Runners brave extreme conditions in the Antarctic Ice Marathon
Set amongst stunning arctic scenery, the race is inspiring and adds to the grandeur.
(Reuters) - Piotr Suchenia and Roma Puisiene fought through extreme conditions to win the Antarctic Ice Marathon.
Suchenia won the men’s race, the Polish athlete taking control of the race early on and powered his way to victory. His time was 3 hours 49 minutes 18 seconds, nearly 30 minutes ahead of runner-up, Australia’s Isaac Thyer.
The first woman past the post was Puisiene, who completed the course in 5 hours 3 minutes 32 seconds to become the first Lithuanian to win the event.
Set amongst stunning arctic scenery, the race is inspiring and adds to the grandeur of this unique event which is acknowledged as the one of the most extreme races on the planet.
The 57 competitors from 15 different nations had to deal with tougher conditions than previous years. Visibility was poor as snow fell for much of the race, but the temperatures were relatively mild with an absence of wind, so the latter produced overall good running conditions at the start.
However throughout the race as more falling snow accumulated the going got tougher; underfoot conditions became very soft which drained stamina.
Runners came equipped with full-faced balaclavas, goggles, gloves and mittens, long johns, waterproof running pants and several layers of thermal clothing underneath their shells.
