Tri-Kings: Turning world champion triathletes into Viking warriors

Words by Robert Birnbaum. Art by Passion Pictures.

On a rocky outcrop among icy fjords, two Viking champions prepare to challenge one another. On the sound of a Norse god’s horn, the competition commences. A swim through waters ruled by serpents and sirens is followed by a ride through enchanted woods as mysterious riders give chase. The final stage of this contest is a run amid the clouds, with neither Viking refusing to relent. As the finish approaches, the two competitors remain side by side.  

This is not a chapter from Norse mythology, but an animation by Passion Pictures for On to celebrate the spirit of two of the world’s top triathletes – Norwegians Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt – in a new way. The result is the short film Tri-Kings, shown above. And there’s a lot to unpack. This is how it came to life, brought to you by the brains behind the film: Creative Director Simon Brotherson and animator Yibi Hu.

It didn’t take much persuasion for Tri-Kings creative director Simon Brotherson recall the inception of the film. “There was so much content out there about Kristian and Gustav, but most of it was scientific training content – about their so-called Norwegian Method of training,” recalls Simon Brotherson. So we said: ‘Let’s have some fun.’ Gustav and Kristian have been referred to as Vikings before – and they’re kind of fierce. So why not fully embrace that theme?”

“I tried finding a little wordplay to give the film the title it deserves. They are the kings of triathlon. And now they’re Vikings. When I came up with ‘Tri-Kings’, we just knew that was it.” And so, Gustav Iden became Gustav the Great and Kristian Blummenfelt took on the moniker Kristian the Unstoppable.

The Protagonists:

Gustav the Great

Streamlined from top to bottom, Gustav Iden’s viking avatar embodies the calmness he exudes during races. Ever since finding it on the road during training, he rocks his lucky hat originating from a Taiwanese temple. Of course, this unique talisman became an integral part of his animated armor. Gustav’s elegant running style and textbook cycling position are unmistakable, too.

Kristian the Unstoppable

“Big Blu” carries his unquenchable thirst for victory into the Viking realm. Compared with Gustav, Kristian the Unstoppable trades a slender built for added strength. His signature headband turns into an imposing faceguard that shields him from the challenges he faces en route to the finish line.

With two heroes and a fitting title in place, Simon started pondering about the script. “All I knew is that I wanted to start with them diving into the water and finish with them crossing the finish line – a triathlon, but unlike we’ve ever seen before. 

“The missing piece to the puzzle was finding Yibi. I knew about him and his work, he’s a bit of a superstar [in the world of anime-style animation]. Animators have probably the most vivid imagination of anyone you’ll come across, because they can make anything happen in their world. It’s a genre that begs you to make amazing things happen. So I said to him: ‘I want to write this with you.’”

Enter the animator: Yibi Hu.

“Simon and I had a long chat about how [Gustav and Kristian] race, what their personality is like, their swimming, cycling and running styles. We wanted to reflect a true triathlon, how athletes really experience a race,” Yibi recalls with enthusiasm. 

“During races, the audience has a completely different experience to the athletes. From the outside, it feels calm. But for the athletes it can be pure chaos. And when you’re racing in truly spectacular surroundings, the mountains and trees around you seem to come alive – either helping you or trying to hold you back. [The gods and monsters] represent the other race opponents who are trying to catch them, but can’t.”

Gods, Goddesses and Monsters

Heimdall 

The watcher and guardian of the Bifrost (the entrance to Asgard, realm of Norse gods) rises in the distance as Gustav and Kristian line up for the start. The sound of his horn is said to warn the gods of an impending attack by their enemies. Upon hearing it, our two Viking warriors begin their epic race. 

Sea Serpents 

Slithering in the depths of the fjord are two snake-like creatures. Their pursuit of Kristian and Gustav begins as soon as the Tri-Kings enter the water. The serpents emerge from the water next to them, dragging them underwater, and separating Kristian from his swimming goggles. “The start of [a triathlon] swim is always chaotic,” Yibi explains. “[The athletes are] Swimming close to, sometimes on top of each other. You may lose your goggles. That’s where the serpent idea comes from.” 

