December 06, 2014 (Lillehammer, NOR) – Following the women’s 5km FR at round two of the FIS WC Lillehammer mini-tour won by Therese Johaug we caught up Kikkan Randall, Sadie Bjornsen and Liz Stephen for an inside look at today’s race which saw USA’s Jessie Diggins as the top North American with a strong 15th place finish – results here.

Kikkan Randall (USA) © Nordic Focus

Kikkan Randall (USA)
Quick update from today’s 5km individual start skate in Lillehammer, race 2 of 3 for the mini-tour…today was a small step in the right direction. It was a challenging course with lots of climbing. I felt like I skied the first half of the race stuck in a low gear but was able to find a better gear up the major climb around 3km.

My body felt one step better and closer to racing form than in yesterday’s sprint.  The skis were great today and it was fantastic conditions for racing, hard and fast, and bright and sunny.

A much better day for our whole team. I am definitely inspired and encouraged with Jessie Diggin’s 15th pace and Sadie and Liz also in the top 25.  It’s a good sign that everyone is beginning to find their race gears.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s 10km classic as a chance to go head to head and take my form one more step forward.

Sadie Bjornsen © Nordic Focus

Sadie Bjornsen (USA)
Another really fun day in Lillehammer. With a clear morning, the tracks were hard and fast- which made for a really fun 5k Skate. In the past few years, I have struggled with my skate skiing, preferring the classic technique. This summer I worked especially hard in skating, trying to keep it more even with my classic skiing. Today was the first time that has happened in years!

Lillehammer is unique because of its hard and extremely long climbs, so today made the legs truly burn! I had great skis, there was a great crowd, and I finished with a smile.. one more day to go for this mini-tour.

I am really looking forward to the last race of the tour tomorrow, the 10k classic, one of my favorite races!

I do always enjoy racing in Norway, in fact it is my favorite place to race! I don’t know if it is the long connection back to my family roots…. or just the fact that these people live and breath ski racing…. but the vibe is always amazing!!

Liz Stephen P] flyingpointroad.com

Liz Stephen (USA)
Thank you. Yes, a better day for the team as a whole I would say. I am happy with the progress I am feeling from just a week ago in Kuusamo, when my body felt really out of shape and flat and I can feel all of that coming around now.  For this point in the season, I am happy with the direction I seem to be heading with my fitness and energy levels.

5k is a weird distance, but it is relay distance, so that is how I ski it. I ski it as if it was relay day and it makes me perform better than I would think I could if I was just racing the clock. Relay day is when you race for your team and that is how any 5k skate race feels to me, as if I am on the relay team and skiing for us all.

The conditions were fast and cold today. It was a beautiful, sunny day here in Lillehammer and with an early start, at least compared to what we are used to with World Cup racing, it was very solid tracks, which made for a very fun course to ski, but also a very fast downhill from the top of the long climb all the way back into the stadium. I love the uphills, but I am working on my fear of high speeds, especially in tracks around corners (which there were today on that downhill) and so I know I lost some time coming down that, which I am disappointed in myself about, but I get two more chances to practice it tomorrow.

It is early in the season, but I am being patient this season after staying home an extra 10 days to rehab a displaced 1st and 2nd rib and some tight, muscles, so I feel really good about each race feeling better and better.

Pick off as many people as possible and get into the points!