The ultimate active with kids family

Eva Nyström and Martin Flinta are parents to Simon, 5 and Julia, 1. They’re a perfectly normal family with the same challenges that every family has. The mess around the breakfast table, the far too few hours of sleep, work related stresses, the things that need to be fixed around the house, and all the other everyday battles. There’s just one small difference. They’re both world champions in some of the toughest endurance sports imaginable. On top of everything else in life they spend 4 to 5 hours every day running, biking, swimming and kayaking. Eva’s a double world champion in Long Distance Duathlon and a world champion in Swimrun. And Martin’s a world champion in Adventure Racing and Xterra. And both Eva and Martin are among the most respected multisport athletes in the world. But when you meet them, you can’t tell. They both talk more about their children and the time they spend with them than anything else. In fact, they probably spend more time with their children than most parents who work full-time do. Eva and Martin always find a way to bring them along.

Eva loves to take her children along when running and biking, even if they’re asleep. It makes her stronger, both physically and mentally. She sees herself as a stronger athlete now, being a mum of two. This she proved by winning the Swimrun ÖTILLÖ, the inoffical world championship in Stockholm, racing faster than any other woman had done in that race before, only four months after having given birth to her daughter Julia. Eva points out that having more things to think about and truly care about, gives her less time to be nervous. And she loves the contrast between pushing her body to the very limit, then, a few seconds after crossing the finish line, picking up her daughter and changing her diaper. Martin says that seeing Simon being proud of his dad after he’s won a race or performed well is an unbeatable motivation, and has helped his focus in training. If leaving for a specific race means time apart from the children then he’d better have prepared and be in peak shape. If not, it’s not worth being away from the most important thing in life.

Simon still believes his father is Superman since he found a pair of Superman underpants in Martin’s wardrobe. He’s just a little confused since he hasn’t found the cape yet or seen him fly.