Rán 

Norse goddess of the sea, Rán represents dangerous currents. Just when it seems like our protagonists were in the clear, she extends her seaweed-like tentacles around their ankles. It’s a feeling that the two triathletes will be familiar with  – grabbing ankles is among the many dark arts of triathlon that are unfortunately but frequently applied in the swim. 

Sol and Mani

As Norse gods for the sun and moon, they have to ride their chariots for their lives. It’s said that if they were caught, all stars would vanish from the skies and the world’s end was near. In spite of this, they can’t seem to outride our heroes on their bikes.

Living Forest

“Sometimes during steep climbs or towards the end of the bike leg, spectators can get quite close to the athletes and sometimes even touch them. So the trees represent their hands reaching out,” Yibi explains.

Clouds

Finally, Kristian and Gustav cross paths with a benevolent spirit, one that they can rely on during their run. A cloudy giant aids the two triathletes as the race comes down to the wire. When the ground underneath their feet falls away, it extends its hand and leads them to the finish line.

Making Tri-Kings: Pushing technical and creative boundaries

“Usually we would work with a tight, very structured schedule,” Yibi says. “But on this project we had quite a good amount of time to think about how we approach it – how we can organize and execute this piece to push the technical and creative boundaries.”

“Using this lead time, we incorporated more 3D motion capture into our 2D animation process. The big challenge was figuring out how the two worlds [3D and 2D] can come together. In the end, both teams worked together to complete the final picture. Quite an unusual, but interesting approach.”

The subject of the film is even more unusual than its production methods, but the team were not worried about combining triathlon with Norse mythology. 

“There are a lot of genres like cyberpunk and steampunk that gamers, and especially young audiences, are well-adapted to,” Yibi says. “Mixing old and new together creates a fresh set of artistic choices. So we were not afraid of putting armors onto their bodies and turning them into Viking gods.”

Yibi’s conviction to fuse the two aesthetics eventually convinced Simon, who was skeptical at first. 

“I just thought it’s gonna look really clunky when they’re racing in full armor,” Simon admits. “But Yibi came up with a brilliant solution – armor that flashes on and off occasionally. It’s a visualization of the power that’s inside them. A kind of inner force that emerges when they’re in jeopardy.”

Friends and foes

Kristian and Gustav have been training partners for years. They share the same coach, the same hometown and often go head-to-head in races. Simon admits their unique constellation was a big factor during the early stages of the project: “In any race they do, they’re probably each other’s biggest rival, the main threat between them and the top spot on the podium. But they’re also best mates. How does that work?”

Since Shakespeare’s King Lear, the theme of two brothers becoming rivals with much at stake has been fascinating to watch. Simon sees parallels in the story of the two triathletes. 

“If there was a classic showdown, it would have to be the [2024] Olympics. It will probably be the most watched triathlon event of the last few years. Kristian holds the gold medal, Gustav desperately wants the gold medal. The idea is that the film leaves their fans wanting to see what happens in Paris.”

No-one is looking ahead more intently to that contest than the athletes themselves. And, according to the two triathletes, the scenes of the film might not be as fantastical as they first appear. 

 “I had high expectations before I saw the film,” Gustav says. “I’ve done a lot of different film projects in the past, but nothing comes close to this.

“Norse mythology has grown quite a lot [in popularity] over the last decade because of various Hollywood movies, but I was a fan long before that. Back home, we actually had statues of about 20 different gods hanging on the wall.

I don’t feel like a warrior most of the time,” the men’s long-distance triathlon world champion admits. “But I do like the idea of being a Viking. I am proud of my Norwegian and Viking heritage, but still I’m not a fighter [in the traditional sense]. I was happy to have Kristian by my side [in the film].”

Kristian appreciates how Tri-Kings manages to represent their shared mission: “It’s us against the world. [The film] summarizes quite well what it feels like in real life – with some exaggerations, of course. How we have to fight these obstacles on the way. The important thing is how you’re able to deal with those and move on.

It feels special to be portrayed as a Viking warrior. To be out there in the wild, no matter the conditions. That strength and rawness of Vikings is well represented.”

A battle against monsters, gods and goddesses. It’s a tribute worthy of triathlon’s two Tri-Kings. But when the two heroes face each other on sports’ biggest stage, it’s truly set to be the stuff of legend.