The overall victory in the 2022 Birkebeinerløpet was Kristin Størmer Steira’s second podium at the event. Last year, Steira was second overall in the 21-kilometer trail run in Lillehammer, narrowly beat by fellow Madshus racer Karoline Simpson-Larsen. This year, Steira dropped all of her competitors within the first kilometer.
– This time I had a much easier ride than last year, when I had to go pedal to the metal from the second the gun went off. This time, I could run at my own pace almost the entire way, and it was a lot more comfortable, Steira says after her victory in Lillehammer on Saturday afternoon.
Although it has been while since she retired from the World Cup, Steira still gets excited about racing.
“I definitely felt the butterflies in my stomach as I put on the bib before the race. Once the gun went off, I went all out and was excited to see how well I could do,” Steira says.
The 41-year-old, who retired from World Cup-level racing in 2015, has an impressive resume from her 14 seasons at the World Cup. During that time, Steira earned two Olympic medals including one gold (2010) and one bronze (2014), eight World Championship medals including three gold medals, as well as 22 individual World Cup podiums.
Simpson-Larsen was unable to defend her title from last year, as she is currently attending a training camp at Sognefjellet with the Norwegian national team.