Yesterday your runners tackled the long stage, 64km of frozen lakes and winding pine forests. The lakes are exposed and freezing cold, the drop in temperature is noticeable each time you step out from among the trees. But among the trees, the snow is deeper, softer and more strength-sapping. It is not unusual for us to be waiting for our last runner until midnight or even later, but once again these runners made it a relatively early night for our team.

The day began with a stunning sunset, pictured above at the same time near the finish in Jokkmokk, a morale-boosting gift that seemed to set the tone for the day.

Kristina Madsen continued her dominance over the rest of the field, with Karl Alvarez once more alongside her. They go into today’s ‘Sprint’ finish with a seemingly insurmountable lead.

The remaining runners are just 15km from a medal. Wish them luck.

STAGE FOUR

OVERALL