Therese Johaug laughed off reports that she targeted a 2:21:05 finish for her upcoming debut, labeling the purported time as fake news, Aftonbladet reported.
The former cross-country skiing star prepares to race the Valencia Marathon in early December. SVT Nyheter initially reported that documentation submitted to event organizers listed her target time at 2 hour 21 minutes and 5 seconds, a mark that would eclipse both the Norwegian and Swedish women’s national records.
Her manager, Jörn Ernst, initially confirmed the figure to the Norwegian news agency NTB. However, Johaug disputed the submission during an episode of her podcast, Gukild & Johaug.
“SVTs have gained access to a document where it says that I have written that I am going to run in 2:21:05, but it is not me who has written it and I have not reported any time,” Johaug told Aftonbladet. “It is maybe someone I know who has done it.”
Long-distance runner and running influencer Kristian Ulriksen subsequently stepped forward to acknowledge he entered the ambitious time, VG reported. Ulriksen assists in organizing Johaug’s travel arrangements to the Spanish coastal city.
“I did it for fun. But everyone knows the record time is her goal,” Ulriksen told VG.
Johaug admitted that while the figure does not represent an official submission from her, it captures her ultimate ambition. She said that a more realistic benchmark for the race is the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:22:20.
“I do not go around thinking that is the goal. It is more of a dream,” Johaug said on her podcast, Aftonbladet reported. “I do not want people to think that now success has gone to Johaug’s head. Fake news.”
The target time stirred debate within the running community, drawing skepticism from 70-year-old marathon legend Ingrid Kristiansen. Kristiansen holds the Norwegian women’s record at 2:21:06, a mark set in London in 1985 that remains unbroken.
In an interview with Dagbladet, Kristiansen projected a finishing time between 2:27 and 2:30 for Johaug’s debut. Upon hearing the assessment on her podcast, Johaug voiced her reaction, Sportbibeln reported.
“Then I can say here right away, Ingrid, that then I am damn disappointed,” Johaug said, according to Dagbladet and Sportbibeln.
Johaug suggested the veteran runner’s comments may stem from a lack of belief or a desire to curb expectations, before adding a playful counter: “Or is she afraid that I will take her time?”
Johaug emphasized that the external critique serves as extra motivation ahead of her debut 42.2-kilometer race. To break Kristiansen’s 1985 national record, she will need to sustain a pace faster than 3 minutes and 21 seconds per kilometer across the full distance.
The athlete continues her buildup toward the Valencia Marathon, scheduled for December.
Related reading
