of pressure on her to race well in Oslo and
obviously that is her biggest focus of the
season. It’s probably smart to design the
season around racing fastest in Oslo and
doing the Tour could add a big wild card to
that equation. I think she’s playing it safe
and that’s probably smart.
Marit is someone for whom I know
you, and so many others, have great
respect — you did beat her in Liberec,
what were your thoughts on that?
I wouldn’t really say “I beat Marit” in Liberec.
Yes, I made it to the final and she didn’t.
But we didn’t get to race head-to-head. I
think we all see Marit as the gold standard,
and I like having the chance to test myself
against the best. All I can say is that I look
forward to meeting Marit — and all the oth-
ers — in Drammen and in Oslo!
What will your preparations for the
World Championships be like?
Last year the preparations I did at home with
my APU team prior to the Olympics helped me
to my best ever Olympic results and a really
strong second half of the season. I think we’ll
be following a similar plan to what worked last
year. Most of the hard work is already done;
now it’s just fine-tuning some things.
What will it be like for you to return to
Oslo for Worlds?
I’m very excited to be racing the World Cham-
pionships in Oslo. It’s definitely a once-in-a-
lifetime opportunity to race at a major event
like Worlds in a ski-crazy country like Norway.
I also really like the courses there — and the
brown cheese.
You’ve been in Europe some two
months, you must be ready to come
home for awhile, right?
Yes, I am very excited to come home. While
I love the excitement of racing on the World
Cup every weekend, I’m starting to get a
little burned-out on dirty clothes and hotel
food. I miss washing my own dishes, be-
ing able to do laundry whenever I want, and
hanging out with my kittens. It will be hard
to miss some of the World Cup races, but
I know that going home, recharging and
getting in some solid training, is just what I
need to be at my strongest in Oslo.
What will you be doing while you’re
back in Anchorage?
While I’m home, I’ll be leading the third annu-
al Fast and Female ski festival in Alaska. It’s
a great way to get back to the roots of when
I started skiing as well as helping to inspire
the next generation. Plus I get to wear a lot
of pink!
You appear to be so collected with your
racing; are there some days you really
get pissed off?
There are some days when I’m frustrated with
myself for doing or not doing something in a
race that would have improved my result. But
I can only linger on those frustrations for a
moment, learn from them and then move on
to the next challenge.
Kikkan Randall skis to an historic win on Jan. 15, 2011. Randall roller skis on a warmer day.
