Podcasts · The Marathon Podcast
#232 Sofie Karoline Haugen: from Winter Olympian to 69 half marathoner
· 1 h 14 min · S1 E232
Episode #232 Sofie Karoline Haugen: from Winter Olympian to 69 half marathoner
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How does a winter Olympian become a 1:09 half marathoner in two years? Sofie Karoline Haugen skated for Norway at the 2022 Olympics, retired from speed skating in 2024, and has since run 10K in 31:57 and a 1:09 half marathon at the Copenhagen half, just a year after running 1:18 in the same city.
Kristian and Sofie have known each other for around 17 years and both come from speed skating. In this conversation, Sofie looks back on her career: the years without progress, the decision to move to Stavanger and rebuild her training, the 2019 breakthrough that took her to ninth in the world, and the Olympic Games. She explains why she walked away when she was still skating well, and how a casual 3K on the track turned into a running career.
Then the conversation turns to training. Sofie takes us through her week at 170 to 180 kilometers, including double threshold days, how she keeps her easy days easy, why consistency matters most, how she chooses shoes for different days as someone who works at the running store Löplabbet, and what she has learned about bicarbonate. She also reveals that her first marathon is coming up in November.
In this episode:
• From speed skating to a 1:09 half marathon • The years of hard work before the breakthrough • Moving to Stavanger and rebuilding her training • Qualifying for the Olympics • Why she quit skating in 2024 • Her first races as a runner • Racing the Copenhagen half • Shoes for different days, including the Alphafly 4 • A full week at 170 to 180 kilometers • Building strength without getting injured • Her first marathon
Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Sofie 01:17 Saysky 01:51 Interview begins 02:19 From skater to 1:09 half marathoner 04:15 Sofie’s skating background 05:56 Years of hard work, and the setback 08:03 Moving to Stavanger 13:17 Ninth in the world 14:25 Qualifying for the Olympics 16:43 Why she quit skating 19:07 The moment she knew 22:36 Starting to run 23:16 A 9:29 3K 25:02 Working at Löplabbet and her coach 27:46 Racing in Copenhagen last year 31:24 A 31:57 10K 35:19 The Copenhagen Half Marathon 37:15 Running 1:09 40:30 Alphafly 4 vs Alphafly 3 43:43 Shoes for different days 49:26 Injuries and building strength 53:33 A week of training 59:18 Why consistency matters 1:09:46 Bicarbonate 1:11:56 Her first marathon 1:13:26 Wrap up
Sofie on Instagram: @sofiehaugen
Start your free Musicbed trial: https://fm.pxf.io/kristianwarwick
Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns Follow my training journey on Instagram: @warwick.runs Music from Musicbed: MB01XPYH8ZYENVAMB0133EV2TCQFZY
Links in the notes 3
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