I might describe Norwegian path runner and mountain runner Henriette Albon as glittery. Perhaps it’s as a result of on the morning once we converse, she has simply been for the primary correct snow ski of the winter. A summer season through which she’d received Transgrancanaria and the Path du Saint-Jacques 80k, however couldn’t begin UTMB because of damage, is lengthy up to now, and winter has set in round her residence in Norway, which she shares along with her husband, Jon Albon, additionally an achieved ultrarunner and impediment racer.
Henriette Albon. Picture courtesy of Henriette Albon.
She is vibrant, bubbly, brilliant, and open. Each throughout our one-on-one dialog and on her social media, she comes throughout as a no-nonsense, lifelike voice for girls within the sport. I ask a couple of specific Instagram publish from earlier this yr the place she’d sought suggestions for path operating shorts that wouldn’t chafe “mountain legs.” On the time, I bear in mind my very own thighs, which I had cursed for rubbing collectively. After all, I spotted after studying the publish that I don’t want thinner thighs; I want shorts which might be match for goal. Henriette laments, “It simply amazes me how they’re but to truly crack making first rate shorts for feminine mountain runners with barely greater thighs than the typical runner.”
What does Henriette need? An extended internal quick that isn’t fabricated from compression material. Fairly easy, actually.
Discovering Operating
Henriette’s personal mountain legs, fierce competitiveness, and strong work ethic have seen her on the entrance of many ultras over time, together with wins on the 2024 Extremely Path Snowdonia 50k and 2023 Les Templiers 50k and sixth locations on the 2023 Lavaredo Extremely and 2022 CCC, simply to call a number of. She comes from a household that has all the time been concerned in orienteering, and he or she grew up dancing and enjoying soccer. In her late teenagers, she felt that she wanted to put aside bodily exercise to deal with her research, securing her future with a very good job. Looking back, she laughs, uncertain why she felt she couldn’t do each. But when we take a look at the way in which she targets and trains for races as knowledgeable athlete now, it’s clear that she thrives with having a singular focus, and that could be key to a lot of her success.
Henriette at a coaching camp, placing full focus into her targets. Picture: Philipp Reiter
In 2014, after graduating with a Bachelor of Enterprise Administration from Tub College within the U.Okay., Henriette and Jon, who’d met on a ski journey as youngsters, moved to Norway in order that Henriette might pursue a grasp’s diploma. Path operating was initially only a interest alongside high-level impediment racing for each of them, however they fell in love with the game sufficient to do the Tromsø Skyrace collectively for his or her honeymoon. She mentioned it rained the entire time. I discover this uniquely romantic.
Henriette on the technical terrain of the 2024 Trofeo Kima Skyrace. Picture: Maurizio Torri
Henriette received into skyrunning for a number of years, balancing her coaching alongside her work as an auditor. However more and more, Henriette realized that one thing needed to give: She was burning out with coaching earlier than work, coaching after work, and craving to be outdoors. She stop her job, transferring her focus towards the impediment racing teaching enterprise she and Jon had not too long ago began. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Whereas skyraces had been on pause, Henriette and Jon began doing longer days out on the paths. Henriette realized that it was the size of time outside that the majority appealed to her — a few of the skyraces had been simply 5 hours lengthy — and moreover, she realized the longer distances performed to her strengths. An extremely calls for health and competitors, however crucially, she displays, “You even have that little bit of journey in it.”
Extremely Successes and Setbacks
It didn’t take lengthy for Henriette to transition from shorter skyrace efforts to longer ones. In 2020, she got down to chase the quickest recognized time on the Norge På Tvers throughout Norway. The 120-kilometer route crosses the nation at its narrowest half, and Jon acted as her assist crew. She and Jon made a extremely candy movie in regards to the expertise, which encapsulates as a lot of the allure and heat of their relationship because it does her drive as an athlete. Jon chases Henriette throughout the scrubby Norwegian panorama by foot, van, and bike, singing, “Right here is my spouse! I’ve discovered my spouse!’ and yelling into the darkish of the woods, “The belongings you do for love!” In return, she provides him quick shrift when he encourages her to eat, alongside a successful smile and a kiss.
Almost 9 hours in, Henriette appears totally depressing. Her toes are lined in mud, her tempo has slowed, she’s grumpy, and meals isn’t staying down. Jon retains insisting she has to attempt to eat one thing. The final 10k are on flat tarmac, and it seems to be like a totally joyless grind. She finishes at 9:45 p.m. on the Stjørdal prepare station, with a brand new file of 14:45:32. She sits down and stops her watch. There aren’t any smiles, no phrases of celebration. Jon says wryly from behind the digital camera, “I’m glad you’re pleased.”
