Watching 24 at 48 - Linus Juni - The Enviable Vitality of an Athlete in His Prime
Most people I know, like me, are happy to be the age we are, whether in our forties, fifties or even beyond. Most would say no to the insecurities of our teens, the life altering decisions of our twenties, or the more serious business of building careers and creating our own families in our thirties. We’ve been there, done that. Emotionally, mentally, socially, perhaps even spiritually, there’s a clear edge to ageing.
But when it comes to sheer physicality, the body of a young person is something none of us can deny has amazing resilience, strength and adaptability. For us sportspeople, that means the ability to bounce back from injuries faster, cope with weight fluctuations more easily, build strength and muscle more readily, and regain a toned, fit look with far less effort. At least, that’s how I remember it. I could get slimmer sooner, look fitter sooner and have so much more stamina when I was younger. The body simply seemed to respond more quickly to whatever I asked of it.
Of course, we can be fit all throughout our lives and that is a choice but I definitely feel a younger me could achieve goals faster. Like when I ran the first 20 kms of my life, 23 years ago, without a systematic running routine, randomly just doing 45 mins of cardio over 2 to 3 months.
Today, I introduce you to a 24-year-old young man, Linus Juni, whose achievements not only impressed me but also made me curious—and, at times, even amused me with some of the things I discovered about him. Read on to see what I mean:
Linus played badminton, table tennis and football, and swam regularly as a child. Of all the sports, however, football was the one he loved most. He played in midfield; a position he feels gives you a good view of the entire field. Unlike a striker or a specialist defender, a midfielder doesn’t have one narrowly defined task. Instead, you have an all-round role that is central to the way the team moves and functions. You need to be ready to play whatever role the game demands.
Linus says he still likes to have a similar profile in life. When he and his friends recently started a company, he designated himself the team’s “firefighter”; the person who is always ready to step in and find a solution when some random problem arises. Someone who can turn their hand to almost anything, and who needs to be capable of dealing with whatever the situation throws at them.
Here’s one of the stories about Linus that amused me, not just because of what happened during the race, but because of the wonderfully honest way he describes it.
Sabrina, a friend, and Linus decided to train for and compete in HYROX Copenhagen in March 2026. They joined forces with other friends and formed a larger training group of five couples, all competing in the Mixed Doubles category.
As first timers, and beginners to HYROX, they knew they were going to struggle. And struggle they did! Linus admits that during the first half of the race, Sabrina ended up doing most of the hard work, particularly the heavy carries, even though he had been the one expected to take on that part during their training sessions. He made up for it on the running sections between the stations and, eventually, at the final station, wall balls. Here, the two teammates have to complete 100 squats between them, each time throwing a heavy ball up to a designated target. The ball has to touch the target on every repetition. Linus ended up doing most of their wall ball repetitions. By then, he says, his brain had simply switched off and he had stopped registering the pain. All he could think about was the finish line. It was so close, and they were almost done. Despite being first timers, they finished with what I thought was a very respectable time. And, naturally, they celebrated the only way a group of exhausted friends could, with pizza and beer!
Linus & Sabrina
Another funny anecdote about Linus is how he and his friend Ryan once decided, while drunk, that they were going to run a 50 kilometre ultra marathon together. The decision may have been made under the influence, but they were serious enough about it to actually turn up and do it three months later! Linus had already run a full marathon of 42 kilometres the previous year and wanted to challenge himself with a distance longer than that. The only problem was that he already had a knee injury and no particularly great training plan. In fact, the longest distance he had managed to run during his preparation was just 15 kilometres. Somehow, however, the two of them still managed to complete the 50 kilometres.
Linus & Ryan 50kms run
One of his previous marathons was another rather amusing affair. Have you heard of the famous wine marathon in Bordeaux, France, in the Médoc region? You pay an entry fee, run through the beautiful countryside from vineyard to vineyard, stop along the way to taste the local wines, pass magnificent châteaux, and eventually cross the finish line, where beer awaits you. It sounds less like a conventional marathon and more like a very long, very energetic wine tasting!
And now, as Linus prepares to leave for his exchange in Switzerland, he will also miss the Beer Mile at his university in September. The rules are quite simple, although the execution clearly isn't. You run 400 metres, drink a can of beer and repeat the combination four times. The challenge is to finish without throwing up along the way. Linus was among the top ten last year and spoke rather wistfully about how much fun he had.
Now, where I come from, alcohol and running are not two things I would naturally put together. But I suppose that in countries where beer and wine are such an integral part of the culture, combining them with fun, social activities may not seem quite as strange. Perhaps it is simply another way of experiencing something together, with a little more laughter and, occasionally, a lot more effort!
training in the dark
So, how does all this running and physical activity fit into Linus’s regular fitness routine? I ask him about his schedule. He usually does three to four weight training sessions a week, along with two to four running sessions, depending on what else is happening in his life. Right now, during his summer vacation, however, he admits that his schedule is all over the place. Between training, travel, studies, friends and everything else that comes with being 24, perhaps a little chaos is to be expected.
And speaking of being Danish, there are a couple of other interesting things I discovered about Linus and the culture he comes from. Here's a fun fact: Did you know that Danes often speak several languages? Linus is a good example. He speaks Danish and English, knows some German and French, and can also understand his Swedish and Norwegian neighbours.
Here’s another interesting fact: Did you know that many young Danes go abroad on exchange programmes, not just during their bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but even between middle school and high school? Linus has certainly made the most of these opportunities. He went on exchange to Texas and Melbourne, and will soon be travelling to Lausanne to begin his master’s.
Linus hopes to return to HYROX next year with Sabrina and achieve a better result. The two of them are also planning to take on a half Ironman together. He has another personal goal in mind too: bench pressing 100 kilograms. He is just shy of it at the moment, but clearly intends to get there.
For Linus, being in the gym seems to be every bit as enjoyable as being out running. And what fun it is to be doing all of this while studying Mathematical Modelling as part of a Master’s in Engineering! Between the training, the running, the competitions, the travel, the languages and now another international academic adventure, there seems to be very little that this 24-year-old isn't willing to take on.
What fun it must be to be young today, I say.
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