Nocturnal the night sun colored the horizon golden as the ultra runner Max Moberg went up the slope in the wilderness of Pöyrisjärvi in Lapland.
At the beginning of July, Finland’s most successful trail runner won the NUTS 300 competition eight hours before the race from second place. The third runner was no less than 22 hours behind the winner.
Moberg’s final time for the 326 km distance was 46 hours, 40 minutes and 45 seconds. At the same time, he improved his previous year’s route record by six hours.
With his victory, Moberg rose to the top 20 trail runners in the world in the ITRA (International Trail Running Association) ranking.
The 36-year-old ran the “initial distance”, i.e. the first 26 hours together Eevi Bengts with, until Bengs stayed at the service station to sleep. Moberg had decided to run the race without sleep.
“I know that when I feel bad, I have only used 50 percent of my capacity,” Moberg explains his drastic-sounding solution.
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I know that when I feel bad, I have only used 50 percent of my capacity
Max Moberg would pass for a professional athlete based on his performance, but still wouldn’t want to be one.
“I wouldn’t want to live as a professional athlete. I want to do demanding work. My interest and passion is to do something else besides running,” says the former officer.
Having studied for a master’s degree in commerce, Moberg’s everyday life is rhythmic with his work as a development director at Fintraffic, which offers traffic control and management services.
He also rhythms it himself. At 4:45 in the morning, Moberg’s alarm clock rings in the inner city of Helsinki.
After waking up, Moberg drinks a cup of coffee, eats and soon heads towards the Malminkartano waste hill. It hurts him up and down for a couple of hours. The training is done at the time when others are just waking up for the working day.
“I start work effectively before the end of the day.”
Max Moberg training in Malminkartano’s empty early August morning.
Daily routines are important on the way to the goal. On the mornings when Moberg doesn’t head to the garbage dump, he runs in the inner city of Helsinki. Friends and running acquaintances often join the group for a couple of hour runs in the morning.
At the end of the work day, Moberg does the second exercise of the day. After that, he returns home, eats and spends the rest of the evening lying on the sofa with his recovery boots on.
“I am an efficient user of time and I find ways to work out in my everyday life.”
Moberg does not go to the store, but orders food delivered to his home. It saves a couple of hours a week.
Moberg does not have a coach, but makes his own program. Last year, 7,500 kilometers of running kilometers were accumulated. There are 15 hours of training hours per week. He takes care of his body once a month with an osteopath.
“It’s not difficult for me to get up in the morning, because I go to bed early.”
Early means nine for him.
“Sleep restores, develops and cleans the brain. I sleep eight hours a night”.
In his day-to-day life, Moberg invests in sleep, but he also manages long stretches without sleeping. At the beginning of the year, he ran in a trail running competition for 50 hours without resting in between.
“I have a naturally good ability to tolerate fatigue,” he acknowledges.
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“Nowadays I’m mentally stronger and I only stop for health reasons.”
Trail running and ultra trips have recently grown in popularity in the world and in Finland.
For example, two NUTS trail running events are organized in Lapland: NUTS Karhunkierros and NUTS Ylläs Pallas. This year, there were more than 5,000 runners on different distances. The number has increased more than tenfold in the last ten years.
Max Moberg is a well-known figure in trail running circles, whose role in the development of trail and ultra running in Finland has been significant.
“His unimaginably hard performances will surely inspire fans of trail running and endurance sports”, CEO of NUTS events Eero Lumme states.
Nature, adventure and physical challenges are especially fascinating in trail and ultra running. Runners get to enjoy the wonderful scenery and untouched nature, which offers a counterbalance to everyday life. In addition, long journeys and difficult routes offer challenges that require determination and mental and physical endurance.
“Each time you go on a trail ultrasound, there is a new and different adventure ahead,” praises Lumme.
In the summer, Max Moberg won the 326-kilometer trail running race with a margin of eight hours ahead of the runner-up.
Moberg is on the same lines, although the abbreviation of the event NUTS (Northern Ultra Trail Service) could also be translated as “crazy”.
“People make friends during the race, and they have a positive atmosphere. At trail running events, you can get away from the noise of the city and get into nature and you don’t have to be afraid of getting lost, because the route is marked and there are service stations along the way, he also promotes and praises the events’ social media posts, which might attract more enthusiastic trail runners.”
Trail running events largely attract the middle class, as trips to Lapland, for example, cost around 300 euros or more, depending on the trip.
Accommodation costs the same 300 euros, and registering for the event costs a few tens. In addition, you can easily spend 500–600 euros on trail running equipment.
Moberg emphasizes that physical training is only part of the 300 km running race. The most decisive factor in terms of success is resilience, i.e. psychological ability to survive.
“When you run for several hours, you get the feeling that you can’t take it anymore. “
Moberg’s mind is accustomed to these undulating emotions. In July, five kilometers before the 326-kilometer finish, he had the feeling that this was just the beginning. Fatigue, mosquitoes, rubbing slippers were nowhere to be found at that point.
Earlier in the race, he had thought about what would be a good enough reason to stop. The kind you could tell your friends about.
“Nowadays I’m mentally stronger and I only stop for health reasons.”
Last summer, such a situation came up after 70 hours of running.
“I had to stop when I couldn’t get any more oxygen.”
The experience has helped to prepare better for tough battles.
“I never take it for granted that I will reach the finish line. A long journey keeps you humble,” he says.
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I had to stop when I couldn’t get any more oxygen.
Max Moberg interrupts the ultra distance these days only for health reasons. Last summer, he ran out of oxygen after 70 hours of running.
Moberg developed his ability to survive as an officer.
“Over the years, I have been thrown into different situations. We were in the defense forces for an unknown amount of time, and all that time we had to maintain operational capability. Compared to that, 46 hours is a short time.”
Preparing for competitions at Moberg involves a special kind of mental recharging. He traveled to Lapland a few days before the start of the NUTS 300 competition.
“I was alone in the cabin and gathered motivation.”
Preparing for a long run is like preparing for an operation in the Defense Forces.
“Planning, implementation, alternative plans,” he enumerates.
Max Moberg changes his trail running sneakers in the empty parking lot of Malminkartano.
NUTS 300’s the route goes through Lemmenjoki National Park and through Pallas-Yllästunturi to Äkäslompolo. About 30 kilometers of the route is swamp. In addition to that, on the way you will climb rocks and go up and down. Moberg has a five-kilo backpack and poles on his back.
“I knew that there would be high expectations for me this year because I had set the course record the previous year.”
The competitive runner knew he could do better.
“As a Finn, I’m not saying that I’m going to win. That would be too presumptuous. The new route record was a surprise even to myself.”
Small details matter. During a run of more than 300 kilometers, Moberg drank dozens of liters of high-energy drink powder and energy gels and ate more than a hundred “speed candies” and sweets.
Moberg closely follows international scientific developments in order to learn and better understand what would be the best possible way to maintain performance and energy during competition.
At service stations, he eats easily digestible foods such as chicken, rice, soups or rice porridge.
Moberg seems like some kind of freak due to his lifestyle, but he is social, pleasant and certainly nice company for evening parties.
However, he no longer goes to them because he wants to train while rested.
“I’ve given up evening parties and bar nights.”
Correction September 15, 2024 at 8:29 am: incorrect mention of ascent kilometers removed from the story.
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