Ski marathons

[nickm]

Despite taking up skiing at a late age and living in a hot dry place, I have just started my quest to become a world loppet master at the age of 57. That involves skiing marathons in 10 different countries.
I have just done the Australian hoppet - 42km - in 2:40, and the NZ muster, also 42km, in 2hrs 38mins.
Any other ageing marathon skiers with T1 out there?

 

[phoenix]

Have you tried contacting Kris Freeman? He's not in his fifties but at least he has long experience of T1 and Nordic skiing . Although with that experience he had hypo problems in the last Olympics.
https://twitter.com/TeamFreebirdXC

 

[therower]

Hi @nickm. I would so much like to be able to say that I'm a 50+ marathon skier. Sadly I can't.
Nonetheless you have my upmost admiration for undertaking your challenge, good luck.
Keep us posted on those times.

 

[copepod]

No competitive nordic skiing, but I've done some hut to hut touring and occasional days when staying with friends in Norway and odd days in northern England, since diagnosis.

 

[nickm]

Loppets are more like fun runs than races, copepod. The aim is to finish within the cut-off time, +/- do a PB. Unlike Pippa Middleton, I haven't done the Vasaloppet yet. It involves skiing classic rather than freestyle. One day. Hut based touring in Norway is also on my to-do list, having been to those mountain in summer.

 

[nickm]

Kris Freeman skis at international level and is more than 20 years younger than me. He has been a star athlete all his life whereas I was not athletic enough to represent my college in any sport except chess.
Looking at young athletes' lifestyles is largely pointless unless you aspire to be one yourself and have the genes to match. Should I copy Usain Bolt and eat lots of McNuggets? Or be like some very successful Australian olympians and eat a diet that is almost entirely fast food? The effects of a bad diet can take decades of adult life to become apparent.
Perhaps Kris should be taking advice from me if he wants to still be skiing fast 20 years from now.
And I should be taking advice from T1s 10 years older than me who still ski loppets. If only I could find some. There should be at least a few older T1s among the >100,000 marathon skiers in the world. Or do most T1 athletes go massively downhill in their 50s?

 

[phoenix]

I'm sorry you didn't find it a helpful suggestion. I am almost 10 years older than you. and now probably not as fit. I was running marathons at your age and though still have stamina don't really want to spend all that time running anymore. I still complete long distance walks lasting from a week to the latest one of two months (by far the hardest challenge ) .I have certainly have found useful information on timing insulin, adjusting basals and taking glucose from many sources, including those who compete at a much higher level than I. Obviously you then have to adapt the ideas to what works best for you during training.

Good luck in your endeavours.