How Skiing Helped Me Become A Professional Runner By Ben Olson
I’ve always thought of cross country skiing a secret training weapon of mine, even in my collegiate and post collegiate years. Any time I can get on skis, I consider it “free fitness,” there is little physical impact while providing a great aerobic and strengthening session, plus it's fun! It’s a tool I’m thankful to have, particularly in how it set me up for collegiate running, built base during the off season, and kept me grounded during injury cycles.
Ben Olson is an accomplished Professional Runner, having qualified for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials
I started skiing with the Blaine High School team in 8th grade and for me was almost an essential break from running, a chance to mentally change gears and pursue new goals. A typical training year involved a blend of skiing, running, and strength training through high school. The summer months were when I put in the most volume, preparing for the upcoming cross-country season while also maintaining ski fitness. As a member of a ski club in the Minneapolis area, I trained with them 2-3 times a week, focusing heavily on threshold (L3) work, both on skis and running. What I appreciated most was that I never pushed myself to run workouts at race pace in the summer; typically, I ran hilly loops or bounded up a ski hill. I believe this approach helped me stay both physically and mentally fresh. On the other days, I ran either solo or during captain’s practices, typically keeping it easy. My summers also included a few ski camps, which were opportunities to rack up big volumes of training while exploring new places. Some of my best memories came from "eco challenges" —a mix of activities lasting up to six hours straight. Whether it was ski-kayak-run, run-ski-run, or even a straight six-hour run, always enjoyed the grind of them. My peak mileage during the summer never exceeded 40 miles of running per week.
Ben Olson as an 8th grader running for Blaine HS
When cross country season started, I shifted my focus more toward running, but still limited myself to no more than 40 miles per week. I was always in great shape, and some of my besT performances came early in the season. In hindsight, I realize I was probably peaking too soon, as my training volume dropped significantly when I transitioned to mostly running, with skiing only once a week. While the school year is more challenging to keep high levels of volume, I think sustaining volume for a little longer would have helped.
Ben and his sister Sarah
After the cross country season, I was always excited for the first snow to come. I would take a trip to West Yellowstone with my club and recall putting in over 30 hours of training in a week there over Thanksgiving. I transitioned back to training with my ski club a couple times per week, now focusing more on L4/L5 intervals and reducing volume slightly from the summer. The only time I would run is if I was unable to ski, it was not a focus over the winter. Skiing gave me a chance to both mentally and physically recuperate from the toll competitive running took while still maintaining a base level fitness to carry me into the track season.
Ben ran a personal best of 2:14:35 at the Twin Cities Marathon placing 7th in 2024
When March arrived, I came in with solid aerobic strength, but my running legs weren't quite there yet. It took some time to get back to my usual form, but I stayed confident because I knew that the training I had done on skis wasn’t wasted and the season was still long. I remember heading into my senior year with a personal best of 4:22 from the previous spring, but I started with a 4:38. I didn’t break 4:30 until late April, but by the end of the season, I was running under 4:20. Progressing like that throughout the season—especially in high school, where there’s less pressure to perform early on—was a fun way to go through a track season. During this time, my training didn’t include any skiing, and my mileage dropped from cross country as I focused on shorter reps like 400s and 1ks, averaging about 25-35 miles per week.
Ben with Cousin Erin and sister Sarah
In the fall of my sophomore year, I suffered a femoral stress reaction that kept me from running for about two months. It really took a toll on me; it was isolating and took me away from something I loved. I spent those weeks stuck inside on the arc trainer, bike, and in the pool, trying to drive my heart rate up, which was exhausting and made for many lonely sessions. I would often drive down the country roads in South Dakota just because I missed running them so much. But I remember the first time I could fully bear weight on that leg—I immediately put on my rollerskis. Being able to work out outside was such a shift in how I approached the injury and gave me the confidence that I could start building my fitness again.
Ben racing at South Dakota State
Although today my focus is trying to string as many 100+ mile weeks as I can to prepare for a marathon, I still have a hard time passing up an opportunity to ski. It is a sport that has connected me with so many amazing people and is a great way to catch up with friends. I need to thank skiing for being a part of the journey to professional running, without it I really don’t know if things would have turned out how they did. It brought so much joy to my high school experience and set me up well to continue developing in college. Not only carrying me through difficult seasons of injury, but I think it aided my training and mental focus as I went through each season. Today I have confidence to press training as I know it will always be the secret weapon in my back pocket.
