Parenting, procrastinating and Pikes Peak

It’s been a bit of a tough week in the Sederquist household. I can’t elaborate, but the tough stuff is related, in a way, to parenting, procrastinating and Pikes Peak.

I’ll be racing the Pikes Peak Ascent this Saturday. I’ve put off lining up the events’ gear requirements all month. Every participant is required to carry a water bottle and a hooded jacket to the top. On Sunday, I finally went to Community Threads in Leadville after church with Christie and the kids and was fortunate to find a very thin windbreaker that will fold up very small, as well as a handheld water bottle that I think is going to work just fine.

As I was perusing various race photographs of Remi Bonnet, Joe Gray and Seth Demoor from last year, I tried to spy where they hid their water and jacket. I ended up spiraling down the Youtube matrix of doom, where I stumbled upon Demoor’s vlog on last year’s Ascent/Marathon double.

These days, I generally could care less about these types of videos. I’m not as fascinated as I used to be by what other athletes eat, how they prepare for races or what their strategies are. But something resonated with me as I watched Demoor dry his running shorts out on the cheap hotel railing, drink Gatorade Zero and eat plain pasta out of a Pyrex. It reminded me of a few of my own solo race trips. Demoor has six kids (I think…at least five), but he was doing this race trip by himself.

This is what I was planning on doing this weekend, too. Until I watched his video.

“Didn’t sleep great. It’s ok,” he said, standing outside a dark motel room. I thought of the last few Alley Loop’s where I’ve either slept in the van or stayed in a cheap motel the night before, by myself…and not slept well. I was half expecting him to say what I usually think in those moments, i.e. ‘the night before doesn’t really matter anyway….sleep is like training…the hay has to be in the barn by then.’

But instead, he said this:

“One of the reasons is…the family’s not here.”

“It’s just not the same not sharing this moment directly with the family,” he continued. “And I think … I don’t know what the future holds for me and racing and traveling…I just don’t know. But I do know I don’t like to do it without my family.”

So, I think Novi, Ella, Christie and Ajee will be coming with me this weekend, for better or for worse. Sure, it probably means the sleep won’t be ideal (I think I’m the opposite of Demoor in that regard). But, I want to share this experience. I want my kids to see the fun things which go along with a race.

I think now — especially more than when I was a competitive high school or college runner — I savor, look forward to and embrace all the elements attached to a race about as much as the race itself. The drive down, the packet pick-up, the goofie posters and swag bags, the after-race gas station slurpies and conversations with competitors. The hotel check-in — I know Novi will love that (and the pool!).

My final ‘hard’ workout ended up getting abbreviated last Friday because I decided last minute to bring the whole family with me to cover a volleyball game in Vail. We went to the rec center so Novi and Ella could swim while I did an uphill treadmill session. Then we jetted off to Vail Christian and ate a picnic supper in the bleachers. Novi ‘helped’ me take some photos and then made friends with another 3-year-old outside the gym.

The Saints ended up going down 0-2 — only to rally for a five-set victory. After interviews, we finally left a little after 9. Not ideal, since we had to drive all the way home. Then, I woke up at 5 the next morning to drive in and ride an 80-mile bike ride for a separate story. I made sure to hydrate and fuel well on the ride — and also draft in the rear of a nice peloton to save my legs – and I felt great after. I’ve been taking the last few days easy to make sure things are primed for Saturday. Prayers are much appreciated!

No matter the outcome, I hope I can glorify God. Since the family is coming, I might also have to go to Olive Garden….

Keep on Striving. Keep on Skiing.

