Gina Johansen - Walking 3,000km the length of Norway, plus a solo crossing of Lake Baikal in Siberia!

04/28/20 • 36 min

Gina 28, from Sweden has a passion for travel and adventure, and for pushing herself outside of her comfort zone. Her goal is to “Escape the Ordinary”. Over the past few years, that is what Gina has done! On May 14th 2016 Gina left Sydney on a bicycle, with everything she would need to be self sufficient as she cycled 2,700km up the east coast of Australia to Cairns, where she stayed for 2 months. In early 2018 Gina decided to take on her first big solo winter expedition, skiing 60 days from North Cape to Jäckvik in Sweden, having never skied before. Since then she has gone on to cross Lake Baikal in Siberia (Russia), 692 km over 14.5 days - Going solo from South to North and most recently she did the NORGE PÅ LANGS a 3,000km walk over 3.5 months, from the southernmost point in Lindesnes to North Cape the northernmost point of Norway. During this episode, Gina shares more about her early life, how she got into adventure, how she picks future challenges and what she has learned on the way. Gina also provides top tips and advice to motivate and inspire you as you go after your next challenge. Show notes

Who is Gina
Growing up in Sweden around horses
Why she decided to enter the world of adventure
Leaving school at 16 and starting to work with horses in a professional capacity
Getting into Thai boxing and trail running
Being inspired by podcasts
Not being excited by work anymore
Starting to look for a new challenge in her life
The process behind getting more adventure in her life
Deciding to cycle the East coast of Australia with her now ex boyfriend
Spending 3 months living in the mountains
Dealing with injury
Starting to be scared when riding horses
What she would do differently on a big cycle trip
Where the idea came from for the ski expedition
Wanting to see more of her own country
Having no experience in skiing
Deciding to start at North Cape - the northern most point in Sweden
Starting 3 week later than planned due to delayed equipment and bad equipment
Doing the challenge solo and unsupported
Walking for days in a whiteout
Not being able to make any mistakes while in the extreme cold
Think 3 x before you act
How this challenge changed her life going forward
Thinking about happiness
Moving back to Norway
Meeting a new man!
2019 - Hiking across Lake Baikal in Siberia
Dealing with the extreme cold in Siberia
The importance of good quality gear
Getting to the start of Lake Baikal
Dealing with feelings of loneliness
Deciding on the next big challenge
Travelling with her partner and a dog!
The amazing moments
Dealing with winter storms
Final words of advice

Social Media Website - https://www.ginajohansen.com Instagram @ginajohansen91 Twitter @ginajohansen91 Facebook @ginajohansen91

Who is Gina
Growing up in Sweden around horses
Why she decided to enter the world of adventure
Leaving school at 16 and starting to work with horses in a professional capacity
Getting into Thai boxing and trail running
Being inspired by podcasts
Not being excited by work anymore
Starting to look for a new challenge in her life
The process behind getting more adventure in her life
Deciding to cycle the East coast of Australia with her now ex boyfriend
Spending 3 months living in the mountains
Dealing with injury
Starting to be scared when riding horses
What she would do differently on a big cycle trip
Where the idea came from for the ski expedition
Wanting to see more of her own country
Having no experience in skiing
Deciding to start at North Cape - the northern most point in Sweden
Starting 3 week later than planned due to delayed equipment and bad equipment
Doing the challenge solo and unsupported
Walking for days in a whiteout
Not being able to make any mistakes while in the extreme cold
Think 3 x before you act
How this challenge changed her life going forward
Thinking about happiness
Moving back to Norway
Meeting a new man!
2019 - Hiking across Lake Baikal in Siberia
Dealing with the extreme cold in Siberia
The importance of good quality gear
Getting to the start of Lake Baikal
Dealing with feelings of loneliness
Deciding on the next big challenge
Travelling with her partner and a dog!
The amazing moments
Dealing with winter storms
Final words of advice

Social Media Website - https://www.ginajohansen.com Instagram @ginajohansen91 Twitter @ginajohansen91 Facebook @ginajohansen91

Previous Episode

Alice Morrison - A 1,000 mile walk with 3 Amazigh (Berber) companions and 6 camels across the Sahara desert in Morocco!

