Luke Nelson interview: father of two, mountain runner, and the 2012 US ski mountaineering champion

A father of two, Luke Nelson is the reigning US ski mountaineering champion. On top of that (or before that) he is an accomplished mountain runner. Luke lives in Pocatello, Idaho and tries to pay the bills by working as a Physician Assistant.
Let’s find out what’s beyond the “stats” for this great endurance athlete.
» Make sure to also check out Luke’s blog
Q: In August, you came 32nd at the 168km long and prestigious Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. How was it?

Well the race was shortened to 110k due to snow, rain and very cold temps.  I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to run the whole course, but was completely amazed with the mountains, terrain and the support for ultra-mountain racing.
I will definitely be going back, I need to run the whole course!
Q: What is your main competition sport – skimo or mountain running? Do you favour one over the other?
I would say that both skimo and mountain running are equally important to me. They both require a significant amount of training and dedication, but they complement each other nicely.
I find that switching sports in the fall and spring brings a new found motivation and excitement for the change in pace.  In the winter I feel like my body gets a break from the impact of running trails all summer, without losing the fitness that I work so hard at maintaining.
Q: Do you need to specialize a lot once a specific season starts?
I tend to do longer races during the running season so there are some subtle changes to the training program that help switch the pacing gears a little.
I do spend a fair bit of time practicing transitions early in the skimo training cycle, but that would be the only thing that is very different between the two.
Q: When have you started and what made you try ski mountaineering racing?
I started skimo racing 6 years ago.  I joke that I didn’t find skimo racing, but rather it found me.  It is kind of a long story how I evolved from a semi-pro snowboarder, to ski guide.
The winter I was working as a guide I spent a lot of time touring and the more I toured with other folks I found that I was moving at a different pace.  One day some friends mentioned that there was a “rando-race” coming up and that I should go to see how I measure up against the “mutants”.  I didn’t think twice before signing up.  The race was the US Skimo Champs in Jackson Hole, I think I placed 14th on pretty heavy touring gear.  I was completely hooked after that one race.

Q: What is your sporting background? And what other activities do you like?
I grew up in a very outdoorsy house.  I started climbing and hiking when I was really little, I actually climbed competitively for several years, mostly at indoor gym comps.  I played soccer from when I was about 8 until just after my 15th birthday.
Mountain sports took the priority from there on and I spent the next several years climbing, kayaking, and snowboarding. On a whim I ran cross-country my senior year of high school, mostly because the coach, my biology teacher, invited me to try out.  I ran OK, but didn’t have the depth I needed to be very competitive.
After high school I had a stint as a semi-pro snowboarder, during which I spent a lot of time also climbing and kayaking.  I graduated with a degree in Outdoor Education and transitioned into guiding.
During my first season working as a guide the company I was working with asked if I could guide on skis instead of a snowboard.  So I spent the next couple of weeks learning how to ski when I wasn’t guiding.  I finished off the season guiding on two boards instead of one.  That was the same season I tried skimo for the first time.
Ironically, I decided to train for skimo racing that following summer by trail running.  It turned out that I was a pretty solid runner and by the end of that summer I won the first 50k ultra race that I entered.  Since then I have continued to run and race skimo, both of which I now do at a very competitive level.
I still enjoy climbing, and snowboarding.  I don’t kayak much anymore because of too many close calls.
Nowadays I spend more time hiking with my two daughters, as well as taking them climbing and skiing.
Q: How do you manage being a father, husband, athlete and work?
Sometimes I ask myself the same question.  I think the most important part is how supportive my amazing wife is.  Tanae really helps me find the time I need to train and puts up with a lot.
I think that managing time is really important and making the most of training time.  Cut the junk and train at a quality level whenever you are out.  Sometimes training becomes a family activity.  Both of my daughters have spent countless hours being pulled or pushed in our Chariot.  I have ran, skied, roller skied, biked, and hiked with them.  They seem to enjoy the adventure as much as I enjoy the added challenge to the workout.

