Reflecting on her progress since then, Kern shared insights into how she’s adapted her mindset and training, and achieved a personal best in the Tour de Ski.

Adapting to Injury and Staying Motivated

When asked how she stayed motivated after facing a nerve injury, Kern’s response highlighted her resilience.

“When I got injured, I felt like my training was in a really good place, so I tried to see the positive—a bit of extra forced rest never hurt me. However, when it became unclear the cause of the nerve pain and how long it would take to heal, I started to get worried about an unknown path forward,” she explained.

Having dealt with many injuries over the years, Kern found that these challenges often renewed her drive. “Often, I have had my best seasons after a tumultuous training period, so an injury doesn’t necessarily lower my motivation but instead increases it to find a way to race fast despite the challenges. During injury rehab, my mindset shifts to a place of gratitude. I go from not being able to do anything to being stoked to be able to ski. There is something special about breaking down everything to the basics and building it back up—a reminder of how demanding our everyday training is on the body.”

Still, the process wasn’t without its struggles. “When I was spending most days staring at the bottom of the pool while my teammates were out ski training, a month away from race season, those were times when my motivation could waver. It’s never easy to be sidelined,” she admitted.

Finding Form in the Tour de Ski

Kern approached the Tour de Ski with specific goals in mind. “My goals for the tour were to 1) race myself into shape, 2) finish the tour if my back was able to handle the load, and 3) preview the Olympic courses and get some experience racing them,” she shared.

“I have found that the tour helps get me into race shape quickly and is part of my peaking plan. With a less-than-ideal fall prep period, I feel things are shifted later, so I wanted to use the races to continue to become more confident in ski movements and improve my race form.”

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A Personal Best in Distance Racing

Kern reached a significant milestone during the season, achieving her best-ever result in a World Cup distance race.

“I realized it at the finish when I crossed the line and knew I was in 7th. I was skiing with a pack for the majority of the race and was waiting for the final hill to see if I could outsprint them because I knew our pack was top 10 or so. I didn’t know where I would end up until I threw in my final sprint and waited to see if anyone else was going to go with me,” she recounted.

The race marked a turning point. “After about 5km, I realized that I was continuing to pick off spots every climb. I started in the back and knew the downhills were going to be dicey, so I slowly skied my way up, trying to stay relaxed in the early kilometres as things thinned out in the pack. I started to sense that my skis were kicking really well and also gliding really well, which gave me the confidence that I could continue to work my way up. I used the second half of the classic leg to ski well, but in control since I have a history of blowing up in distance races.”

Looking Ahead

“I think this race supports my goal of becoming a distance race contender as well. I think it makes it so that I am excited for every kind of race on World Cup and see every race as an opportunity to have a great day!” she said.

When reflecting on how this success influences her confidence heading into the World Championships, Kern emphasized balance. “It definitely doesn’t hurt with confidence, but also ski racing humbles you quickly, and I hope that more races like that are to come in the future. I don’t think it changes my approach heading into World Champs. I plan to be in the best shape I can and have been actually focusing more on improving my sprinting since I have been struggling with that a bit this season so far.”