#teamZalaris finishes Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon – known as the toughest triathlon in the world
For the fourth year in a row, Zalaris proudly sponsors the Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. This unique event aims to ‘inspire and demonstrate the robustness of what ordinary people can achieve’.
#teamZalaris for Norseman 2023 comprises of Torsten Neufeld, Anders Spilling, Sophie Buer, Stanisław Kłęk, Simone Kragh Jacobsen, Ross Creber and Andreas Martinussen. The team has raised over 550,000 NOK benefitting AKTIV Against Cancer, The 5k Your Way Initiative, provided by MOVE Charity, Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Kræftens Bekæmpelse, and Fundacja Rak'n'Roll. Wygraj Życie! The team continues to keep their fundraising pages active to support these organisations further.
Due to the extreme weather conditions, thunder and lightning rumbling around the valley, the finish line was changed, and athletes couldn’t make it to Mount Gausta this year for the traditional mountain top ‘black t-shirt’ finish.
Andreas Martinussen, who reached the finish line as 12th, says: "Norseman only gets better. Racing for my tenth black t-shirt finish with Zalaris on “the chest” committed big time. I pushed harder than ever, aiming for a top 20 position, but I never could have imagined finishing 12th in a World Championship. Not finishing on Mt. Gaustatoppen was the only right decision, taking the weather into consideration, and it was amazing to turn at 37.5K for a 5K downhill run. All in all, another epic day for the memory books."
The winner Jon Sæverås Breivold, a previous member of #teamZalaris and Aktiv mot Kreft / Active against Cancer ambassador, crushed the course in an incredible time of 09:09:53.
Torsten Neufeld, a German athlete, says: "The Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is special. The preparation for this long distance is demanding, and yet you can’t train everything. As an athlete, you are completely dependent on your support. Norseman is a team competition. The support is fundamentally important. Even without a summit finish, the Norseman is, in my opinion, the most difficult race in triathlon you can do."
Four other athletes did not make it to the starting line this year: Mark Bamford, Richard Traynor, Svenja Mann and Agnieszka Lasyk. However, they continued with fundraising activities to raise cancer awareness and inspire people towards an active lifestyle.
Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is a full-distance triathlon that starts with a jump from a ferry into Eidfjord in Hardanger. After a rather chilly 3.8-kilometre swim, the course takes you on a 180-kilometre ride through some of Norway's most stunning landscapes. The marathon run concluding the race ends at the peak of the iconic Mount Gaustatoppen. The 226-kilometre race accumulates just over 5,000 meters of ascent. Zalaris is a title sponsor of the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.
CEO and founder of Zalaris, Hans-Petter Mellerud, explains, "One of the benefits of being the title sponsor is that we get some of the very coveted slots for starting in the race. Last year there were more than 8,500 lottery tickets for 250 slots. We use this actively to recruit athletes for these slots who also want to fundraise for the fight against cancer. I am extremely proud of #teamZalaris for their positive attitude and for giving their best in the race, as well as in fundraising, making us use a fantastic event to draw attention to a cause close to our hearts. This truly aligns with our values of Aiming High - where #bestingmyself is everyone's motto because we give the best versions of ourselves to the team. Moreover, our team shows that #bestingmyself has no age limit, it is all about your own persistence."
Contact:
Hans-Petter Mellerud, CEO and founder Zalaris
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About Zalaris
Zalaris simplify HR and payroll administration and empower you with useful information so that you can invest more in people. We are a leading service provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions, serving more than 1.5 million employees monthly with an annual revenue of more than 88 million Euros. We hold #1 or #2 positions in most of our markets, and carry over two decades of experience in transforming HR and support creating sustainable businesses with our clients. Simplify work life. Achieve more. For more information about us, go to zalaris.com.
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