She is a two-time junior world champion in skiing. But it’s been three years since she ended her ski career. Now she felt like trying a marathon. It went so well that she suddenly set herself a bold goal: the 2028 Olympics.

27-year-old Marte Mæhlum Johansen from Norway made her marathon debut on the last weekend of April. With a time of 2:34:50 at the Hamburg Marathon, she surprised everyone, including herself.

Her time placed her 12th among all women in the tough competition. Only 12 Norwegian women have ever run faster than Marte.

“I knew I was in good shape, but I didn’t exactly expect to return from Hamburg as the best Norwegian woman,” Marte told Oppland Arbeiderblad.

The former junior cross-country skiing world champion now lives in Oslo and trains twice a day. She has worked for the Norwegian Ski Association and remains closely connected to the sport, even though she didn’t continue her skiing career at the elite level.

Speaking to the local newspaper, she says she has never regretted stepping away from top-level cross-country skiing. Perhaps the 27-year-old now has an exciting new career on the horizon.

What a debut!

Marte Mæhlum Johansen wasn’t allowed to run in the elite class in Hamburg – her previous times weren’t good enough. But she received help from a group of Danish men aiming to run 2:35.

“At the start, it felt really easy, but halfway through, which I passed in 1:17, I felt it starting to slow down. So, I had to say goodbye to the Danes and ran the second half mostly alone,” she told oa.no.

“When I saw the clock just before the finish, it showed 2:34. I had started 30 seconds behind the elite group, so I had that margin. Finishing under 2:35 was just an absurd feeling.”

“Marathons are strange that way. You can feel like it’s easy for a long time, but at some point, it gets hard, very hard. I had the same feeling when I skied. But I know I gave everything I had. There wasn’t much left at the finish line.”

Flirting with a bold goal

The training-loving former ski star is now flirting with a very ambitious goal after proving to herself what kind of running talent she has.

There’s an Olympics in Los Angeles in three years.

“The dream is to get the chance to train even more. To do that, I’ll have to work less. It’s scary to say it, but I want to set a bold goal: the Olympics in Los Angeles in three years. That would mean getting down to around 2:23 – more than ten minutes faster than in Hamburg. But right now, I feel like it could be possible.”

“I feel strong and believe my body can handle a lot of training. Plus, I’m still young in the marathon world. I should have several good years ahead of me. Recently, I’ve also become much more conscious about nutrition, especially carbs and fueling.”

She envisions two to three marathons a year, as the body needs rest between races. Her main autumn goal is Berlin, also known for being a fast course. Before that, she will target the Birkebeinerløpet in June.

Originally set to join Ski Classics

Her path originally pointed elsewhere. Like many others, Marte was planning to transition from traditional cross-country skiing to long-distance racing in Ski Classics. She made that decision in 2021.

Instead, she ramped up her sports management studies at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and took on various jobs.

“After graduating, I landed my dream job at Salomon, a super cool job, but unfortunately, it was only a one-year temporary position. So, I had to look for something else. First, I got a coaching role at Kickstart Bedrift, which works with employee health and lifestyle. But it wasn’t enough to get by financially,” she explains.

A short stint in a kindergarten led to a job offer at another one, specifically at Ulven. There, Marte has been working 80 to 100 percent, while also running ski courses for companies.

Always loved running

Running has always been something Marte enjoys. She kept it up when ski training wasn’t as frequent or intense as before, and she finds it more fun than roller skiing.

“Last year, I wanted to try running some races, and the results were really good. The more I trained, the faster I ran. I thought: Yes, training works!” she told oa.no.

After running 1:24 in a half marathon, the thought of tackling the full distance emerged. She teamed up with Eirik Brandsdal, and both aimed for 2:50 in the Valencia Marathon.

“We ran the whole race together, and he was surprised at how much I chatted along the way. The truth is, it felt really easy,” says the former skier, who finished in 2:47 and was immediately bitten by the marathon bug.

“That race left me wanting more, so I decided to try another full marathon. After a lot of back and forth – including getting scammed by a German for 2,500 kroner – I finally bought a bib for the Hamburg Marathon, which had long been sold out.”

Got help with her training

Despite her junior world titles in skiing and solid training background, Marte didn’t have a proper training plan for improving her marathon time. But she got help from Kristian Ulriksen of Breaking Marathon Limit, who provided both tips and a training program.

He saw the potential and even joined her for some of the training runs.

“I trained a lot at a pace of 3:40/km, and it kept feeling more comfortable. In the end, I decided to aim for 2:35, and Kristian agreed,” says Marte about her goal before the Hamburg Marathon.

And when Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal had to withdraw, Marte Mæhlum Johansen ended up as the best Norwegian.

Maybe they’ll both represent Norway at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles?

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.