By Inge Scheve
From www.vasaloppet.se, Feb 27, 2010
Statistics from the Swdish insurance agency Folksam indicate that roughly 10 percent never make it to the start line. The most common rason for opting out include colds and back pain.
Folksam has analyzed statistics from the last three years and found that the most common reasons for sitting out among the entered skiers are as folows:
- Upper respiratory infections (colds) = 27 percent
- Back and shoulder pain = 18 percent
- Various random acciddents = 15 percent
– When it comes to colds, we receive their no show notices fairly close to the event they are entered for, and most often the skiers cite upper respiratory infections or flu-like symptoms. Back pain often come in the form of overuse injuries such as light disc pains and ischias conditions, says Lars-Inge Svensson, the president of Folksam Idrott, their sports insurance division.
– För the 15 percent who suffer various accidents, it’s interesting to note that hardly any of the accidents are training or racing related. They occur during other activities and circumstances, Svensson says.
Overall for the years 2007 to 2009, between 9 and 17 percent of the entered skiers never arrived at the start. Among the skiers who start, 3 to 10 percent do not finish.
2007
Total racers: 46.693
Percentage of entered racers who started: 82,9 percent
Percentage of started racers who finish: 92,1 percent
2008
Total racers: 47.636
Percentage of entered racers who started: 86,2 percent
Percentage of started racers who finish: 90,5 percent
2009
Total racers: 48.181
Percentage of entered racers who started: 90,6 precent
Percentage of started racers who finish: 96,8 percent
Tips prior to the race
Incliment weather, such as extreme cold or temperatures around freezing in combination with precipetation, is one of the most common reasons for skiers to drop out during the race. Another reason for not finishing is that skiers don’t have sufficient training base, or they break in new equipment during the race. So what are some tips to make it all the way to Mora?
– My best advice is to start with one of the shorter vasa events if you are insecure about your training base. For these events, most people will be able to finish as long as they exercise 2 to 3 times per week, says Tommy Höglund, Vasaloppet’s racing director.
– You should also have a fair amount of skiing under your belt, and know how your gear fits. It’s unneccssary to DNF because of blisters from new boots. That’s totally preventable. Aim for at least 200 kilometers in the training log before entering one of the shorter events, and at least 400 to 500 kilometers for the full Vasa. Make sure you eat at every aid station to avoid physical exhaustion, Höglund advices.
The statistics of those who DNF also include those who did not reach the aid stations before the cut-off time.
For more information and tips for the last preparation for this year’s events, visit www.vasaloppet.se.
Sources:
- Vasaloppet’s event statistics, based on all the Vasaloppet events from 2007–2009.
- Among the roughly 500 skiers who were reimbursed for their entry fee in 2009, Folksam randomly selected 200 entries for their study. 62 percent of the sample were male, 38 percent female.