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 accomplished auditors.

– My boss thinks I need to get into the game a little bit, says Blumenfelt.

He flips through the book and starts laughing.

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

“Never” at home

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

Because neither Blumenfelt nor his training partner Gustav Eden (26) have spent so much time looking for love. It wasn’t 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 about 300 days. For the past nine weeks, they’ve lived in a ramshackle log cabin outside Font-Romeu, a small village in the far south of France.

There, two people from Bergen trained intensively at altitude.

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

Long flight in the cabin

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

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

But on a cabin flight, the social circle quickly becomes limited.

Although the athletes and coaches of the national team get along well, and barbecue evenings are sometimes 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 jumping. Then we might have a short chat with other athletes before training begins. So the lines have to sit down, Iden continues.

Training buddy storms:

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

Dropping the love catch

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 barriers.

Last year, Blumenfelt became an Olympic champion, world champion and set a world record. This year he became the first Ironman in the world to complete it in less than seven hours.

Iden has won the WC Championship at Half Ironman twice.

– Triathlon will be our life until the age of 35. If we had girlfriends in the house, they would have had to accept being 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 investment and a lasting relationship.

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

– I think it’s hard to create something permanent at home. Maybe there were some triathletes or other athletes we meet on the road, Blumenfelt continues.

Works on home soil

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

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

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

– It will be the first time I’ve competed in Norway in over six years, I think. He has been ill for a long time. Plus, it’s right in the middle of Bergen, so it’s a dream run. I look forward to it, says Blumenfelt.

– Even though I’m not in Bergen very often, I’m still very happy in the city. I have a lot of support from home, says Eden, so it will be very special to compete there.

Bergen Triathlon can be shown on TV2 from 14.00 Sunday.