A pair in training

From afar, when the girlfriend lives in upstate New York and the boyfriend lives in Sweden, it sounds like it would be a pretty long-distance relationship.

Thankfully for Bengt Walden and Ashley Hayden, they had luge, which makes their long-distance situation much closer.

They would be together often when they traveled for luge events. When Bengt would train in the off-season, it made sense for him to be in Lake Placid, where Ashley lived. In the spring, the two would go to Stockholm, Sweden, and visit Bengt's family.

So, in truth, they were rarely apart.

"The majority of the time we were back together," Ashley said. "Because we were competing in the same sport, we had the same schedule. In the spring, we spent time in Sweden, that's kind of our offseason-those two months, April and May-after that we were coming over mid-June to stay in Lake Placid and train."

That routine worked. After about six years, in 2006, the couple married and Ashley Hayden became Ashley Walden.

"You spend a lot of time on the road, and it's great to have your husband there," Ashley said. "A lot of people have to leave their boyfriend or their husband for three or four months (during the season).

"At least for me, there are some things that are definitely easier, and he has an understanding for what you do. There's a lot of respect for what goes into (competing). It can be difficult if you are in a relationship with somebody who is not in sports for them to understand all that goes into the sport."

Added Bengt: "I think also another good part about it is we can support each other in the good and bad, and in a tough times you have somewhere to go. You always have your coaches and stuff too, but it's always good to have your closest friend right by you."

Bengt and Ashley came from distinctly different backgrounds.

Born in Nacka, Sweden, in 1973, Bengt grew up around the sport of luge. His father and uncle started a luge club in Stockholm about 40 years ago, and for as long as Bengt can remember, he has been around the sport.

Ashley, like many USA Luge sliders, wouldn't have discovered the sport had it not been for the Slider Search recruitment program, a grass-roots effort to introduce the sport of luge to young American athletes. Born in 1981 and growing up in Massachusetts, Ashley was always an active kid. She was 13 the Slider Search team came to the area, and soon was hooked to the sport.

Ashley first tried the sport in the summer of 1996, and in the 1997-98 season she competed with the USA juniors. The next season was a transition year for the USA women, so she was called up to the senior national team.

When the two first met in 1999, Bengt was already a grizzled veteran who had been competing on the top circuit since 1990-91. Ashley, on the other hand, was not yet legally old enough to drink and a relative newcomer to the top competitions.

"The way the luge circuit works, it's not like skiing where there are separate men's and women's fields,'' Ashley said. "We all train at the same track on the same weekend. So we all knew each other pretty well."

The two met via mutual friends in 1999, began dating in 2000 and were married by 2006.

The two are able to be together almost all of the time now. After the Swedish luge program began to downsize, Bengt made his permanent home in Lake Placid and began racing for Team USA. Bengt has not been fully naturalized as an American citizen, but does have a green card.

In May 2009 the couple was briefly apart-Ashley with her parents in Massachusetts and Bengt back in Sweden-but soon enough the couple will be back in Lake Placid getting ready for the 2009-10 Olympic season.

Ashley has been training in Lake Placid for more than 10 years now; Bengt has been there since 2001. The couple bought a house there three years ago.

"It's definitely a big difference training in the U.S., and it's definitely better on every level (then in Sweden)," said Bengt, who began sliding for Team USA in 2007. "It's better in every way."

Bengt, 36, had one of his best seasons in 2008-09, which included a sixth-place finish at the World Championships in Lake Placid.

"I was very happy with that even though I was very close to the medals," Bengt said. "After the fact I was mad because I was so close to being there. But overall I was very happy with the season."

Now the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympian has his eyes set on Vancouver.

"I feel very pumped coming into the season," Bengt said. "It's been three years of preparation coming into (last) season and I think this was the first year to try out the Olympic track. I think it was a very wonderful track. In a couple ways it's very fast and I really enjoy and like that. I think the track fits me well."

Ashley, also a 2002 Olympian, finished seventh at the World Championships and feels good about her form as she fights to make the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

"Obviously in our sport this is the ultimate race and the main one you really prepare for, and one that happens once every four years," Ashley said. "We have a lot of time to prepare (this offseason) and that's a good thing."

The selection process for Team USA begins in November and the team is expected to name its Olympic sliders by the end of December following three World Cup races. The couple is hoping to make this its first Olympics together as husband and wife.

"The preparation is just going to keep going on into the summer," Bengt said. "I feel like the whole team is preparing very well and I feel very confident in myself because there is a lot of preparation being made."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Chrös McDougall is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.