I can’t find a place for love:

Christian Blumenfelt, 28, laughs as he picks up the book from the bedside table. It’s a gift from his new manager.

“the game”. A book to help single men become adept auditors.

-My boss thought I needed to get into the game a little bit, says Blumenfelt.

He flips the book and starts laughing.

– I started reading a little, so I chose four or five tips. But I will probably need a few weeks to get over it.

Never at home

The gift was a joke. But like all good jokes, it’s based on recognizable truth.

Because neither Blumenfelt nor his coaching partner Gustav Eden (26) spent a lot of time looking for love. It was not a priority.

As two of the most extreme athletes in the country, they spend most of their time training, eating, and recovering. Most of this time is spent away from home.

This year alone, they expect to travel for around 300 days. For the past nine weeks, they have lived in a ramshackle log cabin outside the small village of Font-Romeu in southern France.

There, two Bergen people trained extensively at altitude.

– I still feel homesick, but I realize that Bergen is not always the best place to train. Eden says altitude training, in particular, is difficult to do in Bryggen.

Long trip in the cabin

That’s why they live the way they live. In a bubble triathlon, nearly two thousand meters above sea level.

– It’s not really crazy to be in the Pyrenees all summer. It’s like a cabin vacation with training. Blumenfelt says I enjoy it.

But in a cabin trip, the social circle quickly becomes limited.

Although the athletes and coaches of the national team cooperate well, and sometimes barbecue evenings are arranged with other athletes in the area, the chances of making new acquaintances are few.

“There’s a minimum amount of time, so it’s all about hitting the mark with the lines,” Blumenfelt says and laughs.

We only have one chance, as it were, and that’s when we stand on the edge of the pool before we jump. Then we might have a minute of short conversation with other athletes before starting training. So the lines should sit, Iden continues.

Storm Training Companion:

– And then there are common showers in France. It’s also a little social!

love hunting drop

They laugh at themselves because they realize that the life they lead is not for everyone. But they chose this life to be the best – and to break down barriers.

Last year, Blumenfelt became an Olympic champion, world champion, and set a world record. This year he became the first person in the world to complete Iron Man in under seven hours.

Iden has won the Ironman World Championship twice.

Triathlon will be our life until the age of 35. If we had girlfriends at home, they would have had to accept that being our second priority until then. It’s a long time to wait for someone, says Eden.

So he and Blumenfelt believe it is almost impossible to combine the project with a lasting relationship.

When we’re away, we’re away for three or four months at a time. I wouldn’t do that. I had a bad conscience all day. Eden says single life is best for me.

– I think it is difficult to create something permanent at home. There may have been some triathletes or other athletes we meet on the road, Blumenfelt continues.

Works at home

Next weekend, the road leads them to Bergen for a one-off.

Although both Blummenfelt and Iden are training for Ironman WC this fall, they’ll be taking a quick trip back to their hometown for the Bergen Triathlon – the first World Cup race to be held in Norway.

There they will take part in the enemy against the rest of the world’s elite.

– It will be my first time competing in Norway in more than six years, I think. He’s been sick for a long time. Plus, it’s located in downtown Bergen, so it’s a dream race. I look forward to it, Blumenfelt says.

– Although I am not often in Bergen, I am still very happy in the city. Eden says I have a lot of support from home so competing there will be very special.

The Bergen Triathlon can be shown on TV 2 from 14.00 Sunday.