Ingrid Kristiansen: “I want to be a counterbalance to the fitness frenzy”

I have to admit, my heart warmed a little when I spotted her on the streets the other day. There’s something about that calm gaze, that particular stillness that only someone who has won it all, yet lost a part of themselves along the way, possesses. Ingrid Kristiansen. For many of us who grew up in the eighties, she is more than just a former runner. She is the very symbol of the Norwegian will to endure—the one who would run from Moscow to London without batting an eyelid.

Now she is back in the public eye, and I must say, her message hits the nail right on the head at this moment. Because this isn’t about chasing new personal bests or dissecting your resting heart rate down to the last decimal. Instead, Ingrid Kristiansen is positioning herself as a clear counterbalance to what she calls the "fitness frenzy." And let me tell you right now: it is about time.

I have followed Norwegian sports for years, and I have never seen a sharper divide between those who train to live and those who live to train. Especially in the running community in Norway, a culture has emerged in recent years that sometimes feels more like a career pursuit than a leisure activity. Heart rate monitors beeping, algorithms dictating your rest week, and a lingering anxiety about performance hiding behind every single piece of running gear.

Ingrid Kristiansen knows what she is talking about. When she set the world record in the marathon in 1985, it involved a threshold for pain that few of us can even imagine. But she has also felt the other side of the medal. In a candid moment, she has previously spoken about the feeling of being misrepresented, of being reduced to just a machine that churned out races. Perhaps that’s why she comes across as so genuine today. She has been at the top and realised that it’s not necessarily where most of us should be striving to go.

Let Joy Take the Lead

It’s easy to get swept away when the entire Instagram scene is screaming "just do it!" and showing off perfectly timed interval sessions at sunset. But what Ingrid Kristiansen reminds us of is something as simple as this: exercise should be a source of energy, not a source of stress. She talks about listening to your body, not just your watch. About daring to take a day off without feeling guilty. About remembering that we started running because it gave us freedom, not because it needed to be another line on our CV.

To be completely honest, I think this message hits even harder because it’s coming from her. If it were anyone else, you could dismiss it as whining from someone who can’t keep up. But Ingrid Kristiansen has credibility. She holds the world record. She can afford to say "enough is enough" without anyone accusing her of being lazy.

• Listen to your body: Are you in pain anywhere? Are you tired? Perhaps the smartest thing you can do today is go for a gentle walk, not push through a workout.
• Ditch the heart rate monitor sometimes: Feel what it’s like to run without being measured. It can be an incredibly liberating experience.
• Remember why you started: For most of us, it’s about health, well-being, and feeling the wind in your hair. Don’t let it become another demanding job.

There is something refreshing about the way she conveys this. She doesn’t come across as a moralist pointing a finger, but as an older, wiser sister who has seen it all. She doesn’t want us to stop running. She just wants us to stop ruining the joy of running.

A Voice We Need

In a time when young people struggle to find balance, and when many drop out of sports because it has become too "serious," a voice like Ingrid Kristiansen’s is worth its weight in gold. She represents what is real and grounded. She reminds us that behind all the records and titles, there is a person who has also felt the pressure, who has felt the sense of being left out when the shoes had to be put on the shelf.

So the next time you tie your laces and feel that anxiety about not performing well enough creeping in, think about what the queen of the marathon herself says. It’s okay to take it easy. It’s okay to enjoy yourself. And it’s okay to be a counterbalance, even if the whole world around you seems to have forgotten that.