Henriette runs along with her husband, Jon Albon. Picture: The Journey Bakery
And but, it was this journey that propelled Henriette into ultrarunning. Regardless of saying, “I really feel terrible. I dunno’ why folks do that,” one thing in regards to the expertise received into her bones. After having centered on 50k races for a number of years, Henriette jumped up in distance with the 2021 Extremely Pirineu 100k, the place she completed in fourth. In 2022, she tried the 100k distance once more at CCC and completed in sixth, regardless of a suboptimal lead-up, involving ingesting from streams within the Alps and spending seven days in mattress with a excessive fever. Nonetheless, Henriette says she is basically pleased with the way in which she executed the race. From the skin, her profession as a path runner and ultrarunner was off to an excellent begin. She was sponsored by Arc’teryx, and he or she was already close to the entrance of aggressive fields. How a lot additional and quicker might she go?
Sadly, inside Henriette’s first yr of being a sponsored athlete, after having issues along with her hip, she was recognized with a stress response linked to relative power deficiency in sport (RED-S) syndrome. What adopted was a darkish interval of questioning her self-worth. Who was she if she couldn’t do what she liked? It was a two-year restoration to return to full well being. Reflecting now on her accidents over time, Henriette says, “Each disappointment takes lots out of you within the sense that you simply ask your self, ‘Properly, what number of occasions am I going to face up once more from this? Is it value it?’ You are feeling so defeated, embarrassed, and like possibly you need to be doing one thing else.” Henriette has introduced away classes from her expertise with accidents and says, “It’s essential to do not forget that we’re doing this for ourselves and nobody actually cares. If you wish to go after it, it’s best to.”
A Midwinter Bob Graham Spherical
Whereas Henriette executed some wonderful performances in races throughout these two years, the actual comeback was a 2023 midwinter Bob Graham Spherical within the U.Okay.’s Lake District.
The Bob Graham Spherical is a problem to finish a 106k lap round 42 peaks within the Lake District inside 24 hours. It started in 1932 when Bob Graham, an area fell runner, needed to run 42 peaks to rejoice his forty second birthday. The route has since grow to be legendary, and the “Midwinter Bob” is as gnarly because it will get. In the course of the month of December, when Henriette determined to run, the climate is unpredictable. In addition to being moist and windy, the circumstances underfoot are boggy, and there’s lower than eight hours of daylight. Nonetheless, Henriette says it’s her greatest operating reminiscence: “The entire expertise was simply very distinctive and highly effective.”
Henriette on her technique to setting a brand new pace file on a midwinter Bob Graham Spherical in 2023. Picture: James Appleton
The principles on the time acknowledged that you simply needed to have a witness on every of the 42 peaks, which implies you don’t run it alone. Henriette’s spherical was very a lot a workforce effort, together with pacers she had by no means met earlier than however who turned up at the start of every leg and set off along with her to navigate the peaks at nighttime. The movie about Henriette’s journey, “A Bob Graham Spherical – #2,818” — so named as a result of she was the two,818th runner to finish the spherical — is a superb expression of the wild enjoyable and grit it took to finish the problem. “The primary two legs are very a lot a matter of not screwing it up,” Henriette says within the movie, as she adjusts her head torch earlier than beginning her try at 2:45 a.m. beside Moot Corridor in Keswick, the enduring constructing that serves as the journey’s begin and end. “And the third, fourth, and fifth additionally,” Jon interjects, helpfully and wittily.
Henriette coaching within the U.Okay.’s Lake District. Picture: James Appleton
She doesn’t screw it up. Not any of it. Not when the wind received so robust that Henriette says, “It practically picked us up!” Not climbing up Yewbarrow listening to music. Not clawing up Scafell Pike by way of a gully of free, transferring rocks, a bit she describes as one thing out of “Lord of the Rings.” She is versatile, taking a cup of tea she didn’t know she would need. She is stoic, going into the final massive climb on the fifth leg, saying, “I’ll survive it.” She is humble, noting, “It’s fascinating how folks would rise up in the midst of the night time simply to assist me do that factor.” When she lastly runs again into Keswick to complete the spherical in a brand new file time of 17:55, there’s a way of inevitability together with the enjoyment. She bounds up the steps of Moot Corridor and touches the door to applause, cheering, and a canine barking. She addresses the small assembled crowd, “This has been one of the best run day I’ve ever had.” Jon hugs her and muffles, “I’m very, very proud.” It’s all very lovely.
