Three years ago, Smed\u00e5s decided to focus fully on long-distance skiing. The Team Eksj\u00f6hus recruit \u2013 who had around twenty World Cup starts to her name \u2013 had already shown her strength in endurance races, and in her first full Ski Classics season (2022\/2023) she won both Marcialonga and Jizersk\u00e1 50. The following year she claimed victory in Birkebeinerrennet and finished second in Vasaloppet.<\/p>\n\n
Heading into last winter, she set her sights on qualifying for the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim:
\u201cI was in the best shape of my life that autumn, but in October I caught a lingering virus. After that, my body just wouldn\u2019t respond. I kept getting sick over and over. I went through lots of tests, but nothing showed up. Later I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. I barely knew what it meant \u2013 and I thought it would pass quickly,\u201d Magni says.<\/p>\n\n
It didn\u2019t. Because of recurring illness, she wasn\u2019t able to compete at all after the Ski Classics opener in Bad Gastein in mid-December 2024.<\/p>\n\n
Was it \u201ctoo much,\u201d trying to chase both the World Championships and Ski Classics goals?
\u201cMy doctor is convinced that the virus infection in October was the trigger. When I tried to get in shape for the Norwegian season opener in Beitost\u00f8len, my body didn\u2019t respond at all. It was like my nervous system had burned out. My body couldn\u2019t handle the stress \u2013 neither physical nor mental \u2013 that always comes when the season approaches. When I needed five days to recover after a 10 km race, I knew something was seriously wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
How has the road back been?
\u201cTough! I sometimes still wake up in the morning not feeling rested, with pain in my back or head, and feeling like nothing has meaning. But those days are getting fewer. In recent weeks, training has started to work much better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
At the end of August, she pinned on a race bib for the first time in nine months \u2013 and it was a triumph, winning the roller-ski race Alliansloppet in Trollh\u00e4ttan.
\u201cThat victory meant an incredible amount to me; it was very emotional considering everything I\u2019ve been through,\u201d says Smed\u00e5s, who overhauled her entire training approach this summer.<\/p>\n\n
In recent years she used to do one long session a day. Now she trains two shorter sessions per day \u2013 never more than four hours total, and almost all at an easy pace. Before Alliansloppet she didn\u2019t do a single high-intensity workout.<\/p>\n\n
What are your goals for the winter?
\u201cMost of all, to complete a full season and feel that my body is cooperating. Focusing entirely on Ski Classics has allowed me to lower my shoulders and avoid stress. The schedule also suits me, with several longer breaks between races. The plan is to treat the first events as preparation for the most prestigious ones later in the season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Her most important race this winter is obvious:
\u201cI\u2019ve been second and fourth in Vasaloppet. The course suits me, but I\u2019m like a diesel engine; it takes me time to get going. In the women\u2019s race, the first 10 km are extremely decisive. I hope I\u2019ll be ready for that this winter. It would be a dream to win the biggest race of them all,\u201d says the 30-year-old from Lillehammer with a smile.<\/p>\n\n
TIPS: Magni\u2019s best double-poling advice<\/strong> \u201cDouble poling, like many aspects of cross-country skiing, is all about technique and timing. You need to stay flexible and adapt your movement to the terrain. Especially uphill, keep your arms close to your body and use your weight over the poles \u2013 it saves a lot of energy. Many people tend to overuse their triceps,\u201d Magni explains, adding: FACTS\/ Magni Smed\u00e5s results in Vasaloppet races<\/strong> Note: Tjejvasan (30 km) takes place Saturday, February 21, 2026, and Vasaloppet (90 km) is held on Sunday, March 1, 2026.<\/p>\n\n Photo: Vasaloppet and Team Eksj\u00f6hus<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After being in the best shape of her life ahead of last season, everything fell apart for Norwegian long-distance star Magni Smed\u00e5s. A virus led to chronic fatigue syndrome, and her season ended early in December. Now, Magni opens up about the difficult road back, her emotional Alliansloppet victory, and her dream of one day winning Vasaloppet. She also shares her best tips for effective double poling training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":793,"template":"","news_category":[],"sport_category":[2],"class_list":["post-792","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sport_category-ski"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Magni Smed\u00e5s is one of the very best long-distance skiers when it comes to double poling. Here\u2019s her advice for improving your technique:<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe ski-erg machine is an excellent tool for training when there\u2019s no snow, but the technique is slightly different from skiing on snow. Many people on the ski-erg stand with straight legs and pull too much with their arms. Remember to keep your arms close to your body, stay active with your legs, and finish the hand movement at your hips,\u201d says Smed\u00e5s.<\/p>\n\n
Tjejvasan 2022: 3rd
Tjejvasan 2023: 2nd
Vasaloppet 2023: 4th
Vasaloppet 2024: 2nd<\/p>\n\n