LEAVES' EYES' LIV KRISTINE: The Voice Of The North On Sporty Paths

Since her first appearance in the music business, Norwegian singer Liv Kristine — who has been living in Germany for 10 years now — has been one of the most versatile and extraordinary artists in Europe, leaving her mark in numerous genres.

Liv carved her name into gothic metal history with her bands LEAVES' EYES and THEATRE OF TRAGEDY and conquered the pop scene as a solo artist with her beautiful voice. Just recently, LEAVES' EYES' latest album, "Njord", entered the German chart at position No. 30 and "We Came With The Northern Winds" DVD landed at No. 11 on the German music DVD chart.

Besides music and her love for nature, Liv Kristine has yet another passion: sport!

Says Kristine: "Sport has always played an important role besides music. I was born and grew up in the beautiful nature on the west coast of Norway, and the mountains and fjords gave me all the opportunities to live out my excitement about this place.

"As a young girl, I was always a member in local teams and clubs — be it swimming, hockey, high jump, cross-country skiing, downhill, classical ballet or any kind of ball game."

Nowadays Liv is an active participant when it comes to half marathons and mountain running. "I discovered my passion for running when I participated in a half marathon after years of daily running through the woods," she says. "As I reached the finish line at 1:52, a lot of people congratulated me on my achievement, but I knew that I had a lot more in me. I threw away my worn-out running shoes and bought my first pair of 'long-distance-running' shoes. Today, I have an extended sport collection and I am always on the lookout for the ideal running clothes.

"Besides being a mother (in particular after my pregnancy) and my profession as a singer, I take a lot of time for building up my stamina and doing weight training.

"Sport is a big part of my life. I also do kickboxing and self-defense — not only does it help me for competitions, but also strengthens my self-confidence in daily life. I can recharge my energy with power yoga and Pilates, and I also make sure that I hit the sauna very often. I have been a confident vegetarian for numerous years now and have a diverse and fresh nutrition. Furthermore, I cook and bake for the band, family and friends."

Liv Kristine takes her athletic activities very seriously. Just like with her music, she always wants to reach the highest level possible. "I hired a personal trainer for the weight training, who makes my muscles ache on a weekly basis," she says. "In addition, nature inspires me to continue with my training. Even when I am on tour, running is a part of everyday life. It's a great thing, because the running helps me to stay in shape for the stage and to distract me from everything that's going on around me on tour.

"On our long American tours, I took every opportunity when it came to running, sport or fitness. The most special season to me is autumn, as it inspires me the most to go running. From the end of August until November, I try to partake in as many running competitions as possible. At the local running events, I start for the Team Toyota Ludwigsburg, as I am an ardent Toyota driver and prefer to have a strong engine working for me. I still wait for the opportunity to drive a rally car!

"When it comes to running events in Austria, I start for the NPR team (that's the team of my record label Napalm Records) — my first mountain running competition took place this year in Eisenerz." (Video footage of the event can be viewed below.)

Liv made it to a respectable position 10 in her class at the running event in Eisenerz, which is Austria's biggest mountain-running event. Her time was 1:27. "I really didn't expect that!" she says. "The training paid off! And I am happy every day when I can do my body something good. By training hard, I can keep body and soul in a fine balance and use this positive energy for my family, my band, my music and my friends."