I might describe Norwegian path runner and mountain runner Henriette Albon as glittery. Possibly it’s as a result of on the morning after we communicate, she has simply been for the primary correct snow ski of the winter. A summer time during which she’d received Transgrancanaria and the Path du Saint-Jacques 80k, however couldn’t begin UTMB resulting from damage, is lengthy previously, and winter has set in round her dwelling in Norway, which she shares together with her husband, Jon Albon, additionally an achieved ultrarunner and impediment racer.
She is vibrant, bubbly, vivid, 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 few explicit Instagram put up from earlier this 12 months the place she’d sought suggestions for path working shorts that wouldn’t chafe “mountain legs.” On the time, I keep in mind my very own thighs, which I had cursed for rubbing collectively. After all, I spotted after studying the put up 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 really crack making first rate shorts for feminine mountain runners with barely larger thighs than the common runner.”
What does Henriette need? An extended internal quick that isn’t made from compression cloth. 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 through the years, 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 she or he grew up dancing and enjoying soccer. In her late teenagers, she felt that she wanted to put aside bodily exercise to concentrate on her research, securing her future with a great job. Looking back, she laughs, not sure why she felt she couldn’t do each. But when we take a look at the best way she targets and trains for races as an expert athlete now, it’s clear that she thrives with having a singular focus, and that may be key to a lot of her success.
Henriette at a coaching camp, placing full focus into her targets. Photograph: Philipp Reiter
In 2014, after graduating with a Bachelor of Enterprise Administration from Bathtub College within the U.Ok., Henriette and Jon, who’d met on a ski journey as youngsters, moved to Norway in order that Henriette may pursue a grasp’s diploma. Path working was initially only a pastime 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 stated it rained the entire time. I discover this uniquely romantic.
Henriette on the technical terrain of the 2024 Trofeo Kima Skyrace. Photograph: Maurizio Torri
Henriette obtained 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 exterior. 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 open air that the majority appealed to her — among 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 identified 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 stuff you do for love!” In return, she offers him quick shrift when he encourages her to eat, alongside a successful smile and a kiss.
Practically 9 hours in, Henriette appears fully depressing. Her ft are coated 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 appears to be like like a totally joyless grind. She finishes at 9:45 p.m. on the Stjørdal practice 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 comfortable.”
Henriette runs together with her husband, Jon Albon. Photograph: The Journey Bakery
And but, it was this journey that propelled Henriette into ultrarunning. Regardless of saying, “I really feel terrible. I dunno’ why individuals do that,” one thing in regards to the expertise obtained into her bones. After having targeted 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 consuming from streams within the Alps and spending seven days in mattress with a excessive fever. Nonetheless, Henriette says she is basically pleased with the best way she executed the race. From the skin, her profession as a path runner and ultrarunner was off to a terrific begin. She was sponsored by Arc’teryx, and she or he was already close to the entrance of aggressive fields. How a lot additional and quicker may she go?
Sadly, inside Henriette’s first 12 months of being a sponsored athlete, after having issues together with her hip, she was recognized with a stress response linked to relative vitality 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 through the years, Henriette says, “Each disappointment takes rather a lot out of you within the sense that you just ask your self, ‘Nicely, what number of instances am I going to face up once more from this? Is it price it?’ You’re feeling so defeated, embarrassed, and like possibly you have to be doing one thing else.” Henriette has introduced away classes from her expertise with accidents and says, “It’s essential to keep in mind that we’re doing this for ourselves and nobody actually cares. If you wish to go after it, you must.”
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.Ok.’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, a neighborhood fell runner, wished to run 42 peaks to rejoice his forty second birthday. The route has since change into legendary, and the “Midwinter Bob” is as gnarly because it will get. Through the month of December, when Henriette determined to run, the climate is unpredictable. Apart from being moist and windy, the situations underfoot are boggy, and there’s lower than eight hours of daylight. Nonetheless, Henriette says it’s her greatest working reminiscence: “The entire expertise was simply very distinctive and highly effective.”
