More than 300 skaters covered long distances on Norway’s biggest lake, Mjøsa, over the weekend, at the Norway Skating Festival på Mjøsisen. Many participants spent 10 hours skating 200 kilometers on Saturday.
Organizers told newspaper Aftenposten they would gladly have reduced the distance “if it hadn’t been for the crazy Dutch.” Fully 70 of the participants were from the Netherlands, and they wanted to skate 200 kilometers.
Among them was Linda Rollenberg, who thought the skating festival on Mjøsa was a great way to celebrate her 50th birthday. “We Dutch have great endurance,” she told Aftenposten, stopping after a round to chat near a food station.
All told 340 skaters took part in the festival including the president of the Norwegian Skating Association Vibecke Sørensen, a former figure skater. Local civic boosters hope the festival will help boost winter tourism, especially from the Netherlands.
Views and News staff
