This Thursday, an unusual head-to-head takes place on the athletics track in Östersund, Sweden. Former biathlon star Björn Ferry will race current biathlon ace Sebastian Samuelsson over 10,000 meters, with €1,000 on the line.

Sebastian Samuelsson is currently Sweden’s top male biathlete. A decade ago, it was Björn Ferry who claimed the biggest medals. Now, the two will face off — not on skis, but in a different sport: running.

“25 laps and a duel. €1,000 at stake. It’s a bet we made during the Biathlon World Championships,” Björn Ferry told Västerbotten-Kuriren.

A World Championship bet

The bet was born during the World Championships. Ferry suggested joining Samuelsson on the championship course. Samuelsson replied, “You don’t stand a chance, old man,” to which Ferry countered, “But I’ll beat you in running.”

“He said, ‘Not a chance,’” Ferry recalls.

Since then, the retired biathlete has been training hard for the challenge.

“I think I’m getting close.”

Since April, all of Ferry’s focus has been on Thursday’s duel. Last weekend, he finished third in a running race in Stensele, clocking 36:45. Still, he knows it won’t be enough to take down Samuelsson.

“I think he’ll run under 34 minutes. I’ve seen his running form — it’s not the best. Plenty of skiers and biathletes run better. Björn Ferry, back in his prime, would have outrun him. But that’s probably the kind of time I need to aim for,” Ferry added.

“An overconfidence in myself”

Helping him prepare has been a virtual personal trainer — a robotic coach — with a carefully planned program leading up to race day. One challenge has been avoiding injury, which has limited his training volume.

“I haven’t been able to hit high training loads. My peak was 71 kilometers in one week. Then my Achilles tendons started complaining, so I’ve only been running every other day. But everything is aimed at running as fast as possible on the track in Östersund.”

Ferry claims his advantage lies in his “runner’s body,” something he believes Samuelsson doesn’t quite have.

“You should see my calves. They’re a direct bloodline from when humans migrated out of Africa. I have those Kenyan-style thin legs. I’ve got by far the thinnest in the family — despite being the tallest. And I’m a former elite athlete with a tendency to overestimate myself. Samuelsson obviously does too and always think he’ll win. Sometimes he does — but I just think I’ll win, plain and simple,” Ferry said.

The race starts Thursday at 08:15 CEST at Hofvallen in Östersund.

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