Vermont native and UnTapped Maple Fanatic Ben Ogden just finished his second Olympic experience and he delivered. Coming home with not one, but two silver medals stamps his place in history as the most decorated American male cross-country skiing ever! Time to find out more.
Let’s start with the obvious Ben. Congratulations! How was your experience in Italy?
Thanks! It was so much fun! I have tried on many occasions to hit the elusive fitness “peak” for quite a few championships with varying levels of success. To feel like I nailed a peak for the first time and just be so strong at the Olympics was a dream come true. Such a great experience!
This was not your first Olympics. What stood out here in 2026 as an Olympic veteran?
Yes, I was at the Olympics in 2022. That year I was really motivated to qualify so was eager to just see what racing on the Olympic stage was like. In my reflection since then I cant help but notice that I got very caught up in all the distractions that come with the Olympics. It honestly didn’t really feel like a ski race until after I got going with the first race. This year my goal was to enjoy the Olympic vibe, but really stick with what I know and make sure that the event felt like a ski race. I think our team did a good job with this and It was just a normal race for the majority of the training sessions and lead up. I think this helped me to preform better this time around! I am really thankful for my experience because It is hard to not get caught up in everything going on if you have never experienced It.
What did you eat on race day(s)?
I tried to eat as normal food as I could on the race days, but certainly it was a little harder with the slightly elevated nerves. I prioritize the basics for the most part with regards to pre race breakfast and definitely supplemented with plenty of UnTapped waffles and gels. It is such a privilege to have nutrition that’s not only packable and travels well but also easy to eat even when your stomach may not be the most receptive to food.
It ends up being a long day; what does nutrition look like before races and in between races?
Yes, this individual sprint especially is quite a long day and I was really trying to prioritize eating as much as I could as the race unfolded. I had probably six UnTapped Maple gels over the course of the day, one before the qualifier two between the qualifier and the heats along with a waffle and another one immediately after every heat. I also had some Mapleaid in my water bottle and drank two full servings of that during the day. All that being said the important fueling didn’t come until after the race was over! I wasn’t expecting the 5 straight hours of podium ceremonies, media, and anti-doping that I had to lock in for and I must say during this period I cleaned out almost my entire stash of UnTapped products. I attribute my ability to bounce back from this huge day in time for the team sprint largely to having so many quality nutrition options to get me through the press conferences and everything else without a massive bonk!
Could you maintain what you’d consider “normal nutrition” while living in the Olympic village?
For the most part, yes. Team USA really goes all out for the Olympics, which is pretty cool and we had access to lots of good food although there was the occasional day that was seafood heavy or something else that made it a little hard to get the necessary calories. I was stoked to have the UnTapped Recovery mix for those days! (Maybe not public yet but it was a great tool!) For the most part everything was pretty familiar and easy so hats off to Team USA for their efforts!
How did you find a routine amid the flurry of the games?
I think for me just sticking with what I have always done in terms of pre race was really helpful for finding a routine amidst all the chaos. We were staying pretty close to the venue so that was helpful. We could just go train get our ski testing done and come back to the village and relax the same way we do for every other World Cup. I made it a priority to put down my phone for at least a few hours every afternoon and take a nap or do some knitting or read a book during this time. I found that that was really helpful for keeping the mental energy high throughout the long championship.
(Editor’s Note: we enjoyed this catch-up session with Ben a few weeks before the games. See how that period looked — knitting included — here!)
Tell us more about what the backflip means to you?
Oh yes, the backflip. I used to do that every once in a while when I was young at junior nationals or such events. I remember thinking to myself once I got good at it that if I was ever on an Olympic podium I would do it. Standing up there listening to the Norwegian national anthem and everything else I kind of remembered and just got struck with the impulse to go for it. In hindsight the podium wasn’t very high and I probably hadn’t done that for quite a few years… Glad everything worked out and I didn’t hurt myself on live TV but it was pretty funny and I think my 15-year-old self would be proud that I went for It.
Small but mighty. We co-hosted a watch party for both of your medal-winning races. Could you feel an energy beaming to you from here in little ol’ Vermont?
Absolutely! Watching the videos from the news about the Richmond watch party and hearing from so many Vermonters after both medals was really a spectacular part of the experience. I felt so supported by everybody back home in Vermont and just can’t wait to get home and say thank you in person!
Get your hands on some of Ben’s Silver Medal winning fuel choices here:
