There were freezing conditions in the south-eastern part of Switzerland, in the Engadin valley, on Saturday when the La Diagonela ski race started. In temperatures down to minus 25 degrees, hundreds of skiers who took part in the Ski Classics struggled through the 55 kilometres. And the picture of Runar Skaug Mathisen when he finished in fourth place attracted attention. Because you could almost feel the cold through the TV screen when you saw Mathisen in the goal area – It was a great experience. It was cold and perfect winter conditions, says Mathisen to news. Runar Skaug Mathisen felt the cold during La Diagonela He says that it was between 15 and 25 minus degrees all day while they were out skiing. But even though the experience was positive for Mathisen, he does not hide the fact that it was very cold. – We had prepared ourselves quite carefully and used more cloth than we planned. I taped my face, my knees and in front of my crotch. And then I had a plastic bag in front of my chest, to take away from the worst of the wind. – A plastic bag on the chest? – Yes, so there are clothes that have wind protection on the front, but I didn’t have that with me. So then I used an ordinary bread bag and attached it to the chest, inside the ski suit. It worked perfectly well, says Mathisen to news. Three years ago, many of the participants in La Diagonela froze so seriously that several of them were in danger of losing body parts: Wants rule change Petter Skinstad also started the ski race on Saturday. But he chose to break the run when it got too cold. – We tried to start, because it was a usable temperature from the start. But when we got into the shadow party, we knew it wasn’t going to work, and that’s why we decided to break. It was me and teammate Mathias Aas Rolid who married. Skinstad said that he, like Runar Skaug Mathisen, had dressed well for the occasion in Switzerland, but that it was a problem with his lungs that meant he had to give up. WANTS CHANGE: Petter Skinstad is both a skier and cross-country expert for TV 2. He wants a rule change in Ski Classics. Photo: Olof Andersson/TV 2 / TV 2 – I could tell by my own breath that it was too cold for me to benefit from this. It is difficult to “dress” the lungs. It was out of concern for our health that we chose to break. And now Skinstad will have a rule change in Ski Classics’ ski races. He explains that in those runs there is a lower limit of minus 25 degrees for the time within which the ski run can go. – I think the limit is too low. When you know what such temperatures do to people, and what it does to people’s health, and potentially what it can mean for frostbite and the like, and for lungs, etc. Therefore, I probably think that long-distance running should have regulations similar to on more traditional cross-country skiing, says Skinstad to news. In the international Skiing Federation FIS’s regulations it says: “If the temperature is below -20 degrees Celsius, aim at the coldest point on the trail, then the competition will be postponed or canceled by the jury” – Arrogance Skinstad also reacts to what he calls for arrogance from the organiser. – What I react to is the arrogance that both Ski Classics and the organizer show up front. By simply dismissing all forms of criticism with “relax, it’s calm”, they said. – But it’s not “calm”, it’s about people’s health, and here they had every opportunity in the world to postpone the race by an additional hour. They have seen the same weather report as us. news has contacted La Diagonela and Ski Classics for a response to Skinstad’s criticism, but has not yet received a response. Iceman Runar Skaug Mathisen says he understands what Skinstad means, but he still brags about the organizer. COLD: It looked icy cold for Runar Skaug Mathisen & co. when they reached the finish line at La Diagonela. Photo: Skjerdump news – After the race that went wrong a few years ago, they have moved the start to where there is sun. Now it is also allowed to walk with warm socks, one could walk with a vest above the start number. So I think they have done quite a lot to improve the situation. PS! The men’s race was won by Kasper Stadaas. He beat teammate Johan Hoel from Team Ragde Charge and Thomas Ødegaarden from Team Eksjöhus. The women’s race was won by Magni Smedås. She beat Emilie Fleten in the battle for the winner.
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Runar Skaug Mathisen skied in minus 25 degrees – Petter Skinstad wants a rule change – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
