I’m amazed to read of a marathon – run at the North Pole!
Under the ice clinging to every strand of his hair and bushy beard, a faint smile is just visible – and no wonder.
Ted Jackson has just completed the coldest marathon on earth, a race for those who think a regular marathon is just a tad too easy.
Mr Jackson and his fellow competitors ran the 26.5 miles at the North Pole in temperatures plummeting to a bone-freezing -36C (-33F).
The 36-year-old former opera singer completed the gruelling feat in a respectable nine and a half hours, finishing 26th out of 38 runners.
He prepared for it by training in the deep freeze of a local butcher.
But the challenge pushed Mr Jackson – who once performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – and the others to the absolute limits of physical endurance.
They had to wear three layers of bulky clothing to protect them against the piercing Arctic wind and also to help stop them developing frostbite or hypothermia.
Even with such protection, the exertion of having to shiver to stay warm while running the race put enormous strain on their hearts.
They had to wear goggles to protect against snowblindness – a painful condition caused by the exposure of eyes to the ultraviolet rays in sunlight reflected from snow or ice.
Akin to a sunburn of the cornea, the condition may not be noticed for several hours after exposure. In very severe cases, it can cause permanent vision loss.
As the pictures show, any exposed hair is a magnet for snow and ice while drops of sweat – and tears – freeze in an instant.
In addition to the physical pressures, the Arctic environment itself poses some serious risks.
Runners had to avoid treacherous ice cracks, not to mention the possible threat of polar bears – although the animals don’t usually venture so far north.
Specialist doctors checked each competitor regularly to make sure nobody was showing signs of developing frostbite or snowblindness.
Runners from 13 countries and six continents took part in the North Pole Marathon on Tuesday.
Russian athlete Evgeniy Gorkov won the race in four hours and 27 minutes.
Now those are some dedicated runners, I’d say!
Peter
Why izzit that photo makes my eyelashes hurt? Brrrrr!
Neg 30’s not that bad – I mean, it starts to hurt to breathe if you’re not wearing a mask, and if you’re only wearing one layer, its hurts every time your jeans touch your bare skin as you walk, but it’s livable.
Neg 45 and colder is what I truly (hate hate hate) dislike (with the firey burning passion of a thousand suns) intensely.
The three layers for warmth is a misnomer; the outer layer is a wind blocker, because wind chill kills. The middle layer is for warmth, and the inner layer is for warmth and dryness, to wick away sweat from your skin. Unless you’re (an idiot) late to class and didn’t take the time to pull on your thermals, that’s mandatory clothing.
(I must admit that while I say it’s not that bad, when it was in the neg 30’s this winter, I was grumbling at God “Hey! I moved south to Anchorage to get away from the cold!”)