The circular course, along icy hiking and mountain-bike trails in the ski village of Geilo in Norway, is only 4km (2.5 miles) long.
The second pointer that these championships - held annually for the last 30 years - are not taken all that seriously was when I asked the receptionist in our hotel if she knew whether any other guests were competitors in the next day's races.
"Just go to the bar and look for the drunkest," she said.
