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It’s been two full seasons since Therese Johaug last toed a starting line in a FIS World Cup distance event. In that time, the field has been able to convince itself that they were the best in the world. But Johaug has been lingering in the background all along—having a life, having a daughter, writing books, creating fashion empires—just waiting for the chance to come back to international competition. On Friday in Ruka, Finland, her long wait came to an end.
Therese Johaug (NOR) navigating a racecourse in full flight is an awesome sight to behold. Her competitive mode is flat-out intensity, un-stoppable momentum, wind-up-toy tempo. It looks for all the world like her only strategy is “go!” That degree of competitive abandon defined Johaug’s historic career, one in which she earned 82 World Cup wins, six Olympic medals, and 14 World Championships. Toward the end of Johaug’s storied career, a young Swedish challenger arrived on the scene: Frida Karlsson (SWE) showed unique abilities and a penchant for emulating Johaug’s style: high tempo, light touch, fearless pacing. Today in Ruka, Karlsson was the only athlete who could match Johaug; the only athlete who could better her. In the end, Karlsson snatched the fairytale ending from Johaug’s comeback story (at least for the moment), racing to victory by a shockingly large margin.
“Maybe my best race ever,” said Karlsson in postrace interviews. “I felt really good.”
Karlsson had her 2024 season interrupted by illness and injury—and a summer season in which she struggled with foot problems—but evidently her preparation has gone according to plan as she dominated Ruka’s 10 k Classic course like few before her ever have. Perhaps only Johaug . . .
Ten kilometers after her first start in more than two years, the Nordic skiing world was reminded of Johaug’s grit, determination, fitness, and talent. She ultimately crossed the line with a large lead, only to see it evaporate into the Arctic sky with every new split recorded by Karlsson. In the end, Karlsson triumphed over Johaug by more than 45 seconds, with Astrid Oyre Slind (NOR) finishing third, another 7.5 seconds behind.
Jessie Diggins (USA) is the reigning World Cup Overall Champion, a distinction that also increases the number of her teammates allowed to enter World Cup races. In Ruka, eight American women raced the 10 k, with two finishing in the top ten. Behind Diggins steady 7th place (an improvement on her Ruka finish of a year ago), American finishers included Rosie Brennan (9th), Sophia Laukli (31st), Alayna Sonnesyn (48th), Julia Kern (49th), Sydney Palmer-Leger (56th), Haley Brewster (57th)
Canadian finishers included Katherine Stewart-Jones (42nd) and Liliane Gagnon (46th)
“Before I look at the results, I look back on the race,” Diggins continued. “How did it go? How did I communicate with my tech about my skis? Did I ask for what I needed? How’d the warmup go? How’d the race go: mentally, tactically, technique-wise, racing-wise? Then I come up with my scoring for myself before I look at the results. Today I was really really proud of all those categories, able to push really hard and stay very technique-focused.”
November is the time of year when skiers wish for snow. Regrettably, those snow-wishes aren’t always granted, and November is often a month of roller ski pole tips clacking and slipping on near-frozen asphalt roadways. This year, though, the hills and trails appear different: Snow has arrived. The Central Rockies got totally dumped on this week—cars and trucks skidding and colliding up and down Vail Pass. New England finally got the Thanksgiving nor’easter that ski areas hope for every season. Now if they can just arrange another one for Christmas, then a couple more for President’s Day and Spring Break. Western Canada is blanketed in snow; Silverstar, BC is hosting camps for those programs savvy enough to plan early.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) doesn’t take chances when scheduling season openers. For many seasons, the first World Cup stop has been in Ruka, Finland (25 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle). It may only be November, but skiers are pretty sure to find snow in Ruka.
Skiers are also likely to find challenging conditions on Ruka’s Classic course that is designed to test the best athletes.
“Both up and down, (Ruka) is very technical, said Diggins. “Very steep hills, and you need really dialed-in technique in order to run them. You also have to be able to transition in and out of herringbone really well. I’m still getting there, and I have more that I want to do. It’s exciting to feel like all that hard work is sinking in.”
The first World Cup of the season—the Women’s 10 k Classic Interval Start—was raced in fresh snow with temperatures hovering around minus 2 centigrade. Conditions would be slower and more challenging than most athletes might’ve liked for the first test of the season, and many athletes lacked the snap typically seen in World Cup Classic races. The snow dragged at their skis, the hills sapped their energy. In the near-constant twilight of Arctic winter, racers struggled to find the form and rhythm that they’d refined all through the summer training season.
Now 36 years old, Johaug had retired after the 2021-2022 season. The day’s 24th starter in Ruka, Johaug was seeking her 83rd World Cup victory. She departed the stadium in her usual staccato style, attacking a familiar course that has delivered victories for her many times before. Johaug was seen to be exiting the tracks in search of greater kick on the challenging uphills (as were many of her Norwegian teammates). Nevertheless, she established large leads at all her early splits.
Other contenders (Diggins, Slind, Weng, Andersson) would match or better Johaug’s early splits, but ultimately each of her rivals faded . . . except for Karlsson. She stormed on through the Finnish forest, increasing her lead at each juncture. In a field of world class skiers who seemed generally to struggle with the day’s conditions, Karlsson appeared the lightest, most energetic, most efficient on her skis. Rarely out of the tracks, she was able to attack where others needed to measure their efforts.
At the midway point, fast times had been turned in by Karlsson, Slind, and Katharina Hennig (GER) who were all positioned ahead of Johaug. Diggins hovered in fifth, just ahead of Heidi Weng (NOR). But only Karlsson and Johaug were able to maintain their technique—and their momentum—all the way to the end. Slind raced bravely as well, recovering her technique near the end to finish a strong third.
“I think I went out a little hard,” Diggins confessed after the race. “I don’t necessarily regret it; sometimes you gotta go big and see what happens. But I think I was folding a little bit in my technique on that second lap.
So, the 2024-2025 World Cup season is underway. Many weekends and many races lie ahead, and much will transpire before the FIS World Championships in Trondheim. Those races are what Therese Johaug identified as her goal event for the season, a week of racing that Frida Karlsson is likely to have circled on her calendar, as well.
RESULTS: Women’s 10 k Classic Interval Start
John Teaford—the Managing Editor of FasterSkier — has been the coach of Olympians, World Champions, and World Record Holders in six sports: Nordic skiing, speedskating, road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking, triathlon. In his long career as a writer/filmmaker, he spent many seasons as Director of Warren Miller’s annual feature film, and Producer of adventure documentary films for Discovery, ESPN, Disney, National Geographic, and NBC Sports.
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