Swedish ultrarunner Ida Nilsson has been a family title in ultra-trail working since her tour de power season of 2016, which noticed her win the Transvulcania Ultramarathon, the Mont-Blanc Marathon, the Run the Rut 50k, and The North Face 50 Mile Championships — to call however a number of.
A lifelong athlete, at that time in her profession she had already gained two NCAA Division I titles in American collegiate athletics, competed within the European Athletics Championships and the World Athletics Championships within the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and competed at ski mountaineering.
Nilsson’s profession has been hampered many occasions by harm. Her newest return from harm — which noticed her place second on the 2022 Path World Championships 80k and win the 2023 Canyons by UTMB 100k — exhibits how a lot potential lies forward for the now 42-year-old. I caught up together with her within the ultimate weeks of her preparation for her first 100 miler — the suitably iconic 2023 Western States 100.
Ida Nilsson was actually, actually proud of second place on the 2022 Path World Championships 80k. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Nilsson, who now lives within the mountains of Norway, grew up on the southeast coast of Sweden, which she describes as, “an excellent flat place, we don’t also have a 50-meter hill!”
A toddler of working dad and mom, Nilsson ran her first race at simply 5 years previous, and mentioned: “It began with leaping within the youngsters’ race when my dad and mom had been doing a race, and likewise I did monitor and subject with the native membership. I did all occasions, and we had a observe or two every week. It bought step by step extra severe as I bought older, I began to run extra.”
Nilsson was enrolled in a working program for highschool, the place she had the chance to run with a coach and to hone her craft in a supportive setting, alongside different younger individuals who wished to pursue the game at a better stage. Following on from this, she earned a scholarship to attend Northern Arizona College in Flagstaff, Arizona — a spot she has fashioned a detailed affinity with, and has been going again to ever since.
Again in Flagstaff for her 2023 Western States 100 coaching block on the time of our dialog, she mentioned: “I used to be at college right here [Flagstaff] between 2001 and 2005 and it was an excellent good expertise. It’s fairly distinctive how monitor and subject is structured inside college within the U.S. and the way you compete with a staff and do cross nation. I actually loved the expertise, I had good years, and developed. At the moment Flagstaff didn’t have so many professional groups. Again then it was a number of lone runners and college groups. Now it’s simply exploded, so many runners!”
Nilsson loved a profitable school working profession and mentioned: “I gained a number of a nationwide titles. After which I used to be like, Now I wish to go to the world championships, Olympics, and hold going. And I did, I went to 1 world championships and one European championships [for the 3,000-meter steeplechase] the years after that.”
A younger Ida Nilsson competing on the 3,000-meter steeplechase for Northern Arizona College. Picture courtesy of Ida Nilsson.
Sadly, a stress fracture sustained after the world championships set off a cycle of accidents for Nilsson, which might threaten to chop brief her promising profession. She mentioned: “It began out that I bought a stress fracture within the navicular bone after the world championships. I bought again the subsequent 12 months to the European championships, but it surely began a nasty cycle of accidents after that … I moved to Gothenburg in Sweden, so I used to be coaching with folks there. I did race but it surely was a little bit bit inconsistent, and I by no means did an Olympics as a result of I bought injured proper earlier than 2008. It simply stored going for some years, then I bought a severe stress fracture in my hip joint in 2009.”
Initially Nilsson took eight months off working to permit the harm to heal, however upon making an attempt to renew within the spring of 2010, she discovered that it was nonetheless too painful. Believing the harm to be continual, Nilsson hung up her racing footwear, with little hope of returning. She mentioned: “The primary 12 months, all the things damage. It was exhausting to even go swimming, biking, or do something as a result of it was fixed ache. After a 12 months, it was fantastic, I may do regular simple stuff, like go for hikes and regular life. I bought used to that, I used to be working quite a lot of seasonal jobs and touring in between. I used to be mountaineering whereas touring and doing a little cross-country snowboarding and I labored in Norway doing winter seasons.” Nilsson remained constructive all through and mentioned, “I bought into the outside life extra and that was good as a result of I at all times appreciated to maneuver in nature,” however added, “I feel I assumed I wouldn’t run once more. It was so unhealthy I couldn’t even jog.”
In 2013, with a view to spend extra time open air, Nilsson began a nature information program in Åre, Sweden. She mentioned: “Round that point my hip was good once more and so I began to run. Then the subsequent 12 months I bought a job in northern Sweden. I skied after which within the winter ran some. And I began to really feel this urge to coach extra once more.”
It was then that Nilsson first found the game of ski mountaineering. She mentioned, “I did a [ski-mountaineering] race within the north of Sweden. And Emelie [Forsberg] and Kilian [Jornet] got here and did it as nicely so it was actually cool to see them.”
Ida Nilsson (left), Emelie Forsberg, and Mimmi Kotka. Picture: Moonvalley
Nilsson was bitten by the skimo bug and mentioned, “I simply thought it was such a enjoyable sport and I wished to study it higher. So I made a decision to maneuver to Chamonix, France, the subsequent winter.” There she educated at ski mountaineering by way of the winter of 2015/2016 — together with her lifelong good friend and now enterprise associate, Forsberg. On the identical time, as her return to working was progressing on the facet, Forsberg inspired her to attempt her hand at ultra-trail working.