Q: Do you have a coach?
I now have a couple of folks involved in developing my training programs to make sure I am getting the most bang for the buck.  Adam St. Pierre from Boulder Performance Medicine is working with me to plan out my skimo and ultra-training and I am supplementing that with an awesome strength training program from Rob Shaul at Mountain Athlete in Jackson Hole.
Adding Adam and Rob into the equation was difficult at first because I had done all of my own training up until the summer, but I am already seeing the benefits of their additional focus.
Q: Do you have any sponsors to help with the expenses?
I am very fortunate to have a handful of outstanding sponsors. For trail running I represent Patagonia, First Endurance and Ultraspire.  I am a Ski Ambassador for La Sportiva in the winter.
I do receive help with travel, and lots of help with product needs.  I am very thankful for their support.
I think it is interesting that in a 9th grade high school career planning class we were asked to write what we wanted to do when we “grew-up” and I wrote that I wanted to be a climber for Patagonia and travel the world climbing so I could have my picture in the catalogue. Funny how it turns out that I am doing what I dreamt of. 🙂
Q: In 2011, you went to skimo World Champs in Italy. What was the experience like for you?
Intimidating.
I had been training super hard and I knew that I would finish mid-pack at best.  It was so amazing to be lining up at the same start of the guys who I really look up to in the sport; Kilian, Manfred, Stephane, and many others. I spent as much time as I could learning about the sport from them, mostly by watching.
I was lucky enough to be adopted by a few of the Canadian Team members early on, which also gave me the opportunity to learn quite a lot from them.
Q: Are you going to race in Europe this year? And what are your goals?
My biggest goal of the season is to qualify for the US team so I can go to race at the World Championships in France.
I would love to defend the US national title, but there are so many strong racers in the US right now, that is going to be very difficult. I am also planning on racing the North American Champs at Kicking Horse Resort (Golden, BC), as well as heading to the three day Powder Keg event in the Wasatch.
The more I compete in skimo and mountain running the more I enjoy the training for the events.  So apart for doing well in races I would say a very big goal for me is to enjoy the journey towards the big events.
Q: If you are racing World Champs, which discipline is your favourite and why?
I think that is a tie between the teams race and the individual event.  I like that both of them are longer races and tend to be more technical.
I really enjoyed the Teams race in Italy, when I got the privilege of being paired with Pete Swenson.  So much of ski mountaineering (outside skimo) is being with a partner, having a partner in the teams race makes it more real to me.
Q: According to you, who are five US guys to watch for this skimo season?
Jason and Andy Dorais, Marshall Thomson, Scott Simmons, and either one of the Graston brothers from Aspen are all going to be very strong.  There are a handful more that will also be in the mix.  It will be the most competitive season I have seen here in the US.
Q: A curiosity question: As someone working in the field of medicine you have great knowledge of human body. Can you describe from a physiology perspective what is going on in an athlete’s body when they hit the wall (by pushing hard)?
I haven’t studied a ton on the physiology of the “wall” but I think there are multiple variables that come into play.  I think there is a lot of credibility to the Central Governor Theory presented by Tim Noakes, which in a nutshell describes that the brain creates a barrier that is designed to protect you from yourself.
My addition to that would be that the harder and more consistently one trains, that barrier can be moved allowing the athlete to break barriers and go faster and further than before.
Certainly there are many biochemical reactions that come into play including the clearance of lactic acid and muscle breakdown, but those can also be trained and made to be more efficient.
Q: Do you do any specific skimo racing session? What do you think prepares one best for demands of skimo racing?
I generally make a transition from run training to skimo around the end of September.  This year I took a couple of weeks off after UTMB and then spent a few weeks just strength training.
Now I am working on a skimo specific training plan that includes trail running, roller-skiing and a few other top-secret activities. As with any sport skimo racing is the best prep for skimo racing, but since we all can’t race all the time like the Euros, you have to train like you would race!

Q: What is your nutrition like? Do you follow any diet?
I try to eat pretty healthy and have recently been dabbling some with the Paleo eating philosophies. I try not to get too caught up in any one thing.  I realized this summer that what I eat is what fuels me, and it does make a big difference if you are eating well.  That being said, I still have a weakness for the occasional Wendy’s Hamburger.
Q: What skimo racing gear will you be on this season?
I will be head to toe in La Sportiva. They are introducing some new clothing and a new race suit.
For boots I have been racing in the Stratos boot for two seasons now and I am very excited to be in the latest version of that boot.  I will be on the RSR skis and RSR bindings with the Sportiva Race skin.
I have been working on a new skimo race pack with the folks at UltraSpire so that will be what I will use to carry the rest of my kit around this season.
Q: I asked this while interviewing Janelle Smiley, now wonder about men’s perspective: How does it feel to be surrounded by a sea of men in tight, full-body spandex suits at the start of skimo races?
It makes me very nervous! Mostly because if a racer is serious and bold enough to be rocking the spandex suit it means that they have been training hard and it will be a battle to beat them.
Plus who wouldn’t be nervous being surrounded by a bunch of “mutants” in skin tight unitards?
» Make sure to also check out Luke’s blog