Skiing news

The 2024-2025 U.S. Ski Team roster announced

Full roster below. Noteworthy items include:

• Six men make their U.S. Ski Team debut (the entire D-team roster except Richardson)
• Largest squad ever? – 27 athletes
• Bernie Nelson is the first full-time female tech to join the American World Cup service
• Nordic Insights reported that Per-Erik Bjornstad and Tim Baucom “were not affiliated with the national team last year, but have been in prior years. Wax tech Karel Kruuser appears to have moved on.”
• Kevin Bolger and Kendall Kramer are back on the team. Kramer was first named to the team as an 17-year-old in 2020. She was also one of the first Seder-Skier Podcast guests back in 2020.

 A Team

women

Rosie Brennan (current club: APU; college: Dartmouth)

Jessie Diggins (SMS)

Julia Kern (SMS and Dartmouth)

Sophia Laukli (Team Aker–Dæhlie and University of Utah)

Sammy Smith (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and Stanford)

men

Ben Ogden (SMS and University of Vermont)

JC Schoonmaker (APU and University of Alaska Anchorage)

Gus Schumacher (APU and University of Alaska Anchorage)

B Team

women

Haley Brewster (University of Vermont)

Novie McCabe (APU and University of Utah)

Sydney Palmer-Leger (SMS and University of Utah)

men

Kevin Bolger (Team Birkie and University of Utah)

Michael Earnhart (APU Nordic Ski Center and Alaska Pacific University)

John Steel Hagenbuch (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and Dartmouth)

Luke Jager (APU and University of Utah)

Zak Ketterson (Team Birkie and Northern Michigan)

Will Koch (SMS and CU Boulder)

Zanden McMullen (APU Nordic Ski Center and Alaska Pacific University)

D Team

women

Kendall Kramer (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Ava Thurston (SMS and Dartmouth)

men

Fin Bailey (SMS and University of Vermont)

Zach Jayne (Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation and University of Utah)

Trey Jones (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and CU Boulder)

Murphy Kimball (Alaska Winter Stars and University of Alaska Anchorage)

Jack Lange (SMS and Dartmouth)

Derek “Buster” Richardson (APU Nordic Ski Center and Alaska Pacific University)

Jack Young (Craftsbury Green Racing Project and Colby)

Coaches and Staff

• Chief of Sport for U.S. Ski & Snowboard: Anouk Patty

• Cross Country Program Director: Chris Grover 

• Head Coach: Matt Whitcomb  

• Cross Country Sport Development Director: Bryan Fish  

• World Cup Coach: Jason Cork  

• D Team Coach: Kristen Bourne 

• Development Team Coach: Greta Anderson  

• Cross Country Press Officer: Leann Bentley 

• Cross Country Sport Coordinator: Adam St.Pierre 

• Cross Country Technical Advisor: Allan Serrano 

• Uniforming: Art Myshrall

Ski Service

• Head of Service: Oleg Ragilo 

• World Cup Service: Per-Erik Bjørnstad

• World Cup Service: Eli Brown  

• World Cup Service: Tim Baucom

• World Cup Service: Paul Choudoir

• World Cup Service: Bjørn Heimdal

• World Cup Service: Chris Hecker 

• World Cup Service: Bernie Nelson 

Commentary/predictions

• I think Haley Brewster is poised for a ‘breakout’ year similar to what Sophia Laukli had in 2022-2023.
• Am I the only one who scans this roster and is more excited about the depth/youth/talent/promise of the men’s team? I think the women — thanks to the heavy hitters (Diggins, Laukli, Brennan and Kern) are still going to accumulate more World Cup podiums/points, but I don’t feel quite as confident about what is coming up (with the exception of Brewster, I guess).
• Sleeper: Will Koch. I just like his development trajectory. He was a total stud as a youth/junior skier, but didn’t rip apart the NCAA ranks right away. Even though he’s gotten World Cup tastes here and there, he hasn’t had a ‘defining’ breakout performance yet — and that’s ok. He’s stuck at it, he loves training and racing and skiing in general, and he’s had some of his most confidence-building results late in his collegiate career — including helping to guide CU to a come-from-behind NCAA team title.