Alice in her own words... “I am an adventurer and an explorer. I travel to the furthest places on earth and walk through its toughest habitats. I have been described as ‘Indiana Jones for girls’ (which I liked!) We live in a time when the world is in crisis in so many ways. I want to bear witness to what is happening to the planet as our climate and our society changes and I want to tell the stories that bring we humans together rather than the ones that drive us apart. Together, we can strive towards solutions and a happier world. What better place to start than with the places and people that are furthest away.” During this episode Alice will share more about her walk across the Sahara Desert. Alice left Draa at Oued Chbika on the 26th November 2019 and walked over 1000 miles (with three Amazigh (Berber) companions and six camels) to Guerguerat on the Mauritanian Border and finished part 2 of the adventure at the end of February 2020. Show notes

Who is Alice
The Sahara Expedition - the toughest challenge to date
The team of camels
The 2nd part of the trilogy
The planning and preparation
Starting in November 2019
Using an expedition organiser
The challenge of getting water and food
The goals and the purpose
Reclaiming the word explore
Wanting to travel slow and to take in all the details
Being a woman and how she can interact with everyone
Not doing enough training
The start line and what it was like
Finding sponsors and getting media attention
Thank you to Craghoppers
How expectations didn’t match the reality
Team dynamics
Getting into routine
Walking at 5km per hour
Looking for trees in the desert
Tent life
Being a team member and not just a client
Getting water from Nomads
Being on an expedition with 6 camels
Starting a podcast! Alice in Wanderland
Spending the New Year in the desert
Making Christmas special
Walking into the nothingness of the desert
Climate change and desertification
Key lessons from the experience
Learning patience
Hoping to take on part 3 of the expedition at the end of June
Final words of advice

Social Media

Website : www.alicemorrison.co.uk

Twitter: @aliceoutthere1

Instagram: @aliceoutthere1

Facebook: @AliceHunterMorrisonAdventures

Next Episode

Audrey McIntosh - 56, Her Global Odyssey, 100km non-stop in each of the World’s Continents!

Audrey in her own words.. In November 2013, I made a bit of running history when I became the first Scot (and second British woman) to complete my Antarctic Odyssey — the Antarctic Ice Marathon and Antarctic 100km double — in the space of three days, and this is one of my greatest achievement. Crossing that 100k finish line marked both the end of a journey and the beginning of a new one... In 2015, I completed the North Pole Marathon and became the first Scot to complete all 3 polar races. I also added the West Highland Way Race and West Highland Way Triple Crown and 100 miles in 24 hours at the Glenmore 24 hour trail race to my tally of achievements. In January 2017 I became the first person to complete the double extreme marathon event of the Namibian Sand Marathon and Genghis Khan Ice Marathon: 36 degrees to minus 32 degrees. During this podcast we will be focused on what Audrey has been up to since 2017. Audrey will share more details about the double extreme marathon event of the Namibian Sand Marathon and Genghis Khan Ice Marathon. Audrey will share more about the challenging races and what she has learned on the way, she will also share more about the global odyssey and how her dreams and goals have evolved over time. If you are a passionate runner and enjoy hearing tales of adventure and challenge, then this is the perfect episode for you! Enjoy! The Global Odyssey story so far:

Antarctica - 2013, The Antarctic Ice 100k and The Antarctic Ice Marathon.
Europe - 2017, Grand Raid Des Bogomiles 100k. I have run a number of marathons in Europe.
Asia - 2018, The Gobi Desert Global Odyssey 100k and 2017 The Mongolian Ice Marathon
Africa - 2019 The Moroccan Global Odyssey 100k and 2017 The Namibian Sand Marathon.
South America - 2019 The Patagonian Global Odyssey 100k and 2014 The Volcano Marathon.
Oceania - 2020 The New Zealand Global Odyssey 100k and the Global Odyssey New Zealand Marathon.

Show notes

Who is Audrey
How she got into running
Trying an ultra!
Reflecting back on 2017
Her goal to run an ultra on all 7 continents and having someone else do it first
How it change her ultimate goal
Needing a different dream
Taking the sense of urgency and time out of the goal
Dealing with the extreme heat and extreme cold of running challenges
David Scott from Sandbaggers
Menstruation and menopause and impact on training
The Global Odyssey
Failing the first challenge
Getting some of the basics wrong from hydration to taking salt tablets
Dealing with the aftermath of failure
Going to the Gobi desert in August
Starting to run without headphones
What a normal training week looks like
3rd time lucky with running in Africa
Heading to Argentina in April 2019
Losing her mum and not being able to run
Deciding to head to New Zealand for the next ultra and marathon race
Quick Fire Questions
Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you