“The decision to quit has been something we came to together in the family. Combining top sports with family life is special, and everyone is involved and affected to one degree or another,” says Laila Kveli.

The 34-year-old from Lierne, Norway, but living in Östersund, Sweden, has in recent seasons skied for Team Engcon, where her husband Jerry Ahrlin is a Pro Team Director. Kveli got her definitive breakthrough when she finished second in Vasaloppet 2012 behind Vibeke Skofterud. Laila has taken several podium places in Visma Ski Classics over the years and won Vasaloppet 2013 and 2014.

Now she feels that if the battle for the top positions continues, she must prioritize being away from the family more, something she has no conscience for.

“The training season is going really well now that the children are so big, then it’s just a matter of being flexible so you can do what you want. But during the competition season, it is not possible to be flexible in the same way, the competition weekends come when they come. And I do not want to prioritize being more away from the family,” says Kveli.

“The highlights of my career are definitely Vasaloppet 2012, 2013, and 2014,” says Kveli when she took three straight podium places, including two victories.

“After the second birth, it has probably been many difficult years with a lot of illness and a downward spiral where I could not keep up with the development, missed many races, and the training became too bad due to many and long breaks. But last year, I started to recognize the body again, I responded better to the training than in a long time, and I decided to invest in another season, and I am very happy that I did. This season has been the best since Ellie was born in 2016,” says Kveli.

There has been a lot of planning and logistics to invest, especially when both Laila and Jerry were active. The development in long-distance skiing is also something she really sees a change in.

“It has happened extremely much from the first season I went long-distance to today. Both the length and the highest level are in a completely different division now. I have invested in long-distance skiing since the 2011/2012 season. It was Jerry who got me on that track. He already had a lot of experience and was at the forefront of the development of double poling, so I have learned an incredible amount from him. If it had not been for Jerry, my career would probably have ended a long time ago.”

Team Engcon is a Pro Team under development with Jerry as Pro Team Director. It started as a very small team but has grown bigger in the first three years.

“We are very proud that we have made it work well this year on all fronts. Then it is clear that there is always development potential,” says Kveli.

What the time ahead will bring is not yet completely clear, but in the short term, it will at least be to have some maternity leave and to enjoy at home with the children over the summer. Then she should get some perspective on things and think about where the road goes next.

“I have always had a big heart for long-distance skiing, and one should not ignore that the future may exist in the sport,” concludes Kveli, who has been a pioneer in the development of double poling.