Ida Nilsson pushing exhausting in a 2018 Worldwide Ski Mountaineering Federation World Cup occasion in Andorra. Picture: David Arino
In 2015 Nilsson debuted with a win a the Fjällmaraton in Sweden, adopted two weeks later by a second-place end on the Ultravasan 90k. This was only a preview of what was to return, as the next 12 months she would start to take the path working world by storm — successful amongst others the Transvulcania Ultramarathon on three consecutive years (2016 and 2017 interviews), The North Face 50 Mile Championships twice (2016 and 2017 interviews), and the Zegama Marathon in 2018.
Her success continued unabated till 2019, when she determined to pursue a highway marathon early within the 12 months. She mentioned, “It felt like a superb challenge for the early spring. I used to be coaching up in Flagstaff, coaching was going rather well, perhaps went a little bit bit too nicely too rapidly! After which this navicular bone in the identical foot as 15 years in the past broke in the course of the race — 25k in — so I couldn’t end.”
Ida Nilsson successful the 2016 Transvulcania Ultramarathon. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Sadly, it was an harm Nilsson was all too acquainted with, and she or he knew that it will take a while to heal. She waited it out for the rest of the 12 months, however mentioned: “I seen the next spring after I began to run, it nonetheless didn’t really feel so good. I actually thought one thing was nonetheless mistaken. And likewise, it was in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it was tough to get assist as a result of it wasn’t actually a precedence — this working harm I inflicted on myself!”
Ultimately, after searching for assist by way of a personal sports activities clinic, Nilsson underwent two surgical procedures on her foot and will lastly sit up for rebuilding. She mentioned, “It was like beginning over once more, and over 40, and feeling not so good! Lastly, the next 12 months I may run once more but it surely was largely uphill, downhill was nonetheless tough for me. And final 12 months was good, however then I bought COVID-19 to start with of the 12 months.”
The lingering results of COVID-19 spoiled plenty of races for Nilsson. However lastly, towards the tip of the 12 months on the 2022 Path World Championships 80k in Thailand, she made a dramatic comeback — inserting second after main for a lot of the day. She mentioned:
“I went to Nepal earlier than, and I feel the altitude actually helped me. And eventually I felt regular once more. I seen the primary uphill and I used to be like, Wow, that is the way it used to really feel. It’s imagined to really feel simple to start with once you do an 80k … I hadn’t had that feeling for a few years.”
Nilsson crept up the sphere earlier than taking the lead — with reigning champion, France’s Blandine L’Hirondel, sizzling on her heels. She mentioned, “I assumed, Okay I’m simply going to attempt to push the tempo. I wasn’t perhaps ready to carry that for the complete time, I died actually within the final two hours.” Nilsson was handed by L’Hirondel within the closing phases of the race, however held on to second place — thus stepping again the forefront of the path working world.
The 2022 Path World Championships 80k girls’ s podium (l-to-r): 2. Ida Nilsson, 1. Blandine L’Hirondel, and three. Gemma Arenas. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Now again to full well being, Nilsson, who has beforehand topped out on the 100k distance, lastly has the chance to meet a longtime purpose of racing the Western States 100. She mentioned: “I wished to run the Western States 100 for a number of years, I assumed it will be method prior to this. However after the foot surgical procedure it took method longer to get again to working so much — to construct up once more.”
She added that, “I feel in shorter races you will get round with quite a lot of cross coaching and perhaps not run an excessive amount of, however for 100 miles you possibly can’t simply get by with snowboarding and biking — you really need the miles within the legs as nicely.”
The primary Western States 100 Golden Ticket race Nilsson took on to safe her entry was the 2023 Black Canyon 100k in February. Given her Norwegian coaching floor, which lends itself higher to snowboarding in winter and working in summer season, it was early within the season for a 100k race. This and one other minor setback previous the race led to her moving into with not sufficient miles in her legs. However, she had a robust first half — working in a tightly packed prime three, earlier than falling again to fifth place. She mentioned, “I did really feel like [the pace was] a little bit bit too quick for me to maintain, however I used to be like, Okay, it’s prime two or nothing … I attempted my greatest for so long as I may however then within the final 20k I completely died.”
Fortunately, there was one other likelihood for a Golden Ticket on the 2023 Canyons by UTMB 100k in April — on a brand new flat-and-fast, looped course. Following a good-weather month in Norway, Nilsson had a a lot smoother preparation this time round, however race day itself would current some highs and lows. She mentioned: “It went rather well at first. I used to be within the lead and it felt good, I used to be taking my time on the assist stations early on and taking ice … however then I took a mistaken flip and abruptly I used to be in seventh place … I went for it, I ran actually quick for 25k till I bought again up into the lead once more. And through that point I didn’t actually cease or take excellent care of myself. So I sort of died a little bit ultimately.”
Regardless of the mistaken flip, Nilsson emerged as winner, and her place on the beginning line of the Western States 100 was sealed.
Ida Nilsson wins the 2023 Canyons by UTMB 100k. Picture: Patrick McDermott – Getty Pictures for Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB
On the time of writing, Nilsson is at present again in Flagstaff, present process a centered coaching block. She mentioned: “Right here there’s not a lot vert [compared to her home trails in Norway], however I’m working extra kilometers … I’ve bought 4 weeks carried out now with over 100 miles per week, and I went to the Western States 100 coaching camp, which was tremendous good. It’s nice to do lengthy runs the place you run with folks and might cease at assist stations. We didn’t see the entire course however the final 70 miles no less than.”
Having linked her good efficiency on the 2022 Path World Championships 80k to time spent at altitude mountaineering in Nepal, it’s no coincidence that she’s chosen one of many highest elevation cities within the U.S. as her base for this coaching block. Following a protracted and profitable profession — speckled with numerous new beginnings and surprises — completely something is feasible for Ida Nilsson’s first 100-mile race.
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