Heidi Ulrich loves speed. On the water. On her surfboard. She holds the speed windsurfing world record, but still she wants more. She keeps trying to go that little bit faster. Who is this woman? What drives her? How dangerous is speed windsurfing? Sports Life follows Heidi on her next world record attempt.
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00:00This is Heidi Ulrich.
00:12The Swiss athlete is the fastest speed surfer in the world.
00:16She holds the world record over 500 meters and the nautical mile.
00:20Heidi has the need for speed, always aiming to go faster.
00:23Who is the woman behind the records?
00:26What motivates her?
00:28We dive into the life of a woman who has just one goal, to be the fastest on the surface
00:33of the water.
00:34It's about beating myself, going faster and set a real world record.
00:58Here, in the middle of the highest mountains in the Alps, Heidi Ulrich is at home.
01:02Speed surfing is all about the wind.
01:05Heidi lives with her partner, Chris Arnold, by the Uri Lake, home to constantly changing
01:09weather.
01:10Slowly I can feel the wind a little bit.
01:14What does the app say?
01:15Yeah, it looks like it's already 16 knots in Islet.
01:18Here looks good as well, it's even better than on the other side.
01:22So let's check outside.
01:2317 to 18 knots here.
01:24They're already surfing down there.
01:25Oh yeah, a lot of people are already out and you can see the whitecaps on the lake.
01:26So let's go down and have a session.
01:27Yes, let's go.
01:28Speed surfing is the Formula One of wind-powered water sports.
01:29Heidi has ideal training conditions living right by a lake.
01:30For her extreme sport, she needs good equipment and very high winds.
01:31Fear is not an option.
01:32At over 80 kilometers per hour, every wrong decision can be deadly.
01:33It's not just about speed.
01:34It's also about the wind.
01:35It's not just about speed.
01:36It's also about the wind.
01:37It's also about the wind.
01:38It's also about the wind.
01:39It's also about the wind.
01:40It's also about the wind.
01:41It's also about the wind.
01:42It's also about the wind.
01:43It's also about the wind.
01:55This time a storm is brewing, but Heidi loves the thrill of it.
02:04This was one of the most mystic sessions I ever had.
02:12In between a second can change and windy and wavy and everything.
02:16It was almost hailing, but the wind was nice.
02:19Today was around 20 minutes.
02:22Normally on a normal training day, around two to four hours.
02:26But then it's normally sunny and a bit warmer.
02:29Now it was just heavy rain and a little thunderstorm without lightning.
02:34That's why we went out, but it was fun anyway.
02:38In 2019, Heidi was aiming to break her 500-meter world record,
02:42but her efforts were to no avail.
02:44In 2019, I also had another profession.
02:47I was head of HR.
02:49I was responsible for a team of six people and it was for me super hard to focus.
02:54I was six weeks in Namibia and I had to work as well.
02:57So after six weeks of competing in the Speed Channel,
03:01I went home with no record.
03:03No record means I missed the world record by 0.3 kilometers per hour.
03:09And I also missed the Swiss woman record by 0.1 kilometers per hour.
03:14It was quite a hard time for me because I really had to think
03:17what I want to do and what I'm going to change in my life.
03:20Back in Switzerland, I decided to quit my job as an HR manager.
03:25My new role was not a manager anymore.
03:28And this was the best decision ever.
03:31Then COVID hit and Heidi had to wait three years to set another world record.
03:36After this big disaster for me in 2019 without any record,
03:41in 2022 on the second last day of the event,
03:45the wind was just perfect in the morning and we did this record.
03:49I collapsed because of happiness.
03:51It was such a big achievement for me really.
03:54And one of the special things in 2022 was also,
03:57I was the first woman ever who finished in the top ten of the men's ranking.
04:02That's insane.
04:05Her partner Chris has supported Heidi from the very first moment.
04:08A great love story in both sports and life.
04:12Without the support of Christian, nothing would happen like that.
04:15We came together seven years ago and I said to him,
04:19I have one goal in my life. I want to do this world record in Namibia.
04:22It was maybe after two weeks or something like that.
04:25And he said to me, well, I know you can do it.
04:28He learned to do speed surfing because of me,
04:30because he wanted to understand how it works.
04:33And then he teached me to do real speed surfing just by myself.
04:38I think it wouldn't have been possible to make this world record.
04:44It's really one of the biggest gifts to share mostly all of the passion together.
04:49We don't have to speak a lot with each other.
04:52We really have the same feeling and we just enjoy every single second
04:56when we are doing something outside.
04:58It doesn't matter if it's rainy or windy or snowy or whatever.
05:03Both have the motto, enjoy every single second of your life.
05:07I mean, do what you love as much as you can.
05:10That's one of the points why we are that happy.
05:14Competitions, training and work.
05:16Heidi's everyday life is filled to the brim.
05:19I start five or six o'clock in the morning.
05:22I go up the mountains, do some trail running around two to four hours.
05:27Afterwards I come back, I work until lunch.
05:30And in the afternoon, normally the thermical wind as now is blowing
05:34and we go out for a windsurfing training session.
05:36If there is no wind in the afternoon,
05:38we're going to do some mountain biking or climbing.
05:41And after dinner, normally I work again.
05:43I don't like training in the gym.
05:45I train my whole body always outside in the nature.
05:49If I don't do trail running in the morning,
05:51I go out on the beautiful lake on the glossy water
05:54with a stand-up paddle or a surfboard to train my upper body.
