– It’s the winter holidays and then you have to get up high on the mountain. So here in the training area I have rigged up a high-altitude tent, says a particularly energetic Cato Thunes, who welcomes the visit. He zips up the tent, slips in and takes us on a “house tour”. At an altitude of 2,400 metres. At Konnerud in Drammen. Priest to heaven – Yes, now I’m sitting in the holiest of places, says Thunes as he flops down on the bed. The tour goes quickly. He shows off the other possessions, the tiny tent of 2 x 2 meter rooms. Two black leather chairs, bedside table and bed. There is a carpet on the floor and pillows in the bed. The PC rests next to chocolate and oranges. The sweet life in the tent. Photo: Hans-Kristian Rangnes / news – Tidenes ungkarsbule, notes news, which, by the way, is beginning to feel in the lump that you are roughly in the same elevation as at the top of Galdhøpiggen. – Yes, and now I charge up to 2,700 meters for the occasion, replies the cheerful host. Thunes has traveled the length and breadth of Norway. He has completed the marathon in Chicago. And he runs between 130 and 150 kilometers a week. For comparison, we can mention that Jakob Ingebrigtsen runs 180 kilometers per week. Then we add: Cato Thunes is married. He is blessed with four children and four grandchildren. Besides, he is 61 years old and a priest. Now the parish priest is at an altitude of several thousand metres. Not to get closer to the heavenly sphere, but to get in better shape. He has purchased a high-altitude tent in his own home. A role model for the athlete – but perhaps a bit cow-co? In his early 40s, he was overweight with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Creaking knees, snoring and shortness of breath. A big slacker fish. “You’re simply too fat”, was the message he received from his bluntly honest doctor. Cato Thunes took action – and well it did. Cato Thunes changed his lifestyle over 20 years ago. Photo: Private – I am above average interested in physical activity. This is what I am passionate about, he says. We understand the message in his gospel: “Get off the stress bus, put on your shoes, go for a walk with a good friend.” Make the pump beat”. – I just take it a little longer… – A little? – Huh. Almost four years ago, he made contact with Sindre Buraas (35), the distinguished athlete, skier and cross-country skier. Sindre Buraas (left) has trained Cato Thunes for several years. Photo: Hanne Skjellum / news He has set up a marathon program for the cheerful exerciser; weekly he trains with the priest in Drammen. – He is strong both physically and mentally. So he is over 60 years old. He is a role model. This with a high-altitude tent… maybe it’s a bit of a stunt, but Cato responds well. – Is he a bit cow-co? Buraas lets out a short laugh and answers. – I would say that it is a shame not to. So you don’t just sit in the chair, passive and receive. I don’t mean that you have to train. But to cultivate a hobby. Fill life with content, something important. Hematocrit, nerd and blood cells In the high-altitude tent, at an altitude of almost 3,000 metres, Thunes will spend 15, 16 hours every day for one month. – Yes, I try to get as many hours as possible. Sleeping here, of course, a bit of home office and writing work – as well as a few leisure hours to get as many hours as possible in the boys’ room at an altitude of 2,700 metres. Homely. Photo: Hans-Kristian Rangnes / news – Then we have to ask: Why that? – It is a timely question, many people have asked about it. It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to running. Research has shown that training at altitude can help increase the hematocrit level. In short, it’s about getting more red blood cells that transport the oxygen out into the muscles. – But why?! – Yes, it’s also okay to ask. I am in my 62nd year and have wondered a lot what it is like to be an Olympian, a top athlete. Having to sacrifice all one’s time, away from family and small children – and just grind on with training and staying at altitude. A strict regime. I had to find out, he replies. Thus it became a high-altitude tent and getting “an almost identical life to that of the Olympians”. – Do you have time for other things, then? You have a wife… – After 35 years of marriage, it’s hard to move out into the tent with the smell of booze. There’s a bit of a “gaming smell in the boys’ room” here, chuckles the priest. Altitude tent and treadmill. Last shout at Konnerud. Photo: Hans-Kristian Rangnes / news Marathon and record drooling Follow-up questions? We are polite, refrain. Do not lead us into temptation, dear priest. Instead, we turn our attention to the treadmill on the outside of the tent. – Yes, I train relatively hard. Twice a day. It is important to get up, repeats the purposeful Thunes. Tip top thumb and priest up. Photo: Hans-Kristian Rangnes / news Perhaps not up to 2,700 metres, but at least up from the good seat. We let coach Sindre Buraas have the last word. He is excited about the results after his stay in the twinkling heights of Konnerud. – First there is the Drammen 10K in April. Then we’ll see if he’s gotten faster. Just days later, Thunes will participate in the Boston Marathon 2024 – before the marathon in Valencia in December. – Then I know that he would very much like to set a Norwegian record for 65-year-olds. Knows he is drooling over some records, Buraas reveals. Simulated altitude A high-altitude house is a house or room constructed as a pressure chamber, where the goal of use is to simulate the oxygen pressure at higher altitudes above sea level. Altitude houses are used by athletes to acclimatize before competitions at altitude, and to stimulate the body to produce more red blood cells and be able to last longer. High-rise buildings are also called simulated height. (Source: Great Norwegian Lexicon)
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Parish priest in Drammen Cato Thunes sleeps in a high-altitude tent for a marathon – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
