Coming into the 2023 edition of One Water Race we were asked if we felt the pressure of defending our win from the 2022 race, but this was never the case we only wanted to better our performance. We had taken a lot from our race in 2022 and focused a lot on how we could improve and be more efficient. We worked hard all year testing and changing equipment, studying our nutrition plan and training hard to be as strong as possible in our rolls in the team. We felt ready come race week, and we were excited to get out on the course and race.
We worked hard all year testing and changing equipment, studying our nutrition plan and training hard to be as strong as possible in our rolls in the team. We felt ready come race week, and we were excited to get out on the course and race.
Unfortunately, there is also a lot of luck involved in a race like this, we can be so well prepared, but you also need luck, as we are a team of three things like illness or injury are always 3 times more likely to occur to a team. And as luck would have it Kristin got a virus a week out from the race, she managed it very well and by race morning on Tuesday she felt ready to start and the spirits were high in the team.
We started out conservative, we planned to pace the first day as easy as possible, Daniels navigation was on fire and even with us taking it easy we managed to just keep taking time on the other teams.
We started out conservative, we planned to pace the first day as easy as possible, Daniels navigation was on fire and even with us taking it easy we managed to just keep taking time on the other teams. After last year’s conditions being perfect, we couldn’t believe it when it was almost better again this year, the water was unseasonably warm and flat with almost no wind and on land we were greeted with perfect temperatures.
After about 6hrs Kristin started having issues related to the virus she had picked up and we didn’t know at the time, but it had not left her body rather it was restricting her lungs from providing oxygen to the body (as we found out after the race from medical professionals). She is the strongest in the team, so she pushed on without complaints as if nothing was wrong, all the time working twice as hard as Daniel and I. We were restricted to walking as the night came in and that meant we were all getting cold, as a team we made the decision to set up a tent and see if Kristin condition would improve with a few hours rest.
Unfortunately, Kristin got worse while we rested, and it was clear to us all that this is where our race for 2023 would end.
Unfortunately, Kristin got worse while we rested, and it was clear to us all that this is where our race for 2023 would end. For us the safety and health of our team is paramount, and this was definitely the right decision. We are obviously disappointed that we weren’t able to have the performance we know we were capable of as a team, but it has lit a fire inside us for One Water Race 2024.
/Adriel, Daniel, Johan & Kristin in Team 7 – Sweden
Photo by Jimmy Hansen & Otto Norin
