The former biathlete is set to run from Paris to Rome, equivalent to two marathons per day for 16 consecutive days. No one has done it before.

Last year, he ran Norway from end to end, from Bergen to Oslo, 475 kilometres, in four and a half days. This year, the program includes 1350 kilometres (32 marathons) from Paris to Rome in 16 days. That’s almost four times as much as last year, when he ran Norway end to end, and so far, his longest run.

See map of the route at the bottom of the article

“I’m going to run and push myself as hard as I can. If I stick to the schedule, I should arrive in 16 days and a few hours,” says Kevin Brekken Ramsfjell to Langrenn.com, adding:

“I don’t know if anyone has run from Paris to Rome in one stretch before.”

The trip from Bergen to Oslo took four and a half days, and much of the distance was on trails and varied terrain. This time, the former biathlete will run almost four times as long, exclusively on asphalt.

The plan is to maintain an average speed of between 9 and 9.5 km/h, and the starting shot will be fired from the Eiffel Tower on September 2nd. According to the schedule, Ramsfjell should then arrive at the Colosseum in Rome on September 18th.

“My experience with running long distances on asphalt is not very extensive. And the longest I’ve run before is five days in a row. So, I’m very curious about what it will be like to run for so long, and if my body will hold up. The longer you go, the greater the risk of getting injured,” says the 24-year-old from Ålgård.

Continuous rain is one of his biggest concerns

Stress injuries are one thing, but persistent rain is one of his biggest worries.

“Last year, I had no problems at all for the first 200 to 300 kilometres, but then the rain came, and that’s when things fell apart,” says Ramsfjell, explaining further:

“I got big blisters right away. The skin becomes porous, and it tears off. If I have such problems early on the trip, it will be difficult. So, foot care will be extremely important. The easiest and most effective way is to change socks and shoes often. Dry socks and shoes are the best, both to avoid problems and to treat wounds and injuries that occur.”

For the same reason, Ramsfjell plans to change shoes and socks four times a day to prevent injuries and foot problems on the 1350-kilometer-long run from Paris to Rome.

“I treat it like a job. It will be to run 21 kilometres, then take a break, another 21 kilometres, and a new break, and so on. That way, it will be easier mentally too,” he says.

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Summer tradition

Long and extreme challenges have become a summer tradition for the persistent Rogaland native. That despite the fact that the former biathlete never really liked long-distance runs.

That was until the summer of 2021. Then Ramsfjell signed up for the ultrarun Nøsen Hundreds, more or less by chance. After long periods of lockdown due to the pandemic, ultraruns were among the few events that were actually held. And thus, the barrier for long runs was broken.

And it has escalated since then.

In 2022, he skied Norway from end to end: 2600 kilometres from Nordkapp to Lindesnes. The ambition was to beat the record by a good margin: The current record was 21 days, so Ramsfjell set the bar at 13 days. The result when he finished was an amazing ten days and ten hours. He had covered some stages of over 480 kilometres.

Read More – Roller skiing across Norway: Kevin Ramsfjell talks about the roller ski record

Last year, he ran Norway end to end, 475 kilometres from Bergen to Oslo mainly on trails, in four and a half days.

This year, it’s the 1350 kilometres from Paris to Rome in 16 days on the program. That’s almost three times as long. And it’s exclusively on asphalt.

As in the previous projects, he has a support team with him.

“I can’t do this as fast as I plan to alone. I’m going to run and push myself for 16 days. That’s task number one, and then I need someone to facilitate. So, my dad drives the camper, and my older brother is crew,” says Ramsfjell, adding:

“You might think it’s just a matter of putting on your shoes and running, but there are actually damn many tasks that need to be done every day.”

Focus on mental health the ambition of the run from Paris to Rome is to raise half a million Norwegian kroner for Mental Health Youth.

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Spotlight on mental health

The goal of the run from Paris to Rome is to collect half a million Norwegian kroner (about 44.000 euros) for Mental Health Youth.

In biathlon, which was Ramsfjell’s sport from elementary school until a couple of years ago, several tragic cases of suicide among athletes have been uncovered recently. Several elite athletes, including national team athletes like Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, have come forward and admitted to struggling themselves. Too many say nothing and struggle with their problems in secret.

Both the Biathlon Association and several elite athletes have launched various campaigns and initiatives to focus on mental health.

Among other things, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen is an ambassador for Mental Health Youth, and after a World Cup race last winter, he even sent a portion of his prize money to the organization on the spot.

Running stunts are Ramsfjell’s contribution to shining a light on mental health among young people. For him, it gives the project an extra dimension.

“For me, this is an opportunity to use sports for something unselfish, and to use the power that sports have to create engagement for something even bigger. It motivates me to push a little harder every day while I’m out there. Because projects like these are a battle with the mind,” says the former biathlete.

Do you feel there is openness about mental health in biathlon and sports in general? “More and more. But mental health is a problem among young people, not just in biathlon and sports,” says Ramsfjell, who believes that the increasing use of social media is a contributing factor.

“It’s so easy to forget that everything you see on social media is a bit fake. Some things are very fake. And often there’s an agenda behind what’s shared. But this is what we compare ourselves to. Then it’s easy to get the world a bit out of perspective.”

This is an important factor for the motivation behind the former biathlete’s latest project.

“I hope I can show that you can achieve things you didn’t think were possible. It gives a sense of accomplishment and confidence, which in turn makes you a stronger and better person,” says Kevin Brekken Ramsfjell.

You can follow and support Ramsfjell’s project HERE, and you can find more about Mental Health Youth HERE