Interview with Sondre Nordstad Moen, by: Stina Gregersen Karlsen 

SK Vidar runner Sondre Norstad Moen has never felt he has sacrificed anything - on the contrary, he has cultivated his interests. Now he wants to continue to focus on the world top.

2 hours. 5 minutes. 48 seconds. It was time to put Sondre Nordstad Moen on the international star map - a new Norwegian athletics star was born. It was in December last year that the SK Vidar runner from Trondheim ran until 2.05.48 on the marathon distance in the Fukuoka Marathon, with an average speed of 20.2 kilometers per hour. Never before had a non-African runner run a faster marathon - a new European record was a fact.

From the beginning. As a young man, it was cross-country skiing that occupied Sondre's everyday life, and running was mostly used as training for the ski season. He still participated in both track and street races from the age of 11. It was only when he was 17 years old that he put his skis on the shelf and focused fully on running. Sondre noticed early on that he was more persistent than the other children in primary school. When they raced for more than a minute, he was able to continue while the others fell off. This gave him the confidence to bet on endurance sports. When he as a 16-year-old ran into a 6th place in the Junior-EM in cross-country, just seven seconds from the bronze, and in competition against three years older competitors, he seriously realized that he had great potential as a runner.

Never regretted. It is often said that one has to sacrifice a lot to reach the top as an athlete. Sondre does not see it quite like that

- I have never felt I have sacrificed anything. I have always cultivated my interests, regardless of what others believe and believe, he says.

In his youth he became more and more convinced that it was top sports he wanted to do, and everything else was easy to put on hold.

- For example, I have never had any interest in partying to have fun with alcohol, so putting away the russet time was easy. I have never regretted the choices I have made, he says.

It was the passion for running and forcing the body to run ever faster, preferably at 5000m and longer, that drove Sondre forward.

SK Vidar. In 2009, Sondre joined the Vidar Sports Club. He believes this has had a lot to say for his career.

- I got better conditions purely sportingly to bet and to start training in the heights in Kenya, and was helped well on my way to where I am today by my former coach. In the club, I also got better matching in training, among other things through Sindre Buraas, he says.

Kenya. It was in January 2009 that Sondre was taken by his then coach to Kenya, because he thought the race culture and the climatic conditions there were unique. Since then, Sondre has spent more than 600 days in Kenya. He believes the biggest difference from training in Kenya is the willingness to train and the discipline among the athletes. It is always the training that is in focus, and the days are set up accordingly. In addition, the climate and altitude (2000-2400 masl) are very favorable.

- There are miles of gravel roads, always someone to match with in training, cheap to live and a huge interest in running among the locals. It gives a unique motivation, he says.

In recent years, Sondre has spent the winter months in Kenya and the summer months in Norway or on altitude training in the Alps. In total, he spends around 300 days traveling a year

- Of course I miss family and friends, but I have traveled a lot and been away the last 10 years, so we are all used to it. Fortunately, they fully understand my priorities, and we communicate easily via skype and telephone, he says.

After the upturn in December 2017, Sondre quickly suffered some setbacks. The start of the year was marked by illness - first a viral infection, and then a severe food poisoning, which has set him back and offered challenges in this year's season. He is still looking forward to new sky-high goals.

- My motivation today is to approach the world top in marathons. My biggest goals are to run under 59 minutes in the half marathon, under 2:04 in the marathon and take a medal in the Olympics and the World Cup, he says.

What does a training week look like for Sondre Norstad Moen?

A training week varies greatly depending on the distance he trains against and how long it is to the competition (s).

This is an example of Sondre's weekly program ten weeks before the marathon:

Monday)

Session 1: 1h 07 'easy (18km)

Session 2: 1h 04 'easy (17km)

Tuesday)

Session 1: 1h 19 'moderate (22km)

Session 2: 56 'easy (15km) + 10x80m downhill sprint

Wednesday)

Session 1: 1h 25 'moderate (24km)

Session 2: 47 'easy (12km) + 10x100m ascent

Thursday:

Session 1: 59 'easy (16km)

Session 2: 57 'easy (15km)

Friday:

Session 1:27 'warm-up (7km) + track intervals: 2x3000m at 9'00' '(break 3') + 3x2000m at 6'00 '' (break 3 ') + 5x1000m at 2'55' '(break 2') + 6x500m at 1'22 '' (break 1'30 '')

2km downhill

Session 2: 47 ′ easy (12km) + strength training

Saturday

Session 1: 1h 09 'easy (18km)

Session 2: 47 'easy (12km)

Sunday

Session 1: 1h 15 'easy (20km)

Session 2: 38 'easy (10km) + 6 uphill runs

A total of 242km