Stop, Pop, and Loppet

Muffy on Lumi’s 2022 Dolomitenlauf & Marcialonga trip, where she raced in both World Loppet events

It’s already December and the Boulder Mountain Tour is looming ahead of us on February 5. How am I going to get prepared? That’s not too far away! And I asked myself the same question about how I am going to be prepared to race in the World Loppet Series in Europe this coming winter?

The BMT being a 34 kilometer gorgeous ski down the Wood River Valley, net downhill that is, paralleling unparalleled beauty of the Boulder Mountains! The World Loppet is a global series of Nordic Ski Marathons all around the world including central Europe, eastern Europe, Scandinavia, United States, Canada, Australia, and more. The races range from about 42 km (Engadin in Switzerland) up to 89 km (Vasaloppet in Sweden).

TIME TO RACE

Longtime Ketchum resident Joney Otteson and I will be traveling over to central Europe in mid-January to ski in several of the World Loppet races including the Dolomitenlauf, in Austria, the Marcialonga, in Italy and the Konig Ludwig Lauf in Germany. Over three consecutive weekends, we will be racing six races totaling approximately 235 kilometers! Uff da!

Muffy skiing the Marcialonga race in Cavalese, Italy

The best part about this European adventure is that we are going with a company from Minneapolis called LUMI Experiences headed up by Olympian Garrott Kuzzy. LUMI Experiences is a company specializing in bringing people to all points around the globe to ski and race in the World Loppet races as well as other events. It includes your transportation, meals, 3-5 star lodging, and they even wax your skis for the races! It’s a far cry from what I’m used to doing, dragging my overloaded bags on the train, to and from B&B to B&B. And if the distances of some of the races seem insurmountable, they always have a shorter option to choose. And if you don’t want to race at all, that’s fine too! You can simply cheer on your friends and ski the beautiful trails in the area! I’m already looking forward to the great European coffee and croissants!

RACE TRAINING

Now, how would I train for these races? Just about the same way I would train for the Boulder Mountain Tour. Hopefully, you’ve been keeping active all summer and fall with hikes, bike rides, even possibly some roller skiing, as well as strength training. Having a good aerobic base is key to any ski racing endeavor you plan to do. My three pillars of training for events like the Boulder or even the Loppet races are: One long workout, one interval workout and one race or time-trial type workout in a week. I also like to maintain my strength by going to the gym once or twice a week or simply doing some basic push-ups and squats in my living room. It’s not too late to start now to get in shape for the Boulder. Once you are on snow, make sure you’re logging some good, easy distance base kilometers for the first couple weeks. Then you can start ramping it up a bit.

For the World Loppet, on the other hand, I would be remiss to say start now for the training, because doing 235 km in three weekends is a little different than doing the Boulder Mountain Tour. I just had to start a little sooner – like May!

Muffy celebrating at the finish line of the Marcialonga

On the day you all will be skiing the Boulder, if you are doing it live, Joney and I will be skiing the 50 km Konig Ludwig Lauf in Oberammergau, Germany. I may use that race as my virtual Boulder and simply check my watch at the 34 km marker. If you are interested in the World Loppet races or Lumi Experiences, you can visit lumiexperiences.com or email info@lumiexperiences.com. Or call (612) 214 2861 (US) or +43 (0) 664 487 5005 (Europe) and tell them Muffy sent you!

It might be something new, exciting, and fresh to put in your skiing future! Have a great BMT! I’ll be thinking of you!

Muffy Ritz is a member of the BMT Board of Directors and inveterate athlete and adventurer!