 hours... maybe more too 🙂 It's exciting!

How do you stay fit to meet the challenges?

I make sure to eat enough and properly, enjoy the freedom of weekdays and weekends, try to stress as little as possible and to sleep well. On top of that, there's exercise, lots of running, swimming for variety, and a bit of strength in between. I also try my hand at yoga at times, but can definitely get better at it. A fresh mind and positive thoughts take me far. My moto is "Attitude is everything", and I believe you can achieve anything you want if you put your mind to it.

What are your plans for the future?

The future ... I dream of climbing Ama Dablam ... the most beautiful mountain in the world in my eyes. I have been dreaming about it since 2012 ... after Kilimanjaro. It is demanding, and requires a lot of preparation. Google to see - I hope I'll have the opportunity to do it within a couple of years... I just have to decide 🙂.

Finally, a question we ask everyone we interview: What is your dream destination Katrin Olsen?

Ama Dablam ... as described above.

Thank you Katrin Olsen for sharing your experiences and thoughts!

Top photo: Katrin Olsen, Chamonix summer 2016; long run at altitude to train for the Haukeli Ultra Trail. You can see Mont Blanc in the background.

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