Klaebo excited about the prospects of skiing with Northug

On last week’s podcast, we discussed Petter Northug’s comeback attempt. One thing we brought up: the prospect of Northug teaming up with Johannes Klaebo in a team sprint. I thought I was just filling time with one of my unrealistic rants, but this week, I read in Langrenn.com that this pairing is something Klaebo himself would be excited about:

For his own part, he (Klaebo) would like to have the former skiing king in the WC squad. 

Several have singled out you and Petter Northug as a “dream team” for Norway for the team relay in the WC. What do you think about possibly getting Petter as a partner there?
“I would not have been negative about it! As I said, I think the biggest challenge will be to qualify, and that’s what will be exciting to see if he manages, and for me too. I think there are many who want those places on the team sprint team, and it won’t be a “walk in the park” no matter who goes. But there is no doubt that it would have been fun if he had done it,” says Klæbo, who reminds that the former ski king must also impress the national team management. 

Here’s another interesting soundbyte from the the story:

Do you do any training with Petter?
– No. I haven’t had that many sessions with Petter, but I’ve had a few. Then we’ll see where autumn takes us. It is possible that we will meet on a stay at altitude before too long. Then we’ll see if we can train a bit together there, and come up with a battle plan! Practice a bit on exchanges, maybe… 

I also found it interesting that this story followed a similar thread as my podcast in discussing the return of Therese Johaug as well. Here’s the next question:

When we’re about to make a comeback: What do you think of Therese Johaug’s comeback, and what does it do for the interest in Norwegian cross-country skiing?
– “First of all, I think that I am happy that she will not be competing in the men’s class. Competing against her in the five thousand I think would have been tough. But then I think for the sake of interest it’s great. Therese is a great profile, and we all know what she can deliver on the ski slopes. It will be exciting to see what she can achieve. And then it will be exciting to see what she does before the WC. But there is no doubt that she intends to go fast.”   

Johaug: everything to lose or everything to gain?

Swedish ski commentator Tomas Petterson recently said in Expressen that he thinks Therese Johaug has “everything to lose” by coming back for the 2025 world championships. Johaug told VG this week that she disagrees.

“I don’t go skiing to defend my achievements,” she said. “I feel I have everything to win! I ski because it’s fun, I love pushing boundaries and I love working towards a goal to see how good I can be.”

She continued: “If someone beats me in Trondheim… Yes, they are better than me that day, then. That’s how it’s been my whole career…..Should I have been afraid of not succeeding after the ban and not dared to stand on the starting line… Or just given up before the Olympic gold that was missing… You can’t think like that!”

I agree with Johaug. Ebba, Frida, Jessie and others have all gotten better, but will it be enough to take down Johaug? I tend to think it won’t. But even if they do dethrone the Norwegian ski queen, who cares? For one, Johaug has a good excuse: she’s had a kid and has been out of competition for two years — and she’s 36. Plus, even if she posts a DNF, does that takeaway her 18 global gold medals — including a sweep of all three Olympic distance golds in 2022? No!

Some people dislike the ‘GOAT’ conversation. This shows others simply don’t know how to discuss it. The fact is, a player can’t really ‘tarnish’ what they’ve already accomplished by sticking around for too long, a la Brett Favre, or coming back terribly, a la Michael Jordan. Personally, one of the coolest things I’ve seen as a sports fan was witnessing Tom Brady win a Super Bowl when I was 9 — and when I was 31…just crazy…I think if 90% of NFL teams signed him today, he would be better than their current starter, too.

