Triangulating in Jämtland
Johan Lantz
Republicans and Moose
In the geographical middle of Sweden, but mentally “up north” to a majority of Swedes, there’s a region called Jämtland. This mountainous and tree-covered stretch of land is inhabited by a rather peculiar breed of Swedes who now and then call their region “The Republic of Jämtland” suggesting they’d be better off without the rest of Sweden, a constitutional Monarchy. Every winter the slopes in their biggest ski resort, Åre, are invaded by crowds of Stockholmers and sometimes even the occasional moose and in the summer the hills are filled with hikers and mountain bikers.
A hike that takes 3-4 days
The lucky few who continue westwards past Åre along the E14 highway toward the Norwegian border will get a massive reward as this leads them to the Storulvån Mountain station. This is the starting point for those tempted to do the Jämtland Triangle hike (Jämtlandstriangeln in Swedish). We’re talking 47 kilometers of rugged terrain that covers 1150 vertical meters taking you from Storulvån via Sylarna and Blåhammaren and then back to Storulvån. Hikers typically cover the distance in 3-4 days. The course record, or Fastest Known Time as trailheads like to refer to it, however was 3 hours and 38 minutes. Until ultra runner Johan Lantz had a go at it this past September that is. But first things first.
Why do you run?
I guess I have always had, or rather always needed to have, something to commit to and focus on to feel right. Ever since I was a little kid I have had phases where I have gone “all in” in different sports. Be it skateboarding, inlines, mountain biking or snowboarding. For several years I was also an elite skier focused on freestyle and slopestyle and it was toward the end of that period in my life that I made a bet with a friend about doing the annual 90K cross-country ski race which is called Vasaloppet. While preparing for that I also started running and fairly quickly I discovered that I had some sort of talent for it. This was back in 2011 and I guess that ever since running has been that thing for me to commit to and focus on.
When do you love/hate running?
I think I both love and hate running every day. I love having a goal to aim for and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I reach one of my goals. Whether it’s during a training session or in a race. I love the feeling of flow when you’re having a good run. At the same time I seriously hate running when there’s a headwind, the road I’m on is filled with cars or there are other distractions. But those things pass quickly after a run. During these last couple of years I feel like I have a bit of an excess of bad luck however when it comes to injuries (we will get to one of those later) and cancelled races to keep my motivation level up. But, the good times outweigh the bad by far!
Triangulating in Jämtland
Johan Lantz
Republicans and Moose
In the geographical middle of Sweden, but mentally “up north” to a majority of Swedes, there’s a region called Jämtland. This mountainous and tree-covered stretch of land is inhabited by a rather peculiar breed of Swedes who now and then call their region “The Republic of Jämtland” suggesting they’d be better off without the rest of Sweden, a constitutional Monarchy. Every winter the slopes in their biggest ski resort, Åre, are invaded by crowds of Stockholmers and sometimes even the occasional moose and in the summer the hills are filled with hikers and mountain bikers.
A hike that takes 3-4 days
The lucky few who continue westwards past Åre along the E14 highway toward the Norwegian border will get a massive reward as this leads them to the Storulvån Mountain station. This is the starting point for those tempted to do the Jämtland Triangle hike (Jämtlandstriangeln in Swedish). We’re talking 47 kilometers of rugged terrain that covers 1150 vertical meters taking you from Storulvån via Sylarna and Blåhammaren and then back to Storulvån. Hikers typically cover the distance in 3-4 days. The course record, or Fastest Known Time as trailheads like to refer to it, however was 3 hours and 38 minutes. Until ultra runner Johan Lantz had a go at it this past September that is. But first things first:
Why do you run?
I guess I have always had, or rather always needed to have, something to commit to and focus on to feel right. Ever since I was a little kid I have had phases where I have gone “all in” in different sports. Be it skateboarding, inlines, mountain biking or snowboarding. For several years I was also an elite skier focused on freestyle and slopestyle and it was toward the end of that period in my life that I made a bet with a friend about doing the annual 90K cross-country ski race which is called Vasaloppet. While preparing for that I also started running and fairly quickly I discovered that I had some sort of talent for it. This was back in 2011 and I guess that ever since running has been that thing for me to commit to and focus on.
When do you love/hate running?
I think I both love and hate running every day. I love having a goal to aim for and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I reach one of my goals. Whether it’s during a training session or in a race. I love the feeling of flow when you’re having a good run. At the same time I seriously hate running when there’s a headwind, the road I’m on is filled with cars or there are other distractions. But those things pass quickly after a run. During these last couple of years I feel like I have a bit of an excess of bad luck however when it comes to injuries (we will get to one of those later) and cancelled races to keep my motivation level up. But, the good times outweigh the bad by far!
How come you decided to have a go at the course record on the Jämtland Triangle?
It’s been stuck somewhere in the back of my head for a while now and given how most races are cancelled now it felt like a fun thing to do. Also I felt that I had it in me to beat the current course record.
How do you prepare for something like this?
Since this whole thing was semi-spontaneous I never prepared specifically for this trail. I had done the Åre Fjällmaraton 100K in the beginning of August and then the Bydalen 50K a few weeks after that so obviously the preparations for those two races were a good base. However the last couple of weeks prior to heading up to run the Jämtland Triangle Trail were mostly about recovery to make sure I had reasonably fresh legs.
