March 11, 2012 (Oslo, Norway) – There was no stopping Marit Bjoergen (NOR) in the famed Holmenkollen on Sunday as the Norwegian superstar put on a show for the fans and the King taking the gold in women’s 30km CL in convincing style while clinching the overall distance crown as well.

Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) was no match for Bjoergen, who strengthened her grip on the overall WCup title, and came dangerously close to being overtaken by Norway’s Therese Johaug but the Polish star prevailed at the line taking the silver and Johaug the bronze.

The USA’s Kikkan Randall was as high as 12th but struggled near the end still managing a strong finish in 21st and holds on to 4th overall (1,163 pts) as Charlotte Kalla (1,136 pts) placed 9th to gain some ground on the American star. Not far behind Randall was Liz Stephen with a solid 24th place finish followed by Sadie Bjornsen in 40th, Jessie Diggins in 45th and Ida Sargent in 51st.

All skiers took advantage of the opportunity to exchange skis with Japan’s Masako Ishida, who finished a stellar 5th on the day, one of the lone racers to make a switch after the short 5k-loop at the start. Conditions and the length of the race made for a challenging day for all techinicians.

Not surprising Bjoergen, Kowalczyk and Johaug dropped the rest of the field in short order and by the 10km mark it was Johaug’s turn to get dropped. Kowalczyk took the first two preems with Bjoergen just behind in second, but the Norwegian returned the favour, and then some, in the second half.

At the 15.5km mark Bjoergen attacked and built a 20-sec advantage over a labouring Kowalczyk, that she would not relinquish, with Johaug another 25s behind. As Bjoergen extended her lead thru the second half an emboldended Johaug tightened the gap on Kowalczyk making it a race for second.

Behind the shattered field did it’s best to put on a race face with Kristin Stoermer Steira duking it out with Ishida for fourth. Randall marked Kalla trying to contain her in vain as the rest of the field battled to keep pace.

But Bjoergen was untouchable today soloing in for the win. A feisty Johaug caught and passed Kowalczyk who countered to regain the lead only this time she was determined not to let Johaug out-manoeuvre her again. Still it came down to the final sprint as Johaug gave it her all before settling for third.

Post race we caught up with Randall, Stephen, Bjornsen and Diggins to get their take on one of the toughest days at the office they’ll ever spend…

Kikkan Randall (USA) 21st
Definitely feeling a little tired and achy after the tough effort today, but also satisfied. I was aiming for the top 15 today and was skiing right in there through about 23km, but began to struggle after my last ski exchange from the combination of some heavy cramping in my arms and a little slicker skis. It was frustrating because I could feel that the energy reserves where still there, but I couldn’t seem to kick my skis well enough to stay with the group up to 12th place.

I went out more aggressively in this race.  The pace was really fast out of the start but I pushed myself to try to stay closer to the top 10 over the first half than I did in the 30km here last year.  I think it paid off because I was skiing in a strong group for most of the race. The main difference today was that I couldn’t finish the race technically well enough to keep my position.  Last year, although I had cramping on the last lap, I was able to dig down and use all I had.

My classic has definitely been improving this year, but today felt like a step backward. Soft slushy conditions have typically been a challenge for me, and I definitely struggled in the conditions today. There were some good sections out there and I felt like my double-pole was stronger. But slushy striding, especially at the end of the race, still needs some work!! Something I will be working on this summer on the glacier.

Conditions were better for us today than the guys had yesterday.  It did get quite warm and some sections were quite slow, but the skiing  was relatively good and consistent through the race.

My skis were great at the beginning and really good when I made a ski exchange at 13km.  The 2nd time around the 8km lap my skis were kicking effortlessly and fast on the downhills.  When I switched back to my original pair for the final lap, they were a little slicker.

The ski exchanges do add an exciting element to the race!

30km is a huge mental game and one I’m still figuring out.  With the pace so fast at the beginning, I really had to focus on pushing myself to stay in a quick rhythm. In the end, when everything is feeling so tired, the key is convincing yourself to dig in and find a little bit more.  I just try to stay focused on the trail right ahead of me and not let my mind wander too much.

Liz Stephen (USA) 24th
I have been feeling pretty tired this week leading up to the race, so I was really happy with the result from today.  My goal was to have as good a race as I could have with the body feeling the way it did.

