[Editor’s Note: This article was written by guest writer Emma Zimmerman.]
The camera pans over a sub-Arctic valley, surrounded by jagged and snowcapped peaks. Here, ultrarunners climb mountains with ice axes in the winter, and log steep miles on treacherous terrain in the summer. The valley is Romsdal, Norway. And the runners that train here, some of the best in the world. Together, they form the subject of Hans Kristian Smedsrød’s film, “The Romsdal Method,” which is available to buy or rent online.
The film follows Jonathan Albon, British ultrarunner and three-time winner of the Skyrunner World Series; Ida Nilsson, former NCAA Division I steeplechase champion, ultrarunner, and ski mountaineer from Sweden; and Petter Engdahl, professional ultrarunner and skier, also from Sweden, as they train for the 2024 Western States 100. It’s less interested in the numbers and nitty-gritty of the training model, and more in the ethos exhibited by these athletes as they prepare for the iconic 100-mile race. The result is a raw glimpse into these athletes’ training styles, the mountainous playground they inhabit, and the mindset that grounds their world-class performances.
If you’ve followed endurance training in the past few years, you’ve likely encountered references to the so-called “Norwegian Method.” In both research studies and popular articles, scientists, coaches, and running enthusiasts alike have sought to answer two questions: what underlies the recent ascendance of Norwegian athletes in endurance sports — notably track and triathlon — and how to make their secrets accessible to the broader population? Often, these accounts highlight the measurable minutiae of the “Norwegian Method” — high volumes of lower-intensity training with shorter bursts of speed, double-threshold workouts, and monitoring of lactate levels, for instance. “The Romsdal Method,” on the other hand, takes a different approach.
Jon Albon exploring his home mountains in Romsdal, Norway. All photo are screenshots from The Romsdal Method.
Romsdal: A Legacy of Adventure
Since the early 19th century, Romsdal has served as a landing ground for ardent climbers. In a browning photograph taken in 1881, three climbers celebrate a summit of the iconic Romsdalshorn, thick ropes wrapped around them and top hats secured to their heads. Centuries later, the Romsdal adventure scene has evolved — and in more ways than the updates seen in athletic gear.
In 2017, Kilian Jornet, often considered the greatest ultrarunner of all time, moved to Romsdal with his wife, Emelie Forsberg, a victorious trail runner and ski mountaineer in her own right. Athletes from all over the world followed suit, and Romsdal evolved into a hub for mountain endurance athletes, in addition to climbers. Filmmaker Smedsrød came with the wave — moving to Romsdal in 2021 to not only “learn from the best,” but to immerse himself in a more adventurous training routine.
Indeed, Romsdal athletes place a premium on adventure. Footage shows runners maneuvering across exposed rock ledges as, beside them, cliffs drop steeply into nothingness. “If you [make] a mistake or you slide, it’s not that you break an ankle or hurt yourself,” says Jornet. “It’s that you die.” In another clip, Albon stops mid-ski mountaineering adventure to fill his water bottle from an alpine stream. Nilsson and Forsberg pause at the peak of Romsdalshorn, peering out at the majesty before them. Leave pavement pounding to the road marathoners, these athletes seem to say. In Romsdal, runners are equally interested in enjoying their lives and the landscape that surrounds them and performing their best — and they don’t consider these goals mutually exclusive.
In the early build-up to the 2024 Western States, Nilsson, who competed in ski mountaineering for many years, still logged much of her mileage on skis. And she wasn’t alone. Many Romsdal athletes enjoy a versatile approach to training, ski mountaineering in winters and scrambling up rock faces during summer runs. Their training volume might be high, but not necessarily from running — at least not year-round.
A group training session on skis.
Albon maintains a similar, and markedly creative, approach. Four months before Western States, he is shown running uphill on a treadmill. The workout? “Sort of an Albon creation,” he explains, in which he runs at a certain grade and speed until his heart rate reaches zone three, rests to prevent overexertion, and repeats for one hour. “I’ve got Western States in mind, that’s why I’m running a little bit more in January,” he says. “Otherwise, I’d just be skiing.”
