Ragne Wiklund (NOR) loves physical challenges. Speaking before the event, Wiklund was preparing to take on the Sky Race in Lofoten on 3 July, a mountain marathon featuring 2,000 metres of elevation gain across the scenic Norwegian archipelago. Having returned home as Norway’s first female World Allround Champion in 88 years, Wiklund keeps herself in shape both on and off the ice.

Ragne Wiklund reacts during Women’s 5000m at the ISU Speed Skating World Championships Allround/Sprint in Heerenveen, Netherlands © ISU

No Rest after a historic Speed Skating season 

After winning her World title, two silver medals and a bronze at the Olympic Games, as well as the long-distance World Cup Trophy, Wiklund was not quite done skating when she returned home to Norway at the end of March.

“I didn’t really celebrate because a week after the World Championships (in Heerenveen) we had the nationals,” Wiklund says.

She did not want to let down the speed skating fans in Bjugn and concluded the season with the Norwegian national allround title.

“I wanted to skate fast because I knew many people showed up to watch. I was still in shape, but mentally I was done with the season.”

Skiing, Short Track and running

Wiklund did not plan any holidays after the season.

“I just wanted to enjoy being home for a while since we’d been travelling so much during the season.”

Back home in Oslo, Wiklund enjoys running with her dog.

“Last year he was just a puppy, but now he’s become a big dog, and he’s eager to join me on long runs.”

Living in Norway, Wiklund also took advantage of the prolonged winter in the mountains to go skiing with friends around Easter, while maintaining her fitness on the ice.

“This year, I went back to try short-track, which I hadn’t done in about 15 years. My boyfriend coaches kids and I joined him. I also trained with the juniors and the seniors.

“Short track helps to improve my long-track technique, because a lot of the things that you need to be good at short-track, are my weaknesses in long track. For example, I have some rotation in my upper body, that tends to rotate a bit inwards in the corners. If you do that in short-track, you just won’t be able to skate very fast.

“Practicing short-track, I can work on that without feedback from a coach, because I get the feedback from the ice immediately.”

Appendix surgery disrupts Sky Race Preparation

Wiklund’s short track training was interrupted by surgery to remove her appendix in May.

“It wasn’t complicated, I felt some pain. I think I discovered it quite early, but coming off the operation I couldn’t train for a while.”

The surgery hampered Wiklund’s preparations for the Sky Race in Lofoten.

“We had already planned that with a group of friends last fall. Unfortunately, there’s only two of us left at the moment, but we’re still eager to go. Due to the appendix I will not be able to run as fast as I thought. Now, I just want to finish, and I’ll just have to make sure not to get injured.”

Orienteering brings variety to summer training

After the Sky Race in Lofoten, Wiklund will travel to Inzell (Germany) to skate on summer ice at the Max Aicher Arena. There, she would rejoin her teammates from the Norwegian long track squad, along with coaches Bjarne Rykkje and Jonas Bekken.

“This year I’ve not been training as strictly with the team as before. Bjarne and Jonas have given me some slack this year, letting me train just what I think is fun.”

One of the activities Wiklund enjoys is orienteering, a sport in which athletes navigate unfamiliar terrain using a map and compass. She has practised orienteering since she was a child and plans to participate in the Norwegian national championships in August.

“But that will be just for fun. I do not have too much time to train, so at the moment I prioritize speed skating.”

Starting from scratch again on the ice

Being able to practise a variety of sports and physical activities keeps Wiklund motivated.

“My goal, simply put, is to skate faster than I’ve ever done before. Being able to train in many different ways, keeps me motivated. I’m really looking forward to testing new training methods, and see if I can improve anything.

“For me, after the appendix operation and going to Inzell in July, I feel like I’m starting from scratch on the ice again.”

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