….I digress…

Other ski-news snippets:

• Weng thinks Johaug’s presence might alleviate the rest of the Norwegian squad from media attention. That is a good point, Ralph.
• Johaug might need to ‘run away from the family’ to prepare for the world champs. Add this to the upcoming podcast discussion on parenting and elite skiing (we also need to add this piece on Jakob Ingebrigtsen returning home to be a more involved dad after a long season)! Also, did you guys realize it took Johaug four months to decide on a name for her daughter? Is that normal haha? Ok, enough Johaug-ripping!
• Swedish talent Erica Laven discusses her decision to come to America and ski for the University of Utah.
• Team Birkie toured Duluth for the Northshore Inline Marathon. Good for them!
• Interesting piece on Rosie Brennan in Fasterskier. Apparently her mid/late-season slump last year was due in part to a mysterious illness.
• Remind me that I need to go through some of these great CXC blogs on training. Check them out.
• Cool breakdown by Nordic Insights on where USST athletes come from.
• Lukáš Bauer is joining Ski Classics as the new race director. “I’m really happy and motivated to work in this position. I’ve spent six years in Ski Classics as Pro Team Director and two years earlier as an athlete, and I like this World. I’m pleased with what David and the team have built in the last 15-16 years. This is the position from the other side that I was before, but I’m really looking forward to it,” he told skiclassics.com. “I hope I can bring a point of view from many different angles, like athletes, Pro Team Directors, coaches, so I can gain from these positions and bring to Ski Classics. I’m looking forward to the start of the season, and I hope to have a great season with tons of snow and very interesting competitions.”

Emails of the week

Send us your thoughts – sederskier@gmail.com

A Minnesota connection and some good PPA advice

Hi Ryan –

We’ve never met but I feel a kinship with you. I’m also a Minnesota native (I grew up in Carlton, 20 miles west of Duluth), I love Nordic skiing/racing and I lived in Colorado for many decades. I enjoy your podcast and recently discovered your weekly wax column. Great stuff, keep it up!

I also love trail running and competed in the Pikes Peak Ascent several times. Your recent training looks solid and I’m looking forward to seeing how you do. I think you’ll surprise a lot of people. It’s all about the last three miles from A frame to the summit, make sure you save something for that.

Best wishes,

K

I know…I don’t actually know much about skiing….

SEDER,

I AM 25 MINUTES INTO THE POD YELLING KIKKAN, KIKKAN YOU BUFFOON!! KIKKAN WAS A FEMALE ATHLETE FROM NORTH AMERICA WHO HAD A KID AND RACED IN EUROPE AND WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD!!!!!!

TACO BELL GUY

The bell lap

I was shocked by Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s half-marathon debut. After going out with the leaders in a Norwegian 10-kilometer record (27:27), the 23-year-old abruptly stopped and then limped to the finish line in 1:03:13 — good for 34th place.

In a year which he ran 7:17 for 3k (shattering what many considered to be the best long-distance running record on the books by three seconds) and won Olympic gold at 5,000-meters — and knowing that Ingebrigtsen relies on high-volume double-threshold work — I genuinely thought the world record for the half-marathon was under threat. Of course, the distance is its own beast (as this performance proves) and requires a few tries to work the kinks out. Thus, I wouldn’t have been shocked to see Jakob run, say, 58:40-59:50…but 1:03:13…in the way he did it…is shocking.

“Twenty-one km is definitely too long! I’m definitely not going to try again for a couple of years,” he told Olympics.com. “It’s fun but tough. I tried to stay with the leading group for as long as I could.”

“I think I did a Norwegian record for 10km and that’s good enough for me today,” he continued. “I had no chance mentally and my legs are definitely too tired. I’m not prepared enough to stay the whole distance today but a lot of fun to finish off my season.”

Ingebrigtsen wants to break every distance record from 1500 through the marathon. He currently holds the 2k, 3k and 2-mile bests. Given his 3k performance and 1500 fitness, I think he should have tried to target the 5k record this year. It would have been a cinch to get — and you never really know when you’ll be in this type of fitness again. I mean, he’s only 23, so presumably, he’ll have another 4-5 years of him being just like this.

But, if you’re in 5k world record shape, you’d think a sub-59 half-marathon would be a piece of cake. Not really sure what happened here….The 27:27 start should have felt like an afternoon shakeout…

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