A Sense of Self
Speaking to Henriette, it’s clear that she has a robust sense of her personal identification, and her competitiveness is palpable. “Oh, I’m tremendous aggressive, ridiculously aggressive. Most likely much less in order I’m getting older, however I’ve all the time been very aggressive, it doesn’t matter what it’s.” Henriette realizes the trait is a double-edged sword. As a lot because it’s a driving drive, inspiring her to coach rather well in pursuit of a win, the tunnel imaginative and prescient can result in forgetting about the rest that issues in life. Henriette says, “Then if the race doesn’t go properly, it seems like an enormous failure.” She is eager to emphasise that she’s a lot better at balancing all the pieces now, however an damage she sustained this previous summer season, forward of UTMB, that stored her from beginning was nonetheless gut-wrenching. She says, “I used to be so prepared to face on that begin line and actually give it a go.” Whereas UTMB all the time felt too far and too massive up to now, it had appeared virtually achievable within the months main as much as it. Henriette says, “Whenever you set these targets, it’s important to discover a aim which feels prefer it’s barely bonkers, and barely loopy, and you may’t fairly imagine you would do it, however on the identical time, you imagine you would. And I feel that’s why UTMB hit the spot for me.”
Henriette on her technique to successful the 2024 Extremely-Path Snowdonia 50k. Picture: Ross Brackley
With the summer season within the rearview, Henriette is now centered on the longer term. She and Jon reside in Romsdal, a coaching mecca for path runners and mountain runners. The likes of Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg are close by, as is Ida Nilsson, and after they’re not all touring for races, they take pleasure in having the prospect to coach collectively. “In winter, we are able to spend virtually every single day snowboarding collectively,” Henriette says. With regard to operating collectively, although, Henriette says, “I’ve to decide on my moments.” She joins an area group for interval exercises as soon as per week, however in any other case asserts, “When you prepare with different folks, it simply doesn’t are typically the correct effort degree that you simply want.” The group understands one another’s existence and priorities, although.
For the following few months, each Henriette and Ida will likely be centered on coaching for the 2026 Transgrancanaria in February. “Ida is among the athletes who evokes me,” Henriette says. “As a result of I’ve seen her undergo the harder occasions, she’s had some setbacks by way of the years.” It’s clear Henriette admires her pal, “She is going to work actually laborious for these moments of success. I feel that’s fairly cool to see when somebody places in work over an extended period of time after which manages to drag it off.” Typically the qualities we admire in others may be true of ourselves, too.
Seeking to the Future
Henriette has excessive hopes for 2026. She’s returning to Transgrancanaria after an astonishing efficiency in 2025, and he or she needs to actually nail the coaching block this time, be injury-free, and have a correct race in opposition to a aggressive discipline. She laughs that this intention is a “recipe for catastrophe!” However she says that it’s thrilling as properly. When it comes to execution, it looks as if we are able to count on one other Henriette-style assault from behind. “I’m not a runner,” she says. I giggle. “I can’t actually run.” I’m confused. “I can’t run quick. It’s all relative, isn’t it? I can’t run very quick off the beginning,” she explains. “My prime pace is way slower than the quickest females, so I find yourself towards the again. However I’m additionally superb at pacing my efforts.” I supply, “That basically fits UTMB, doesn’t it?” Henriette replies with that glittery grin.
“I feel it’s essential as properly to know we’re doing this for ourselves as a result of it’s a private interest in a approach,” she says. “So I do know that after I make it to the beginning of UTMB, clearly everybody desires of successful, however I feel for me personally, simply with the ability to race it to my potential on the day, that’s going to be a extremely satisfying expertise. Simply to have the ability to go there and provides it your all … making it round understanding you probably did your greatest. I feel that’s what everybody can relate to in path operating.” Henriette observes, “We’re all simply on the market enjoying this sport of: How properly can we do immediately?”
Henriette descending through the 2024 Minotaur SkyRace. Picture: The Journey Bakery
Henriette desires massive, however she’s additionally lifelike. She’s eager on planning, analysis, and group, however has additionally discovered over time that generally, “you simply should let stuff be.” She additionally doesn’t need to suppose too far forward. Henriette has religion that regardless of the subsequent factor is after UTMB in 2026, it is going to hit her, she’ll catch the bug for it, and go all in. She says, “I don’t need to overthink it now since you simply know whenever you discover that factor.”
No matter it’s, it’s the type of factor that can set her soul on hearth.
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Henriette says of racing, “We’re all simply on the market enjoying this sport of: How properly can we do immediately?” Picture: Petter Engdahl