05:57The upper body is super important for windsurfing.
06:00My training looks like around 20 to 30 hours per week.
06:05Next to 100% of working.
06:07It's not always easy to put everything under one hat, like we say in German.
06:12But I really love my life, I really love what I do.
06:15And that's why I think it's everything so successful.
06:18Back in the day, Heidi had a tough time combining work and sport.
06:22Now she has found the right balance.
06:25My company is my biggest sponsor
06:27because they allowed me to work most of the time remote.
06:31It means I can combine working and doing my windsurfing
06:35like almost a professional.
06:37I'm working a lot early in the morning or late in the evening.
06:41This allowed me to do my practicing during the day.
06:45The long break during the COVID pandemic
06:47saw Christian and Heidi come up with alternative training exercises.
06:51Christian loved to build everything by himself,
06:54so he did this little slackline,
06:56especially made for our living room.
06:58We are not just doing outdoor sport,
07:00we also do a lot of outdoor activities.
07:02We do a lot of outdoor activities,
07:04we do a lot of outdoor activities,
07:06we do a lot of outdoor activities,
07:08we do a lot of outdoor activities,
07:10we do a lot of outdoor activities,
07:12We are not just doing outdoor sport,
07:14we also do a lot of core stabilization
07:16because being stable on the windsurf board is super important
07:19because the less movement we have,
07:21the faster we are,
07:23because as soon as we move the sail, we lose speed.
07:26That's why we train a lot on this thing here,
07:29this is a slackline,
07:31but also on this zip-over
07:33to really focus on the whole body stabilization.
07:36These two things are really perfect.
07:38The chance for her next world record attempt is getting closer.
07:41Heidi has trained hard,
07:43but there are many variables out of her control.
07:45So now the next goal is to go back to France
07:48for the world record attempt over the Nautical Mile,
07:51the long distance we say in speed surfing.
07:53But in 2019 we had to avoid a big sand bore,
07:57so it was not possible to go straight along the beach.
08:01That's why I know if everything around will be perfect,
08:05the wind, the angle, the beach,
08:07I know I can go faster than I was in 2019.
08:10It's about beating myself,
08:12going faster and setting a real world record.
08:29Hello, welcome to France.
08:31We are here at the world record attempt over the Nautical Mile.
08:34This place is called La Plage du Rue.
08:38It's the third windiest place on earth.
08:40And it's just perfect for speed sailing
08:42because here you have normally Tramontana.
08:45It's a very strong wind from the Pyrenees.
08:47And you have 90 degrees offshore wind
08:50and you can go close to the beach
08:52and try to go as fast as you can.
08:55For the world record attempt,
08:56we have some different kind of stuff which I am wearing,
09:00like two weight vests of them.
09:02Here inside I'm going to put some weights,
09:05two kilo plates of lead.
09:07I'm going to put this inside my weight vest.
09:10And if the wind is stronger blowing,
09:13then I'm going to put more lead.
09:15And I'm normally wearing two or three vests of this
09:19because the speed rule is
09:21it doesn't care how much additional weight you put in your vest,
09:25but you have to float.
09:27Speed surfing enthusiasts come from all over the world
09:30and are constantly attempting new world records.
09:32Sometimes they have to wait weeks
09:34until the wind conditions are just right.
09:36As soon as the wind is blowing properly,
09:38everything has to move very fast.
09:54Well, it's looking like the wind is picking up a little bit
09:57and the direction is not so bad.
09:59So I think as soon as he will open the race,
10:02then we go again.
10:03The wind is picking up, so let's go.
10:05Let's go.
10:07In order to set a world record,
10:08the average speed over a nautical mile is calculated.
10:11That's 1,852 kilometers exactly.
10:15The aim is to hit just over 70 kilometers per hour.
10:23Day one is over now.
10:24The wind was super gusty,
10:25means super unstable and super shifty
10:28and not so strong.
10:30I did around 15 runs
10:32and on my watch I was faster than the world record.
10:35But I think it's not enough
10:36in between the world record video gate.
10:39Let's wait until they check it this evening.
10:42Otherwise, tomorrow is another day.
10:44So let's go again.
10:47The next morning, she is down to surprise.
10:50Congratulations.
10:51Yesterday is a big number.
10:54She did the world record.
10:59But Heidi isn't satisfied quite yet.
11:02Today the conditions are optimal
11:04and she wants to go again.
11:07Not rolling.
11:08Millimeter chop just to go fast.
11:10And this is unbelievable.
11:12Forever speed.
11:13Let's go.
11:27I did it again.
11:2938.4 on a GPS.
11:31So that's a clear one.
11:35Heidi has broken her own record once more.
11:3871.4 kilometers per hour.
11:41Never has a woman been faster on the water.
11:43I did already the world record yesterday
11:45by a tiny, tiny little bit.
11:47And today I really set a new one
11:50by 38.45 on a GPS.
11:53Wow, I'm just stoked.
11:55I'm so proud of me
11:56and I'm super happy to share this
11:58with my partner in crime, Christian.
12:00And one of the key to achieve this goal
12:03is for sure just having fun on the water.
12:05I'm just enjoying every single second
12:07and I try to do each run with a big smile
12:09even if it's that hard.
12:10And I think that's really one of the key of my success.
12:14Just having fun and enjoy life
12:16and just do the best of it.