Marcialonga has around 7,000 participants each year. The world-renowned long-distance race has its own sister race in Norway and Bodø. Days before the long-distance Marcialonga Artic Ski Race is to start, the weather forecast on Yr.no shows that the temperature in Bodø may rise to eight degrees. – The weather has worried me and it has ruined my night’s sleep, says Skjalg Dreyer, who is the general manager of the long run. A bridge the runners were going to cross collapsed and the weather forecast has meant that the organizers have seen themselves forced to make changes to the race. For parts of the 46-kilometre-long trail, it must go outside the normal ski slopes. The finish line will be in the center of Bodø, which is now almost completely free of snow. The race will be broadcast live on NRK1 on 9 March from 11:50. Trucks are in the process of transporting several thousand cubic meters of snow to the center of Bodø. Photo: Vetle Mathiesen Knutsen / news Several hundred lorry trips The lack of snow has led to the organizers having to transport several thousand cubic meters of snow into the city’s streets, and in bad weather the snow can melt. Dreyer announces that it has been a hectic few days, but he has faith that he will sleep better in the future. – During the last 24 hours, we have gained control. General manager of the Marcialonga Artic Ski Race, Skjalg Dreyer has had a bit of a headache with a scary weather forecast. Photo: Vetle Mathiesen Knutsen / news Initially, 6,000 cubic meters of snow will be transported to the track that runs through the center of Bodø. But if necessary, up to 10,000 cubic meters can be transported from a snow warehouse that is almost ten kilometers away from the starting line. – This entails several hundred trips with trucks and a price tag of a few hundred thousand, says Dreyer. And although the weather forecast has caused headaches, there is enough snow to organize ski races, Dreyer asserts. Bridge in the trail collapsed But an accident rarely comes alone, there is such a thing. And as if the northern Norwegian “summer temperatures” weren’t enough, a bridge collapsed over the weekend that the runners were supposed to cross. The bridge that collapsed. Here, the skiers who were going to go the longest distance had to go over. Photo: Ola Helness / news – It would have been a disaster if it had collapsed during Marcialonga. I hardly dare to think about what could have happened, says Dreyer. – Why hasn’t it been discovered earlier? – I do not know. It is perhaps the ravages of time that have taken its toll. It has been there since 1989, and I don’t know anything about the maintenance, he says. – Should you have become aware of it at an earlier time? – We have been aware that we should not drive over with the treadle machine, which is 6.5 tonnes heavy. So there have been no pedal machines over the bridge, only snowmobiles and skiers, says Dreyer and continues: – It was a stroke of luck that it happened the way it did. Previously, the start was also supposed to be in the center of Bodø, but due to the hot weather and the bridge that collapsed, the organizers have found it necessary to change the course. Sustainability is one of the goals But even if the organizers have faced challenges, the race aims to be as sustainable as possible, says Dreyer. – We are constantly working on sustainability and that we should have the smallest possible footprint. Some of the measures have been to use natural snow rather than artificial snow. – It is a smaller footprint than if we had produced many thousands of cubic meters of artificial snow that draws both electricity and water, says Dreyer. Dependent on hauling snow Frida Austmo Wågan researches sustainability and sports. She says that it is not sustainable to transport hundreds of truckloads of snow, but she understands why it has to be done in order to complete the race. Frida Austmo Wågan is a doctoral student and has researched sustainability and sport. Photo: Privat – But you shouldn’t be dependent on hauling snow to be able to run a ski race in March, she says. Wågan points out that there is less and less snow due to climate change. – What do you think about the goal being in the center of Bodø? – I understand it from the point of view that you want to generate public life and an audience. But at the same time, it would of course have been better from an environmental point of view if you had only added the run where there are already ski slopes. The start of the elite field in Marcialonga 2023 Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB Sustainable solution Dreyer says that in the long-distance circus around the world there is often a long transport to the starting line. The original plan for the race was to put both the start and finish in the middle of the city center so that it would become a bigger public festival and that you would be able to walk from breakfast at the hotel to the starting line. Now, as mentioned, there will only be a finish in the middle of the city centre. And if the course had gone according to plan, Dreyer believes that the race would have been sustainable. – There is no place that I am aware of that is as compact and sustainable as the arrangement we are trying to create. – So you think it is the most sustainable solution? – Yes, we have one desire to create a sustainable event with a short journey from the airport to the hotel for food service and breakfast and being able to go to the start. And even though the organizers have faced some challenges, Dreyer states that the 9th of March will be a ski race in the center of Bodø. – We are getting ready for the ski and folk festival in Bodø.
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Hundreds will go long-distance running in snow-free Bodø – news Nordland