I had the best start I have ever had in a World Cup! It was awesome! I was in a great position off the line and decided that, though the pace felt like a 5km pace I had to hang as long as possible. It is crazy how quickly the gaps open up in the front. I always wonder how the pack gets away so quickly in the beginning and the start is very easy place to pick up or give away 30 seconds. It was really fun to be on the front end of those 30 seconds this time.

Kikkan and I were skiing together for the first 15km or so, and then I lost the pack on the downhill from the top of the course and couldn’t catch back up.  It was really fun to ski with Kik though for a bit. It is just really comforting to have a teammate there to ski with, just because we do so much training together and know each other so well, it’s really nice to get to ski together in a race.

The first lap was pretty fast, but as the sun hit for longer and longer the tracks got super slushy and really slow.  The boys had a real deal happen to them yesterday. Wow. It is a long way to go when the conditions are so slow.

Skiing at the Holmenkollen is awesome!  There are tons of fans, cheering and excitement.  It is definitely the coolest World Cup to experience.  The only thing that beats the atmosphere of the WCup at the Holmenkollen is the World Champs here last year.

Sadie Bjornsen (USA) 40th
Today was most definitely the hardest thing I have ever taken part in. The tracks were so warm, and a the girls went out at my 10km race pace. At 5km I got a bit panicked, already feeling the burn big time and knowing I had a long way to go. Eventually I got outside of my head though and just worked away.

I managed to ski all the way through 23km in and around the 32-34th range. I was feeling strong, and had the feeling I was going to be able to hold it together for another 8km. Then I switched my skis, and they happened to be a pair that was much too soft in the slush fest out there… so I dropped back a few places that last lap. I was a bit bummed because I had the feeling I could catch up to the pack in front of me and keep moving forward.

Regardless, it was so much fun – I’m so happy I got to do it. I think that is quite possibly the hardest 30km you could take part in. An incredible opening pace, super hilly course, and the slowest conditions and sooo hot out there!! But the crowd and atmosphere was incredible. It seriously kept me going!!

The techs were great, the boys giving us feeds were great, and the many Norwegians chanting my name. What a day!!

Let’s just say it was a nice note to end on. I think my 30km has some work, but I have never been one for this event, in fact it was my second 30km ever, so it will be fun to work on improving it. I think this year’s World Cup season for me was one big learning experience, and I am so happy I spent the time over here working through those rough and good times.

From here I head to Toblach for the OPA Finals for one more series of races. Then to Vermont, and then home!! Haven’t slept in my bed for five months, so that is going to be nice!!

Jessie Diggins (USA) 45th
My body wasn’t feeling it today and although I tried to do a good job fueling up beforehand my muscles just didn’t have enough in them today.

The 30km in the Holmenkollen was a lot different than at the US Champs in Sun Valley as this course was much, much harder altho’ it wasn’t at altitude. Comparing this to the 2011 Worlds, I didn’t race the 30km there, so I can only compare it to the 15km and sprint, but it was pretty similar.

My goals for this race were just to go out and try to have some fun – it’s the end of the season, and you can’t really change anything except race it out with what you’ve got left. I was able to test skis without stressing about the challenging kick conditions, so I was happy with it.

The conditions got really slow and slushy, and on the steeper hills the tracks got wiped out by all of the herringbone. I fell three times on the downhill corners after getting a tip hooked in the slush! I made the mistake of not switching skis again before the last lap since the pair I was on was kicking ok, but dirt was coming up through the snow and the skis really slowed down so I lost a couple places on the downhills.

The coaches were doing a good job prepping the skis and using the feedback we’d give during the race, but it was hard to make a call when I knew the pair I was on were kicking ok. But now I’ve learned more about switching skis in a 30km and how to pace, since this was only my second 30km ever!

The atmosphere here was simply amazing; there were so many fans, and they knew my name and would be chanting it and “USA, ALL THE WAY” up all the hard climbs, which helped a lot for sure. It wouldn’t have been as much fun without such amazing crowds! And of course having my friends and teammates out cheering and giving feeds was also great, it really made a difference.

Full results HERE.
Full results detail HERE.
WCup Overall Standings HERE.