“I’m tryin’ hard and climbin’!” Noah Ohlsen Is Staying Alive, Just Barely

Noah Ohlsen’s 2019 Open didn’t start off great, putting him into a seemingly insurmountable hole with a 792nd place on 19.1.

Since then, Ohlsen has logged a 31st on 19.2, 8th on 19.3, and a 3rd on 19.4, an incredibly impressive series of performances which have landed him in 74th on the overall leaderboard going into the final week.

But here’s the stark reality: No athlete who has ever been outside the top 50 has ever finished top 30. Ohlsen would need a perfect performance and a whole lot of other help around the leaderboard for him to qualify.

Ohlsen’s process of moving up the leaderboard is a result of constant and honest analysis of his performances and finding spots to improve. Take 19.4 for example: he finished his first attempt in 8:33, and knew he had to find another gear to improve.

“I went about 90% on the first workout, finished it in 2:23, sat down during the rest, water, towel, long slow exhales to bring my heartrate down.”

Following the three minute rest after the first portion of 19.4, Ohlsen executed the second half quickly and unbroken. “I don’t think I can go much faster on that part, [so I] have to go about 95% on the first part, maybe shave 10-15 seconds there and hope to perform the same on the back half.”

Ohlsen’s second and final attempt put him 20 seconds faster with an 8:13 finish, but where exactly do those 20 seconds come from?

“Back pocket! They were there the whole time!” Ohlsen jokes. “The beginning, went from 2:23 to 2:05.”