An Irishman has won the world’s coolest marathon - the North Pole Marathon. Forty-three athletes from 22 nations took part in the race, which is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's most northerly marathon.It is also the only marathon that is run entirely on water - the frozen water of the Arctic Ocean.
The participants were flown from Spitsbergen in Norway
to a drifting Russian ice base in the high Arctic Ocean, where a 4.2 km course was prepared. Contestants had to run 10 laps of the circuit
at the Geographic North Pole, passing through spectacular ice hillocks and vast ice floes.
The race got under way at 2:45am GMT on 7 April, but with continuous daylight at this time of year, visibility was not a problem. In fact, the runners enjoyed brilliant sunshine, which took the edge off the -25C temperature, although they needed three layers of clothes to cope with the frigid conditions.
Thomas Maguire, from Ireland, completed the gruelling 26.2 mile course in a record time of three hours, 36 minutes and 10 seconds. Shunning the heated refreshment tents along the way, Maguire - who finished 12th in the 2006 World 100km Championships in Korea - chose to complete his epic run without stopping for food or water. He won a Kobold expedition watch for his efforts.
Italy's Francesco Galanzino finished second, seven minutes behind Maguire, with Spain's Juan Antonio Alegre in third. Britain's Andrew Murray finished fourth, with Northern Ireland's Peter Bell in fifth.
The women's race, which also offered an
expedition watch for first prize, was won by Britain's Susan Holliday in a time of six hours, 17 minutes and 40 seconds. Holiday was
almost 18 minutes ahead of compatriot Katy Disley in second place, with Russia's Liubov Bleykh in third.
Perhaps the most amazing achievement was that of Paralympic athlete William Tan. He used the specially-prepared flat runway section of the course to complete a marathon in a wheelchair, covering his particular circuit in just over 21 hours. Tan, from Singapore, is attempting to complete marathons on all seven continents.
As he sat in his wheelchair at the precise Geographic North Pole, Tan declared it to be the happiest day of his life. The race organiser, Richard Donovan of Ireland, explained that Tan’s efforts were truly remarkable given that it was not possible to freewheel on the icy surface.
The next North Pole Marathon is provisionally scheduled for 6 April 2008. For more information, see www.npmarathon.com.
Contact: Richard Donovan
Web: www.npmarathon.com
Email: rd@npmarathon.com
FULL RESULTS
Mens Race
| Name | Time | ||
| 1. | Thomas Maguire (IRL) | 3:36:10 | Bib No. 34 |
| 2. | Francesco Galanzino (ITA) | 3:43:03 | Bib No. 29 |
| 3. | Juan Antonio Alegre (ESP) | 3:56:33 | Bib No. 12 |
| 4. | Andrew Murray (GBR) | 4:21:40 | Bib No. 37 |
| 5. | Peter Bell (NIR) | 4:24:15 | Bib No. 14 |
| 6. | Jukka Viljanen (FIN) | 4:34:34 | Bib No. 42 |
| 7. | Finbarr Murphy (IRL) | 4:40:51 | Bib No. 36 |
| 8. | Rob Greaves (GBR) | 4:44:14 | Bib No. 6 |
| 9. | Kym McConnell (NZL) | 4:47:17 | Bib No. 3 |
| 10. | Sean Greaves (GBR) | 4:54:15 | Bib No. 7 |
| 11. | Bobby Bostic (USA) | 5:02:49 | Bib No.27 |
| 12. | Nick Gibbins (GBR) | 5:26:56 | Bib No. 20 |
| 13. | Raphael Rottgen (GER) | 5:27:35 | Bib No. 4 |
| 14. | Miles Cudmore (GBR) | 5:29:02 | Bib No. 18 |
| 15. | Ed Stumpf (RSA) | 5:31:37 | Bib No. 17 |
| 16. | Richard Williams (GBR) | 5:33:20 | Bib No. 44 |
| 17. | Phillip Stapleton (GBR) | 5:34:39 | Bib No. 21 |
| 18. | Patrick Waller (GBR) | 5:35:04 | Bib No. 19 |
| 19. | Juergen Kuhlmey (GER) | 5:50:04 | Bib No. 32 |
| 20. | Tom Aaker (USA) | 5:52:06 | Bib No. 8 |
| 21. | Paul Gray (NIR) | 5:53:03 | Bib No. 15 |
| 22. | Steve Boswell (GBR) | 5:54:57 | Bib No. 5 |
| 23. | Richard Singer (CZE) | 5:55:24 | Bib No. 40 |
| 24. | Sean Cornwell (GBR/ITA) | 6:00:14 | Bib No. 16 |
| 25. | Miguel Caselles (ESP) | 6:10:44 | Bib No. 13 |
| 26. | Dave Horsley (GBR) | 6:13:55 | Bib No. 2 |
| 27. | Myung Jung Kim (KOR/USA) | 6:16:08 | Bib No. 22 |
| 27. | Jeff Rutherford (USA) | 6:16:08 | Bib No. 23 |
| 29. | Seow Kong Ng (MAS) | 6:27:27 | Bib No. 38 |
| 30. | John Waerner (SWE) | 6:28:38 | Bib No. 43 |
| 31. | Paul Richer (GBR) | 6:35:44 | Bib No. 39 |
| 32. | Kapil Johri (GBR/IND) | 7:10:44 | Bib No. 10 |
| 32. | Nick Rowe (GBR) | 7:10:44 | Bib No. 11 |
| 34. | Roberto Liano (MEX) | 7:19:16 | Bib No. 33 |
| 35. | Frank Staples (GBR) | 9:08:12 | Bib No. 41 |
| 36. | Onu Tareq Mahmud (BAN) | 10:59:40 | Bib No. 24 |
| 36. | Enam Ul Haque (BAN) | 10:59:40 | Bib No. 25 |
Womens Race
| Name | Time | ||
| 1. | Susan Holliday (GBR) | 6:17:40 | Bib No. 31 |
| 2. | Katy Disley (GBR) | 6: 35:15 | Bib No. 9 |
| 3. | Liubov Bleykh (RUS) | 8:18:48 | Bib No. 26 |
| 4. | Karen Michelsen (CAN) | 8:59:52 | Bib No. 35 |
| 5. | Marianne DeMarco (USA) | 10:20:10 | Bib No. 28 |
Team Competition
| Team | Time |
| 1. Slalom Globetrotters (Greaves 4:44:14, Greaves 4:54:15, Boswell 5:54:57) |
15:33:26 |
| 2. Raw Feet (McConnell 4:47:17, Rottgen 5:27:35, Horsley 6:13:55) |
16:28:47 |
| 3. Standard Chartered Bank (Aaker 5:52:06, Disley 6:35:15, Johri 7:10:44, Rowe 7:10:44) |
19:38:05 |
Wheelchair
| Name | Time | ||
| 1. | William Tan (SIN) | 21:10:12 | Bib No. 1 |