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Ever heard of running marathon on water and not on land? The frozen water of an ocean, where the course moves with the direction of the current during the race! Where the runners experience extreme sub-zero temperatures that can be as low as -40 °C and only a few feet of ice separate them from the ocean below! Where there is constant daylight as the sun does not set for several months and armed guards protect the runners from polar bears!
Welcome to North Pole marathon! A marathon run on the northernmost point of Earth (recognised by Guinness World Records) where our dearest Santa Clause lives. Since North Pole is not situated on land, but on the Arctic Ocean, runners run 'on' water, frozen water on an ice sheet some 6 - 12 feet thick above 12,000 feet of Arctic Ocean on top of the world.
The first North Pole Marathon occurred in 2002 when Richard Donovan covered the distance alone. There have been 13 North Pole Marathons to date. Approximately 400 people from 45 nations have successfully completed the event. The race is now an annual fixture on the international marathon calendar of AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races).
The marathon is run over the classic 42.195km (26.2 miles) distance with multi-loop course to avoid 'leads', or breaks in the ice. It has individual competition, with male and female divisions, and a team competition for teams of three or more. There is also an option to run a half marathon.
The men's record of 3:36:10 was set by Thomas Maguire from Ireland in 2007. The women's record of 4:52:45 was set by Anne-Marie Flammersfeld from Germany in 2014. Two guided blind athletes, Mark Pollock and Jamie Cuthbertson, completed the race in 2004 and 2010, respectively. Petr Vabrousek from Czech Republic won the men's title in the 2015 edition with a time of 4:22:24, while Heather Hawkins from Australia won the women’s title with a time of 6:57:39.
So, next time when you think of water, think marathon!
