Posts under "Sports"

Norwegian glory in the Tour de France

Posted by kari No Comments
Jul 20 2011

Thor Hushovd

 

The God of Thunder, also known as The Bull from Grimstad (a city in the Aust-Agder county) made Norway proud today.  33 year old Norwegian cyclist Thor Hushovd took first place in Stage 16 of the Tour de France.  Hushovd has been riding professionally since 1998 and has won many awards along the way.  In 1998, the first year of his professional career, Hushovd placed first in the Under 23 year old World Time Trial competition.  Between 2000 and today he has won many different stages in the Tour de France, but this was the first time he placed first in the 16th stage. In 2010 he became the first Norwegian to ever have won the road world championship.  He also became the first reigning champion of the world championship to finish in first for one of the Tour de France stages, as well as the first to wear the yellow jersey for over one week in a row (the yellow jersey is worn by the fastest overall rider for a week).

Cycling is a sport that in a historical sense has only recently become popular in Norway.  Hushovd rides for the Garmin-Cervelo team, which is coached by Atle Kvålsvoll, who is said to be one of the major reasons the sport of cycling has picked up so much.  In 1988, Kvålsvoll rode for the French Z team and won the Tour de France that year.

Sports channel viewings, as well as bike sales have been very high in Norway due to the success of ´Sthor Hushovd´and ´Uthrolig Hushov,´the first putting the word stor (large, great) and Thor together, the second using the word ´utrolig´which means unbelievable.  The media has really enjoyed using his name creatively.

Go Thor!  I´m rooting for you!!

MSM- Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromsø

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Jun 27 2011

I´m a runner, but I´ve never competed in a race, nor do I really enjoy running with others (except my dog).  Therefore, I´ve never considered a marathon or half marathon.  I´ll do centuries (100 mile bike rides), but somehow I can´t even compare a century to a marathon.  Biking is so much more forgiving.  Anyways, I have just established an interest in a particular maraton (Norwegians spell it without the ´h´)-the Midnight Sun Marathon (MSM-Midnattsol Maraton) in Tromsø!  It just took place on Saturday night.  My golden birthday was yesterday.   Little did I know I could have spent it running with thousands of others under midnattsola!

There are races for all sorts of runners. The whole marathon starts at 8:30 pm and the half at 10:30 pm.  There is also a 10km and a 4.2 km run.  The marathon starts in the city center and continues over the bridge to mainland where the runners spend 20km before they head back over the bridge to the island again, where they run around the southern tip of the island and finish up in the city center.

This year marked the 22nd annual MSM race in Tromsø, the unofficial capital of northern Norway.  Last year there were participants from 63 countries in the world.  That´s incredible especially considering Tromsø´s latitude of nearly 70 degrees north.  It is quite an international city, with residents from over 100 countries.

Believe it or not, there is also a Mørketidsløp (Dark time race) in January when the sun never rises. I think if I lived in Tromsø in the winter I´d participate in that race just for the exhilaration factor in such a long, dark time of winter.

And, if those 2 races aren´t extreme enough, there is actually a race called Ekstremløp (Extreme Race) where runners run up the mountain to the cable car.  I´ve hiked up the mountain and it was not easy.  There are several ways to get up it and we chose to just go the steepest way possible.  My legs burned so badly once we got to the top.  I´m quite happy we took the cable car down.  But seriously, I can´t even imagine running up that thing.  I have great respect for people who participate in the Mørketidsløp either as a race or just as a goal to complete it, running or not.

No matter what day of the week it is, Tromsø is always a hopping place.  It´s quite lively during the day as well as in the evening at the various bars and coffee shops.  Really, if you have not been to Tromsø, I highly suggest it!

Professional Boxing Illegal in Norway

Posted by kari No Comments
May 7 2011

Who new?  Norway is the only country in Europe in which there is a ban on professional boxing (North Korea and Cuba the only others in the world).  I was unaware of this until I recently read an article about Evander Holyfield´s surprise and subsequent decision to not visit Norway because he `plays by the rules.´ It is primarily the red-green coalition government that supports the ban, while the Progress Party, Conservative Party, and Christian Democratic Party oppose it.

Those who support the ban believe that boxing at a professional level poses significant medical risks.  Labor Party member Gunn Karin Gjul noted reports that state that between 2000 and 2006, 80% of the 65 boxing related deaths were professional boxers.  The risk at this tier of boxing is much greater primarily because the skill level of professionals surpasses that of amateurs and when the skill involves blows to the head, there is more risk for for injury and death.

The opponents of the ban argue that although the head is a major target for boxers, adult athletes who accept this risk should not be forbidden to participate in this sport.   Øyvind Håbrekke, a member of the Christian Democratic Party told VG (a Norwegian newspaper) that while “there is no doubt that there are health-related risks connected with professional boxing” and that it “has sides that we do not exactly want to encourage,” he does not believe that politicians “can forbid grown people from exposing themselves to risks that do not affect third parties.”  Board Member of the Norwegian Boxing Federation Frank Robert Walstad tells The Foreigner “you don’t get smarter by receiving repeated blows to the head”, but argues some other types of sports are more dangerous, such as scuba diving, mountain climbing, and motor sports.

