Posted: September 13, 2004

Athletics: The Red Moon North Pole Marathon is scheduled to take place on April 13th, 2005

This 26.2-mile annual foot race is growing immensely in popularity and stature. There have been dozens of enquiries from around the globe for the 2005 event, with many of the limited number of places already snapped up. Furthermore, the race has just been accepted as a member of the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) for its accurate course measurement and precise timing efforts.

Although this icy slog at the top of the world is fiercely contested up front, athletes of any reasonable fitness are accepted and places are secured on a first come first served basis. The race is run from the drifting Russian camp at the North Pole, and, with twenty-four hours of daylight and heated tents at hand, there is no cut off time employed. Remarkably, these factors make completion of the race achievable for even less experienced marathoners.

Competitors must nonetheless be tough. Temperatures can dip to –30ºC or below with icy winds accompanying. The terrain is also energy sapping, normally comprising small hillocks of ice and soft snow. However, the need to jump over ‘leads’, or breaks in the ice, should not be a feature of the race as the marked course avoids these particular obstacles.

In addition to raising money for charity, some of next year’s participants will also undoubtedly be hoping to join the Grand Slam Club of marathoners, which includes polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes among its ranks. This club is comprised of those who have run a marathon on each of the seven continents as well as on the Arctic Ocean. Others will be hoping to claim the individual and team titles on offer. After covering 26.2 miles, all contestants will certainly look forward to crossing the finishing line at the ceremonial pole and the subsequent award ceremony and photographs at exactly 90N, the precise geographic North Pole.

The North Pole Marathon is operated by Richard Donovan of Polar Running Adventures, Ireland and is sponsored by Red Moon, a world-leading provider of free public Internet access kiosks and related technologies.

The entry fee for next year’s race is US$10,000, which covers entry to the marathon, return flights from Svalbard (Norway) to the North Pole, heated tents and food while at the Pole, and helicopter flights around the North Pole region. In addition to it being the northernmost marathon on earth, the North Pole Marathon is the only certifiable distance that is run on any ocean – specifically, on the pack ice that overlays the 12,000 feet of Arctic Ocean at the North Pole.

For more details:
Website: www.npmarathon.com
or contact
Richard Donovan, Race Director.
Email: rd@npmarathon.com
Tel: +353-91-566077 (Ireland) 
Fax: +353-91-566082 (Ireland)