How did you plan your intake of calories and water?
Given how I wanted this to be an unsupported FKT [Fastest Known Time] I carried all of my drinks and food with me. For a planned 3,5 hour run I had brought along 5 gels (100kcal/gel) and 500ml of energy drink (320kcal). It’s actually a little less than during a regular race but I really didn’t want to carry more weight. In a normal race I usually try to take in 400kcal per hour.
Did you ever consider giving up while you were running?
No, not at all. I did consider scrapping the idea altogether a few days before because of hip pain and insufficient preparations but generally speaking the way my mind works is that if I have said that I am going to do something it gets done and now that I have done it I am actually even more motivated to do it again and go even faster [Johan did it in 3:34:52 which is a new FKT], in better conditions meaning when it isn’t as wet, snowy, muddy and slippery!
How come you decided to have a go at the course record on the Jämtland Triangle?
It’s been stuck somewhere in the back of my head for a while now and given how most races are cancelled now it felt like a fun thing to do. Also I felt that I had it in me to beat the current course record.
How do you prepare for something like this?
Since this whole thing was semi-spontaneous I never prepared specifically for this trail. I had done the Åre Fjällmaraton 100K in the beginning of August and then the Bydalen 50K a few weeks after that so obviously the preparations for those two races were a good base. However the last couple of weeks prior to heading up to run the Jämtland Triangle Trail were mostly about recovery to make sure I had reasonably fresh legs.
Have you ever been injured and how has that affected your results this year?
I sprained both my feet in the beginning of the year which led to an unnecessary break in my training and after that my hips have also been playing tricks on me. As a result I have not been able to get neither the volume nor the continuity that I would have wanted for myself and that I believe would have been necessary for me to perform at my maximum potential in the races that actually did take place this year.
What are your plans for the coming months?
Now that the next race I had planned for, which was due to take place in France in late October, has also been cancelled I have decided to give myself a month of easy training and really let my body and especially my hip fully heal. I’m still training but without chasing volume and without the pressure of forcing myself to complete any given training sessions. At the moment I’m actually doing most of my training on the basis of what I happen to feel like doing on that given day. The plan is to step things up again in November however as a means to being 100% prepared for the Transgrancanaria which is due in February 2021. This is the race where I broke both legs back in 2015 [Yep, we told you we would get to the injury part eventually] and ever since one of my biggest goals has been to return there and do a really good race.
Running tips from Johan Lantz
Do you have any pointers for someone who is curious about taking on longer distances?
Start slowly. Both In terms of your weekly volume and in terms of the length of your runs.
Thanks for sharing your views on running with us and best of luck at the 2021 edition of the Transgrancanaria Johan!
If you would like to try and keep up with Johan Lantz and his friends in Ockelbomaffian you can find them on Instagram at @johanlantz and @ockelbomaffian.
Running is Dead
How did you plan your intake of calories and water?
Given how I wanted this to be an unsupported FKT [Fastest Known Time] I carried all of my drinks and food with me. For a planned 3,5 hour run I had brought along 5 gels (100kcal/gel) and 500ml of energy drink (320kcal). It’s actually a little less than during a regular race but I really didn’t want to carry more weight. In a normal race I usually try to take in 400kcal per hour.
Did you ever consider giving up while you were running?
No, not at all. I did consider scrapping the idea altogether a few days before because of hip pain and insufficient preparations but generally speaking the way my mind works is that if I have said that I am going to do something it gets done and now that I have done it I am actually even more motivated to do it again and go even faster [Johan did it in 3:34:52 which is a new FKT], in better conditions meaning when it isn’t as wet, snowy, muddy and slippery!
Have you ever been injured and how has that affected your results this year?
I sprained both my feet in the beginning of the year which led to an unnecessary break in my training and after that my hips have also been playing tricks on me. As a result I have not been able to get neither the volume nor the continuity that I would have wanted for myself and that I believe would have been necessary for me to perform at my maximum potential in the races that actually did take place this year.
What are your plans for the coming months?
Now that the next race I had planned for, which was due to take place in France in late October, has also been cancelled I have decided to give myself a month of easy training and really let my body and especially my hip fully heal. I’m still training but without chasing volume and without the pressure of forcing myself to complete any given training sessions. At the moment I’m actually doing most of my training on the basis of what I happen to feel like doing on that given day. The plan is to step things up again in November however as a means to being 100% prepared for the Transgrancanaria which is due in February 2021. This is the race where I broke both legs back in 2015 [Yep, we told you we would get to the injury part eventually] and ever since one of my biggest goals has been to return there and do a really good race.
Running tips from Johan Lantz
Do you have any pointers for someone who is curious about taking on longer distances?
Start slowly. Both In terms of your weekly volume and in terms of the length of your runs.
Thanks for sharing your views on running with us and best of luck at the 2021 edition of the Transgrancanaria Johan!
If you would like to try and keep up with Johan Lantz and his friends in Ockelbomaffian you can find them on Instagram at @johanlantz and @ockelbomaffian.
Running is Dead