Henriette on her technique to setting a brand new velocity file on a midwinter Bob Graham Spherical in 2023. Photograph: James Appleton
The foundations on the time said that you just 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 crew effort, together with pacers she had by no means met earlier than however who turned up at first of every leg and set off together with her to navigate the peaks at the hours of darkness. 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 long-lasting 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.Ok.’s Lake District. Photograph: James Appleton
She doesn’t screw it up. Not any of it. Not when the wind obtained so sturdy that Henriette says, “It practically picked us up!” Not mountain climbing up Yewbarrow listening to music. Not clawing up Scafell Pike via a gully of unfastened, transferring rocks, a piece 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 huge climb on the fifth leg, saying, “I’ll survive it.” She is humble, noting, “It’s fascinating how individuals would stand 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 stunning.
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. In all probability 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 pressure, inspiring her to coach rather well in pursuit of a win, the tunnel imaginative and prescient can result in forgetting about anything that issues in life. Henriette says, “Then if the race doesn’t go effectively, it appears like an enormous failure.” She is eager to emphasise that she’s a lot better at balancing every part now, however an damage she sustained this previous summer time, forward of UTMB, that saved 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 huge previously, it had appeared nearly achievable within the months main as much as it. Henriette says, “If you set these targets, it’s important to discover a purpose which feels prefer it’s barely bonkers, and barely loopy, and you’ll’t fairly consider you may do it, however on the identical time, you consider you may. And I feel that’s why UTMB hit the spot for me.”
Henriette on her technique to successful the 2024 Extremely-Path Snowdonia 50k. Photograph: Ross Brackley
With the summer time within the rearview, Henriette is now targeted on the long run. 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 get pleasure from having the prospect to coach collectively. “In winter, we are able to spend nearly day-after-day snowboarding collectively,” Henriette says. With regard to working collectively, although, Henriette says, “I’ve to decide on my moments.” She joins a neighborhood group for interval exercises as soon as per week, however in any other case asserts, “In case you practice with different individuals, it simply doesn’t are typically the best effort degree that you just want.” The group understands one another’s life and priorities, although.
For the following few months, each Henriette and Ida might be targeted on coaching for the 2026 Transgrancanaria in February. “Ida is without doubt one of the athletes who evokes me,” Henriette says. “As a result of I’ve seen her undergo the harder instances, she’s had some setbacks via the years.” It’s clear Henriette admires her pal, “She is going to work actually exhausting for these moments of success. I feel that’s fairly cool to see when somebody places in work over a protracted period of time after which manages to drag it off.” Typically the qualities we admire in others might be true of ourselves, too.
Trying to the Future
Henriette has excessive hopes for 2026. She’s returning to Transgrancanaria after an astonishing efficiency in 2025, and she or he desires to essentially nail the coaching block this time, be injury-free, and have a correct race in opposition to a aggressive subject. She laughs that this intention is a “recipe for catastrophe!” However she says that it’s thrilling as effectively. By way of 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 snicker. “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 high velocity is way slower than the quickest females, so I find yourself towards the again. However I’m additionally excellent 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 effectively to know we’re doing this for ourselves as a result of it’s a private pastime in a approach,” she says. “So I do know that after I make it to the beginning of UTMB, clearly everybody goals of successful, however I feel for me personally, simply having 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 realizing you probably did your greatest. I feel that’s what everybody can relate to in path working.” Henriette observes, “We’re all simply on the market enjoying this sport of: How effectively can we do right now?”
Henriette descending throughout the 2024 Minotaur SkyRace. Photograph: The Journey Bakery
Henriette goals huge, however she’s additionally lifelike. She’s eager on planning, analysis, and group, however has additionally realized through the years that typically, “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 can 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 if you discover that factor.”
No matter it’s, it’s the sort of factor that can set her soul on fireplace.
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Henriette says of racing, “We’re all simply on the market enjoying this sport of: How effectively can we do right now?” Photograph: Petter Engdahl
