Nordic Skiing’s GOAT is at Norseman…to Support Pernella Døsvik

Normally Pernella Døsvik is the one providing the support. The one in the crowd Johannes Klæbo looks up to after yet another of his big wins. At the Olympics this year he went six-for-six – winning all of his events and becoming the man with the most Winter Olympic Gold Medals (that would be 11). This Saturday, though, the tables will be turned as Klæbo serves as part of Døsvik’s support crew at what many consider to be the world’s toughest triathlon – the Norseman Xtreme.

Klæbo and Døsvik have been together for almost 10 years and got engaged last year – the wedding is planned for sometime next year. Klæbo’s incredible achievements have made him a household name in Norway, but Døsvik has her own fan base on social media that is growing rapidly thanks to her involvement with a Norwegian television show that is focussing on three athletes competing at the Norseman on Saturday. Despite having no background in endurance sports – she grew up diving and downhill skiing – her interest was piqued when she was asked to be part of the show.

“Yeah. I was a little skeptical at first because I hadn’t done any TV before, and I’d always said I didn’t want to do anything TV-related,” Døsvik said. “I feel like I have my own little world on my social media channels, and I’m very comfortable with that. But the Norseman thing was what triggered me to want to say yes. So I decided I wanted to try it. Then we had a boot camp first — there were six people, and it was cut down to three who got the ticket for Norseman.”

The bootcamp featured parts of the famed Norseman event – a ride up “Zombie Hill,” running stairs alongside the funicular train that runs inside the mountain, a night in a cabin on top of Gaustatoppen and more. In the end Døsvik was one of the three athletes chosen to compete in Saturday’s race.

The journey has proved to be a learning experience for both Døsvik and Klæbo.

“I think when you have to prioritize as hard as he does, he sometimes feels bad because he has to get help from other people — use their time and resources — to get where he is,” she said. “So I think it’s good for him when he can also do something back for the people who help him. I think that’s something he looks forward to. And it’s been really helpful for both of us, I feel, for our relationship, because on some level it’s made me know him even better, even though I’ve spent less time with him. I just understand where he’s coming from better now than I ever have.”

Døsvik has also learned a lot about what she is capable of, too.

“I’ve always felt that when you live with someone who’s a top athlete, you kind of always feel a little lazy, because everything you do is never at that same level,” she said. “But now I’ve seen that I can actually do everything I’m supposed to do, and pull through with all the training — I do what’s in my plan, I don’t skip practice. That’s made me realize I’m not lazy, I’ve just never had a goal with my training, or been motivated, because I’d never competed in any endurance sport before. That’s been very eye-opening — that I’m dedicated, and that I can actually finish something I’ve started. It’s also been awesome to see that your body can do things you never thought it could. I’m a very impatient person, so you have to be very patient, because it takes a lot of time to get better … I feel like it’s been good to do something over such a long time, because then you can actually see that you just need to stay consistent, like everyone says.”

One example of just how much the tables have turned came after the World Cup final – Klæbo flew to New York to watch the game. When he’s training (which is pretty much all the time), he insists that if Døsvik is out with a big group of people she sleeps next door at his brother’s house for three nights to make sure she doesn’t pass on a bug. When he came back from New York, it was his turn to bunk in with his brother for three days.

Døsvik is also looking forward to being in control of what happens on Saturday, as opposed to just watching and hoping her fiancé has another great day.

“I hate being in the audience, because it’s much scarier to watch someone else do something — you have no control over what they’re doing, so you’re just hoping for the best and praying to God,” she said. “But when you’re in it yourself, you don’t have those same emotions, because you’re so focused on doing what you’re supposed to do. So I feel like it’s actually going to be better to be doing it myself, because I’m so scared when he competes — even though he always does it to perfection, it’s still nerve-wracking, because a lot can happen, especially in the sprints … it’s easy to break a pole, or fall, or have things happen that you have no control over.”

Døsvik arrives here at the Norseman having done only one other triathlon, Challenge Gran Canaria earlier this year. So, for her, earning one of the coveted “Black Shirts” – being one of the first 160 athletes to the 37 km point of the marathon that features the final trail up the mountain – “would feel like a gold medal.”

Despite only having learned to do front crawl in February, Døsvik has made huge headway in the water. And, since the water at her home in Trondheim is as cold as the water she’ll be swimming in on Saturday in Eidfjord, she feels she’s ready to take on that first leg of the race.

The work hasn’t just been in the pool. For a few weeks Døsvik’s training load has reached 18 to 20 hours, with another four hours of strength work added to that mix.

“I think I’ve never worked so hard for anything in my life — even my master’s degree was took less than this,” she said. “So I feel like just finishing this, and thinking back on all the crappy days on the bike, with rain and six degrees, hating my life — it’s going to feel so much better once we’ve finished. I don’t know how it will feel, because I don’t know the result, but I don’t think it’ll depend on the result either. I feel like I’m going to be so proud either way.”

Døsvik doesn’t have the luxury of being able to pursue all this with much privacy, though. Life as the partner of one of the Norway’s most famous athletes, though, has provided some preparation for what to expect. She’s confident she’ll be able to stay focused on the task at hand and not pay too much attention to the cameras.

“I don’t think I’ll even think about the fact that they’re part of the day, because I’m going to be so tired I won’t have the energy to think about it,” she said.

That doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate the opportunity.

“I feel honoured to be part of it, because not many people get this opportunity, so I try to keep that in mind — I’m really grateful for it, so being a bit on camera is fine,” she said. “I don’t feel the pressure of it being filmed, because the biggest pressure is what I put on myself.”

Even though she spends so much time alongside a man who is at the top of the endurance world, her friends and family are all shocked that she’s taken on this challenge.

“None of my friends have known a girl who’s done this, or know anyone who has,” she said. “People do say they’re impressed, that they’re proud. I’m really grateful — I have a lot of good friends and family, and Johannes’s family, a great support network around me, and it’s been amazing to see. Everyone wants to help and do what they can so I can reach my goal, and I feel very grateful for that.”

Saturday it’ll be Klæbo’s turn to provide the support. And not just with a smile from the stands. He’ll be on deck to provide nutrition, hydration and help with all the logistics to help Døsvik achieve her own “gold medal.”

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