Would you believe that the ban has been in place since 1981?!  A member of the Norwegian Olympic Committee approached the European Amateur Association chairman and demanded that professional boxing be banned or else amateur boxing would be discontinued as well.  A majority vote of 54-24 in the lower house of Parliament (Odelsting), Norway followed Sweden in the Nordic Council’s request in 1969 that the Nordic countries ban professional boxing.  At that time the reason was the same-that professional boxing lacked the same safety requirements that amateur boxing had.  The argument is the same today by the Red-Green Coalition.

The ban on professional boxing in Norway means that Norwegian professional boxers must travel abroad to fight.  Denmark is the closest country for Norwegians to visit and participate in fights.   No wonder there are only 8 professional boxers in Norway!

 

 

Grete Waitz (1 October 1953 – 19 April 2011)

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Apr 25 2011

A  Norwegian legend, known to many as ´Grete the Great´, died last week.  Grete Waitz (pronounced ´Vites´), a Norwegian school teacher, was a spectacular role model who dedicated her life to health and fitness by becoming one of the greatest female marathoners in the world.  To tell you the truth, I didn´t know anything about Grete until after she died last week.  I try to get out and run with my dog most days, but I´ve never run more than 5 miles and I don´t have the desire to do any more than this.  As far as distance activity goes, I go for biking.  I would much rather bike a couple of centuries than run a marathon.  It´s not that I don´t enjoy running, but I find biking more enjoyable and easier on the body (and you can more easily stop along the way and enjoy a beer and a burger…).  However, I have major respect for individuals who are capable of distance running.

Grete Waitz was a member of the Norwegian Olympic team and participated many times in New York City marathons.  She began her long relationship with the New York City Marathon in 1978 as a pace maker.  Unlike most pace makers, Great made it all the way through the race.  Apparently after completion of the race, she was upset with her husband for persuading her to compete; she claimed she would never do it again.  How untrue that was-she went on to win 9 of them (more than anyone else)!  She finished the race with a record breaking 2 hours and 32 minutes!  In addition to many other victories, Waitz won a gold medal in the World Championship of Athletics in Helsinki, Finland in 1983 and a silver medal in the L.A. Olympics in 1984.

Waitz grew up in Oslo during a time when females were not expected to be distance runners.  Her family wasn´t very supportive of her, but she kept on training hard and competing in races all over the world.  She was a spectacular role model for both male and female runners and for athletes in general.  Not only was she a competitor but she utilized her love for distance running to benefit others.  After announcing that she had cancer in 2005, she began her public work to promote health and wellness.  For more than 25 years, Waitz was an ambassador for the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, an organization that promoted fitness for full time workers.  In 2007, she started a cancer care foundation called ´Aktiv mot kreft´(Active against Cancer).  In 2009, she announced a cooperative campaign with Adidas (one of her sponsors).  5% of all sales of Grete Waitz collections were given to hospitals for training and investment in PET scanners.  Grete Waitz received several prestigious awards from the Norwegian Royal family and the Norwegian government.  She was considered a true legend.  R.I.P. Grete Waitz-you are an inspiration to women in general and to the importance of health and fitness.

Bicycling in Norway

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Apr 12 2011

Biking is one of my favorite activities and Norway is my favorite place to be away from home.  I have yet to complete a biking trip in Norway.  This is definitely on my bucket list.  I lived in Tromsø this past summer and bought a hybrid bike for pleasure yes, but mostly for transportation from my apartment into town and elsewhere on the island.  At home in MN, I have become so used to road biking that to be on a hybrid again was like wearing 5 pound shoes.  Therefore, I didn´t do much recreational cycling, which I now regret:(

However, that won´t stop me from either lugging my bike there or renting one and going on a trip with the sole purpose of biking.  All regions of Norway are special in their own way, but island hopping on the west coast would be my first choice.  Crossing bridges, enjoying breaks on ferry rides, and  opportunities to fish sounds absolutely delightful to me, not to mention the occasional refreshing dive into the Atlantic to cool off and relax the muscles.  There are endless spots to stop and take pictures and simply enjoy the magnificent scenery.  There are also plenty of  accommodations for food and lodging, whether you are interested in camping or staying in a full service vacation house.

There is quite a bit of information on the internet for you to consult if you are interesting in a cycling trip in Norway.  The three best websites that I have found are the following:

Bike Norway-see here.

Visit Norway- see here.

Norsk Bygdeopplevelser-see here.

As you might imagine, there are excellent cycling routes all over the country.  You can enjoy the rolling hills, steeper mountains with winding roads and waterfalls at your side, the arctic tundra up north, and the far south with lots of sunshine and warmer temperatures.

If you enjoy the sport of bicycling, but would rather watch, you can see the Birkebeinerrittet bike race

which follows this path:

Start planning your trip!

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