Notably, a penchant for adventure, along with versatile training modalities, doesn’t mean run mileage gets neglected. If anything, it’s more intentional. A classic Romsdal session, explains Engdahl, involves running up and down a mountain, followed by faster intervals on flat terrain.
“We have a balance of trying to train really well, but also going on nice trips and being in the mountains,” says Albon. “It’s not all about trying to get the best VO2 max.”
A Raw Glimpse into Life and Training
In a film that features preparation for one of the world’s most grueling athletic events, the most dramatic element is the landscape. Nothing about the plot seems staged or overwrought. Instead, we meet Nilsson, Albon, and Engdahl in everyday moments — running solo on dirt-packed trails or brewing coffee in the mornings.
By avoiding any frills, Smedsrød allows viewers a raw glimpse into the humble and measured qualities of these athletes — characteristics that are perhaps most evident in Nilsson: “I don’t have a calendar, I haven’t counted down,” she says, calmly, when Smedsrød mentions the number of days until Western States.
In the lead-up to the race, the camera shows Albon sitting outside with his shoulders slackened, watching films while sewing. It’s a DIY gear project, he explains, an ice vest made from an old hydration vest. He hopes this design will help cool him down in the Western States heat.
A similarly down-to-earth essence is exhibited by Engdahl, who speaks of his training partners, and his own abilities among them, with a humble reticence. When he first moved to Romsdal in 2022, training with Jornet and Albon was “a little bit too much,” he says. Running with them “is really inspiring and motivating” and he rejects the notion that these athletes are his competitors: “I see them as my teammates, almost my family,” he says.
Somehow, in tandem with these athletes’ calm and measured spirits, exists a hardiness that serves them on race day, and especially at Western States.
Petter Engdahl training at home.
2024 Western States 100 Race Day
Just seven kilometers into Western States, Engdahl twisted his ankle — a hiccup that, somewhat paradoxically, allowed him to reserve energy. In interviews, he speaks less about the trials he faced, and more about the gratitude he feels for the Western States culture and community. “Getting into each aid station gave me so much motivation,” he recalls. He finished in 15th place.
As for Albon, those hours spent sewing seemed to pay off. “I honestly didn’t get too hot,” he says afterward, a sweet and self-satisfied grin on his face. He finished in sixth.
Nilsson threw up multiple times throughout the race, her legs picking up speed after each hunch-over, as if barely registering the rejected calories. “She’s an assassin,” says Tim Tollefson, an American ultrarunner and Nilsson’s teammate, a sentiment which Jornet reinforces: “Ida can go everywhere. She’s just a tractor.” Nilsson finished in sixth place, and set a new masters course record.
Ida Nilsson racing the 2024 Western States 100.
If Nilsson’s vomiting, Engdahl’s ankle twist, and Albon’s commitment to preparing his own way — with DIY workouts and gear — provide any indication, there must be something to these athletes’ successes, something beyond their lower-intensity volume and mountainous training. Tollefson takes a crack at that something.
To do well in Western States, he says, “you have to be someone who can manage [your] emotions.” Physical ability is a given, but “any athlete out there is going through this rollercoaster of emotions much like the profile of the course itself.” Indeed, the Romsdal athletes’ calm and measured qualities, in combination with the versatility practiced in their training routine, seems to only bolster their resolve on race day.
By the time Albon, Engdahl, and Nilsson cross the finish line, it’s hard to not have fallen in love with Romsdal and the athletes who train there. Many of them are the best in the world, though far removed from anything resembling glitz and glitter. They carry themselves in a more humble and rugged manner — an ethos that lies at the core of trail running and ultrarunning, too. Smedsrød’s film, and the athletes within it, remind viewers of the very essence of their sport.
Call for Comments
- Many of us fans of the sport have for years followed the pursuits of athletes based in Romsdal, Norway. From your perspective, what characterizes them as well as their lives, training, and performances?
- Can you think of other geographic locations which seem to balance high performance in running with high performance in other mountain disciplines as well as a deep reverence for nature in the same way as Romsdal?
