Stevie in her element. Font Romeu © Jordi Saragossa
Stevie Kremer is currently hanging out with the Salomon International Team, testing products, getting to know her new teammates and generally having a blast in Font Romeu in the heart of the Pyrenees. I sat down for a little chat with Stevie on a beautiful sunny evening where we talked the Mont Blanc marathon and life within the Salomon Family…
So Stevie, You came to the Kilians Classic week fresh from your win at Mont Blanc, how’re you feeling?
I’m good. Everyone at Mont Blanc was so nice. The way it ended I was able to go to the awards ceremony and say goodbye to everyone and say thanks to so many different people that made that experience so much better. It wasn’t even about the winning, it was how people treat you and care about you – it was like nothing else…
So did it shock you Stevie? Were you like, ‘Wow, what’s just happened!?’
Oh god yeah! I know people thought it was my race because it was primarily uphill and it wasn’t very technical, so it did speak to my strengths. But I know how strong Emelie (Forsberg) is, I know how strong Silvia (Serafini) is. There are so many strong athletes in there. The one thing I am learning about these races is that things can happen – you can fall, you can have stomach aches. Things can happen in every race so it’s so hard…
Cool, how did it feel coming here to Kilians Classik to meet all your team-mates after a result and performance like that? I mean did your mentality change after the win?
To be perfectly honest I would much rather do well at Mont Blanc and come here than not do well. It was crazy that everyone knew too – I arrived here and everybody congratulated me and it’s such a warm feeling that people know and are so kind to say nice things. Although who know’s if I could have repeated that (performance) ever? Like I said, maybe some people had a bad race that day or I just had a really good race – I just think every race is different and you never know what’s going to happen. I get very nervous for races and I don’t like people having expectations necessarily…
Yeah, but I guess now there will be more expectations on you, naturally, because of how well you done at Mont Blanc…
Yeah, I think that’s something that scares me too – if I don’t live up to the expectations. I can’t think that way though, because no matter what I’m always going to run the best I can…maybe not tomorrow (at Kilians Classik 45K). [laughs] You know, I’m going to do my best at every race and maybe that’s not good enough sometimes but that’s ok, everybody has bad races. I’ve been running for three solid summers, maybe four, and I’m starting to get to that point where competition has been a lot harder. I have to realise that I can’t do super in every single race…
I guess the most important thing is to just enjoy it Stevie…
Yeah, and that’s the biggest thing for me – I just love running and I like running without a watch and I don’t always care about how many vertical feet I get or how many kilometres I’ve done. Today was the perfect example, we just went out, we hopped from rock to rock in great company. I didn’t look at my watch once, I don’t think anyone did. We all just had a fun time out there and that’s just really what running is about for me.
So when you came here to Font Romeu on monday, was that your first experience of testing prototypes, giving feedback and having a running retreat with the team?
Oh yeah, I don’t want to sound totally cheesy but I’m flattered that people care about my opinion on what I wear, the comfort and the fit. It’s pretty amazing to be put with athletes of that calibre and to be asked what my thoughts are on certain products that the rest of the world might wear one day. It’s kind of insane! [laughs]
Stevie crushing the downhill in Font Romeu © Jordi Saragossa
It’s pretty cool – so what happened when you arrived on monday?
Well monday was a pretty relaxing day – some people were here and some weren’t. From the get-go is was like everybody knew each other for months…
…and that was the first time you’ve met a lot of the team too right?
Yeah, pretty much everyone but Silvia (Serafini) I’d say. So it was pretty amazing when everyone was so friendly with everyone – not just me because I had won a race! Everyone had said that Salomon is a family and now I can see why they say it – immediately you feel a part of this family…you know they bicker like every family but everyone gets along and loves each other. The first day Greg (Vollet) Salomon team manager showed a movie from last year…I got teary-eyed watching it! [laughs] It was so happy and it’s not like that is fake, that’s exactly what’s going on this week.
That’s so cool. You must have felt just a little nervous coming into such a tight group as the newbie though!?
When I first read that this week was on my calendar, I was excited, I was thrilled and I was flattered. Then as the time came nearer I was like, “What am I doing? I’m not of that caibre!” I was so nervous afterwards on Sunday night when I was on the plane. So I think the first day or day and a half I was a little bit quieter…
You, quieter!? I must have missed that Stevie!? [laughs]
[laughs] Yeah see!? You came on Wednesday! By Tuesday afternoon I felt pretty comfortable around most people and that’s normally not easy to do in a group where everyone knows each other. Now I don’t want to leave this place!
Great, and you’re going to run the 45k race in Kilians Classic…so how are you approaching it?
I’m going to run and do it by saying that it’s a long run. We’ve run a lot this week and especially after a race like Mont Blanc, I normally don’t run that much for a couple of days after the race. Yeah, I’d normally run a bit after but not like we’ve done this last few days. I also have a couple of races coming up at the end of the month that I would like to do well in so I need some recovery. I want to have fun tomorrow so I’ll go out and do that but I don’t think I’ll push it. I don’t think I can push it that hard!
So what are the other races coming up Stevie?
I’m going to go to South Africa at the end of the month and do the Hout Bay Challenge in Cape Town and then I believe I’m going to do Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland in August.
Excellent, have you been to South Africa before?
No, I’m excited! I’ll meet Linda Doke, who’s on the Salomon Team, so I’m excited about that. It’s all just so exciting, I just don’t want to get too ahead of myself. I wanna live each day because who knows how long this will last. I want to take advantage of every minute while I can. Again, not to sound totally cheesy but this a dream come true! To be able to travel and run and be with people that are so nice, what more could you want?
It sounds fantastic! From being here and hanging out with everyone it becomes clear that everyone on the team simply just loves to run- I’m not talking competing and races, all everyone wants is to just get out in the mountains and run…
Exactly! and that’s the best thing about this week I think – nobody cares about pace, we’re stopping, we’re waiting, we’re taking pictures, people are running with people they never would have run with and I’m trying to keep with some people, just as a joke. It’s just a fun, relaxed attitude – everybody just doing what they love. That’s why I think everyone gets along so well too – we eat and we run, what more is there to life!?
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